Ivan Provorov is an extremely good, extremely exciting player. We know this – it’s why the Philadelphia Flyers picked him at seventh overall roughly 11 months ago. It’s also how he was named the WHL Defenceman of the Year, all the while he helped his Brandon Wheat Kings win the WHL championship, and play in the Memorial Cup.
But wait – Provorov can do you one better than being the best defender in the WHL. Sure, it’s the most defensive of the three Canadian Hockey Leagues (moreso than the OHL, and much, much moreso than the QMJHL), so this might have been a given already.
But how about making it official?
How about naming Provorov as the best defenseman in the entire CHL, period? Out of all junior hockey players playing across Canada and parts of the United States literally nobody was a better defenseman than Ivan Provorov.
Congrats to @NHLFlyers prospect Ivan Provorov of @bdnwheatkings the 2016 Arctic Spas #CHL Defenceman of the Year pic.twitter.com/pHztsUuTAf
— CanadianHockeyLeague (@CHLHockey) May 28, 2016
Provorov was up against Mikhail Sergachev and Samuel Girard for the honor. Both are draft-eligible this year; Sergachev is expected to go in the top 10, while Girard could be a good pick a little later.
But it’s no surprise Provorov won the award. He scored 73 points over 62 games, showcasing excellent two-way ability; furthermore, he finished a +64 on the year, blowing virtually everyone else, save for a select few, out of the water – and those select few were still below him.
Get ready for him.
