CCHL Pro Awards Watch: Mid-Season Leaders, All-Stars, and the Biggest Debates
Stats updated January 31, 2026
As the CCHL season pushes past the halfway mark, the Pro Leaders board gives us more than just a scoring race — it gives us a snapshot of value, workload, and impact. Using league statistics alone, here’s where the major awards stand, who makes the All-Star teams, and which players are knocking loudly on the door.
🏆 Most Valuable Player (MVP)
Nico Hischier — Seattle (SEA)
There is no ambiguity at the top.
Hischier leads the league with 113 points in 69 games, pairing elite production with heavy responsibility. He plays nearly 20 minutes per game, drives offense at even strength and on the power play, and does so while facing top competition nightly.
This is the definition of MVP value: production, consistency, and trust.
MVP Resume Highlights
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League-leading 113 points
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46 goals, 67 assists
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327 shots on goal
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19.56 average minutes per game
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+15 rating
Verdict: Clear front-runner.
🥈 MVP Runner-Up
Cale Makar — Total (CGY)
If value is measured by influence per shift, Makar has as strong a case as anyone in the league.
A defenceman with 108 points, Makar also leads all players in average ice time (23.57 AMG), quarterbacks one of the league’s most productive power plays, and still contributes defensively with 88 shot blocks.
The only reason he isn’t MVP right now? Nico Hischier is having a historic season.
🛡️ Best Defenceman
Cale Makar — Total (CGY)
This award is settled.
Makar dominates every offensive category among defencemen while also playing the hardest minutes in the league. He is elite offensively, trusted defensively, and indispensable situationally.
108 points from the blue line is not just league-leading — it’s era-defining.
🥈 Best Defenceman – Runner-Up
Jake Sanderson — ICE
Sanderson represents the modern all-situations defenceman:
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93 points
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24.10 AMG (highest in the league)
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96 shot blocks
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+10 rating
If Makar is the league’s most dynamic defenceman, Sanderson is its most relied upon.
🧤 Best Goaltender
Connor Hellebuyck — ICE
Goaltending value is about efficiency and endurance. Hellebuyck delivers both.
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56 games played
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0.902 save percentage
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3 shutouts
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Consistent performance under volume
Among starters carrying a true workload, Hellebuyck stands above the field.
🥈 Best Goaltender – Runner-Up
Darcy Kuemper — DEN
Kuemper’s case is built on reliability:
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36 wins
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0.904 save percentage
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3288 minutes played
Few goaltenders combine volume and efficiency this well.
⭐ CCHL First All-Star Team
Forwards
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Nico Hischier (SEA) — MVP, scoring leader
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Jack Eichel (CAP) — 109 points, elite distributor
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Sam Reinhart (FOR) — 48 goals, +31 impact
Defencemen
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Cale Makar (CGY) — Best defenceman
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Jake Sanderson (ICE) — Elite minutes, elite results
Goaltender
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Connor Hellebuyck (ICE)
⭐⭐ CCHL Second All-Star Team
Forwards
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Mikko Rantanen (CGY) — 98 points, power forward dominance
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Kyle Connor (SEA) — 97 points, consistent scoring threat
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Auston Matthews (CHC) — 42 goals, high-volume shooter
Defencemen
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Quinn Hughes (VIC) — 84 points from the back end
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MacKenzie Weegar (FEK) — Physical, durable, heavy usage
Goaltender
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Darcy Kuemper (DEN)
🧱 Best Shot Blocker
MacKenzie Weegar — FEK
Shot blocking is a skill born of timing and sacrifice. Weegar leads the league with 108 blocks while also averaging nearly 25 minutes per game, making his defensive contribution impossible to overlook.
⏱️ Most Valuable Player (Quality Minutes Played)
Jake Sanderson — ICE
If quality minutes mean:
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Tough matchups
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Penalty kills
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Late-game leads
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No shelter
Then Sanderson is the standard.
He leads the league in average ice time, contributes offensively, blocks shots at an elite rate, and remains effective in every situation.
🔥 Snubs & Debates: The Conversations Fans Will Have
No awards list is complete without controversy — and this one has plenty.
❓ Should a Defenceman Be MVP?
Cale Makar’s usage and production are unmatched league-wide. The question isn’t whether he’s valuable — it’s whether a defenceman can overcome a historic scoring season from a forward. That debate won’t go away.
