Anholt named finalist for top WHL executive

By Yoos, Cam on April 15, 2020.

lethbridge herald

Peter Anholt of the Lethbridge Hurricanes has been named the Western Hockey League’s Eastern Conference nominee for the Lloyd Saunders Memorial Trophy as WHL Executive of the Year.

Anholt, the Hurricanes general manager, was the recipient of the Llyod Saunders Memorial Trophy in 2015-16. He is nominated this year along with Matt Bardsley, general manager of the Kamloops Blazers. The winner of the award will be named May 8.

In his fifth full season with the Hurricanes, Anholt was the architect of a club that skated to a 37-19-2-5 record through 63 games, third in the WHL’s Central Division. It was the Hurricanes’ fifth-straight season of 30 or more victories, one behind tying the club record.

Anholt has led the Hurricanes to five consecutive playoff berths, including consecutive Eastern Conference Championship Series appearances in 2016-17 and 2017-18. In his five full seasons as general manager, the Hurricanes have posted a record of 200-115-18-14.

This season’s roster was bolstered by Anholt’s selection of Slovakian forward Oliver Okuliar at the 2019 CHL Import Draft, while the addition of former Hurricane Brett Davis helped strengthen the Hurricanes down the stretch.

Anholt also acquired Dino Kambeitz to provide more offensive options for his group, and has built local ties through the WHL bantam draft, selecting Lethbridge products Zack Stringer and Erick Roest to complement the team’s promising future.

In his second full season as a WHL general manager with the Kamloops Blazers, Bardsley oversaw a roster that claimed its first B.C. Division title since 2012, earning a record of 41-18-3-1 through 63 games.

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