The Western Hockey League announced today that Kootenay Ice forward Jaedon Descheneau is the WHL & CHL Player of the Week for the week ending March 30, 2014.
Descheneau scored seven goals and added eight assists for 15 points to go with a +4 rating in four games over the past week, helping the Ice to three victories in that span as they eliminated the Calgary Hitmen in the first round of the 2014 WHL playoffs.
On Monday, March 24, Descheneau scored once and picked up five assists for six points while being named the game’s 1st Star in a 7-6 overtime loss to the Hitmen in Game 3 of the series in Cranbrook, B.C. On Tuesday, March 25, he scored the game-winning goal in the final minute of regulation play, added an assist, and was selected as the game’s 1st Star in a 5-4 triumph over the visiting Hitmen in Game 4. On Thursday, March 27, Descheneau scored two goals, including the game-winner, and added an assist while earning 2nd Star honors in a 6-5 win in Calgary in Game 5 of the series. On Saturday, March 29, Descheneau tallied three goals and an assist while claiming 1st Star honors in a 5-3 victory over the Hitmen in Cranbrook, giving the Ice a 4-2 best-of-seven series win.
Descheneau, 1995-born right wing from Edmonton, AB, is in his third season in the WHL with the Kootenay Ice. The 5’9”, 186-lb forward amassed 44 goals and 98 points in 70 regular-season games for Kootenay this season, and currently leads all players in post-season scoring with seven goals and 17 points in just six games. A third-round pick, 62nd overall, by Kootenay in the 2010 WHL Bantam Draft, Descheneau has accumulated 77 goals and 190 points in 193 career regular-season games. He is eligible for the 2014 NHL Draft.
The WHL has also nominated Patrik Polivka of the Victoria Royals for the Vaughn CHL Goaltender of the Week award. A product of Plzen, Czech Republic, who just celebrated his 20th birthday, Polivka posted a 2-0 record in two road starts over the past week, allowing just three goals on 55 shots for a 1.50 goals-against average and a .945 save percentage, as the Royals completed a 4-0 best-of-seven series sweep of the Spokane Chiefs in their opening-round series of the 2014 WHL playoffs. On Wednesday, March 26, Polivka stopped 20 of 21 shots as the Royals skated to a 6-1 victory over the Chiefs in Game 3 of the series in Spokane, WA. On Thursday, March 27, he turned aside 32 of 34 shots while claiming 3rd Star honors in a 4-2 series-clinching victory in Spokane. Polivka is in his second season in the WHL with the Royals. Victoria’s first-round pick, 14th overall, in the 2012 CHL Import Draft, Polivka has appeared in 96 career regular-season contests, posting a 56-28-2-5 record with seven shutouts, a 2.92 GAA and a .904 save percentage. He is a free agent.