❓ Is Jack Eichel Being Undervalued?
At 109 points, Eichel is right on Hischier’s heels and drives play just as effectively. On another team or in another season, he might be the MVP favourite.
❓ Where Is Quinn Hughes in the Defenceman Debate?
Hughes has 84 points and massive responsibility, but his negative rating and lighter defensive impact compared to Makar and Sanderson keep him just outside the top tier.
❓ Goalie Value vs. Team Strength
Darcy Kuemper’s numbers are excellent — some will argue his win total should outweigh Hellebuyck’s slightly better efficiency. This debate will likely come down to team context vs. individual performance.
❓ Snub Watch
Players knocking on the door:
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Mikko Rantanen — borderline First Team case
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Kyle Connor — consistency argument
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MacKenzie Weegar — Best Defenceman dark horse
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Quinn Hughes — offensive defenceman debate
**Who Could Steal the Hardware Late?
CCHL Awards Races to Watch Down the Stretch**
Mid-season leaders rarely get a free ride to the finish line. With the standings tightening and ice time ramping up, several players are positioned to make a real late-season push for major CCHL awards. Here’s who could flip the script before the final whistle.
🏆 MVP Watch: Late-Season Challengers
Jack Eichel — CAP
If anyone is positioned to pressure Nico Hischier, it’s Eichel.
At 109 points, he’s already within striking distance and plays nearly the same workload. If Eichel closes the gap in scoring or overtakes Hischier while driving a playoff surge, the MVP race becomes wide open.
What needs to happen:
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Outscore Hischier over the final stretch
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Maintain his two-way impact
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Lead CAP to a strong finish
Cale Makar — CGY
The defenceman MVP argument grows stronger with every heavy-minute performance.
If Makar finishes near the league lead in points while maintaining league-best ice time, voters may decide value outweighs positional bias. A dominant final month could push him from runner-up to front-runner.
What needs to happen:
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Finish top-2 in league scoring
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Maintain elite defensive usage
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Continue power-play dominance
Sam Reinhart — FOR
Goal scorers always surge late — and Reinhart already has 48 goals.
If he threatens 55+ while keeping his +31 rating, his case strengthens rapidly. Voters love goal scoring when it comes in bunches down the stretch.
What needs to happen:
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League-leading goal finish
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Big-game scoring moments
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Continued team success
🛡️ Best Defenceman: Still Open?
Jake Sanderson — ICE
This race isn’t over.
Sanderson already leads the league in average ice time (24.10 AMG) and continues to pile up defensive contributions. If he closes the offensive gap with Makar while maintaining his shutdown role, the narrative shifts.
Path to the award:
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100-point pace from the blue line
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Continued league-leading minutes
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ICE defensive dominance
MacKenzie Weegar — FEK
Weegar is the wild card.
He leads the league in shot blocks (108) and plays massive minutes. If FEK makes a strong late push and Weegar’s physical dominance becomes the story, he could steal votes based on defensive value alone.
🧤 Goaltender Race: Far From Settled
Darcy Kuemper — DEN
If DEN leans on Kuemper heavily down the stretch, his volume could overwhelm the field.
More wins plus sustained efficiency could swing the award toward workload value rather than raw save percentage.
Adin Hill — CGY
Hill’s numbers quietly impress:
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0.908 save percentage
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Strong win percentage
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Lower game total (fresh legs)
If CGY heats up late, Hill could surge into the conversation fast.
🧱 Best Shot Blocker: The Chase
Noah Dobson — SEA
Dobson sits just behind Weegar with 105 blocks and logs huge minutes. A strong defensive finish could flip this race in the final weeks.
Jake Sanderson — ICE
Already near the top, Sanderson could realistically double-dip if he closes the block gap while maintaining elite ice time.
⏱️ Quality Minutes Award: Anyone Catch Sanderson?
Cale Makar
If Makar finishes the season leading both:
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Average minutes
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Offensive production
The “quality minutes” crown becomes a legitimate debate.
Quinn Hughes — VIC
Hughes’ offensive burden is massive. If VIC leans on him even harder late, his minute load could spike into true iron-man territory.
🔥 Final Take
Awards races are rarely decided in January — they’re decided in March.
Hischier, Makar, Sanderson, and Hellebuyck remain the leaders, but history says at least one of them will feel real pressure before the season ends. All it takes is one hot stretch, one dominant month, or one team catching fire.
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