Yellow Horn and Alzner named WHL Player-of-the-Year nominees

CALGARY - Tri-City Americans forward Colton Yellow Horn and Calgary Hitmen blue-liner Karl Alzner were nominated Friday for the WHL Player of the Year award.

Yellow Horn is the Western Conference finalist while Alzner was named in the East. Yellow Horn, a 20-year-old from Brocket, Alta., scored a WHL-leading 48 goals while adding 49 assists for 97 points and a +19 rating in 67 games.

His efforts helped the Americans to a franchise-best 52-16-2-2 record for 108 points as the team captured the U.S. Division and Western Conference regular-season titles for the first time in franchise history.

He led all WHL players with 20 power play goals and eight shorthanded goals, and also netted a team-leading eight game-winning goals, tying him for fifth in the WHL in that category.

Alzner, a 19-year-old product of Burnaby, B.C., tallied seven goals and 29 assists for 36 points to go with a solid +26 rating in 60 regular-season games for the Hitmen.

His efforts helped lead the Hitmen to a 47-20-1-4 record for 99 points as the team captured their first Central Division and Eastern Conference regular-season banners since the 1999-00 season.

The two finalists for WHL Player of the Year were determined through voting by General Managers, coaches, broadcast and media representatives of all WHL clubs.