EDMONTON - The Canada West Universities Athletic Association and Western Hockey League are pleased to announce that Calgary Dinos goaltender
Dustin Butler has been named the Canada West men's hockey Husky-WHL Graduate of the Month for February 2010.
Playing out of his hometown, the sophomore goaltender is the fourth different winner of the award for 2009-10 and first from the University of Calgary Dinos to win the award this season, the 21st year of Husky-WHL awards. The award is presented monthly to a graduate of the Western Hockey League who is playing on one of the seven Canada West teams. Each winner, between October and March, receives a cheque for $500 from the WHL to go towards the cost of his education and a gift from Husky.
A total of 106 WHL grads are members of Canada West teams in 2009-10, with another 34 scholarship recipients currently attending Canada West schools. The CIS and Canada West men's hockey in particular have allowed these players to further their careers as well as their education at some of Canada's finest academic institutions.
During the month of February, the 6'2'', 182-pound netminder led the Dinos to a 3-1 record, a stellar 1.69 GAA and a .944 save percentage, lifting the Dinos to the post-season after a one-year absence, finishing in fourth place. He was sensational in two games played at Saskatchewan, Feb. 12-13, going 1-1 and compiling a goals against average (GAA) of 2.00 against the Huskies. Those three points earned by Calgary went a long ways to securing a playoff position, just ahead of a hard-charging Lethbridge Pronghorns squad. The next weekend, against UBC, Butler was even better, posting a 2-0 record with 1.50 GAA. The win on Saturday, Feb. 20 was earned in large part by the second-year 'keeper stopping 18 shots in the first period.
Butler's performance in February was critical in the Dinos push to make the playoffs. He took it upon himself to play his best hockey of the season, when the team needed it most. At 13-9-6 during the regular season, Calgary made the post-season by two points over Lethbridge and earned the right to play first-place Alberta in a best-of-three semifinal.
A former goalie for the Portland Winter Hawks (2003-07), Kamloops Blazers (2006-07) and just before joining the Dinos, the Prince Albert Raiders (2007-08), Butler finished the conference season with a 12-11 record, a 2.61 GAA and .905 save percentage, a vast improvement over his numbers one season earlier.
By winning the monthly award, the 22-year-old Social Sciences student becomes the 21st monthly winner for Calgary and 19th different Dino to win the honour since it was first awarded in October 1989. The last Calgary Dino to win the award was forward
Reid Jorgensen in February 2008.
Butler played four full seasons in the WHL, compiling an 87-80-3 record. In brief playoff appearances, he went 0-4. His best season came in 2006-07, when he was 33-21, with seven shutouts in 54 games for Kamloops. Teammates along the way included Brandon Dubinsky (NY Rangers), Braydon Coburn (Philadelphia Flyers), Dan DaSilva (Worcester-AHL), Colorado Avalanche winger Cody McLeod, University of Alberta forward Brian Woolger and Manitoba Bisons former goaltender Krister Toews.
He was one of two nominees for February's Canada West WHL award, edging out Alberta forward Derek Ryan in a coaches poll. Coaches rank each nominee, first to last, but may not put in a vote for their own team's nominee.
Husky is a proud sponsor of the WHL Education Program & the Canada West men's hockey Graduate of the Month
UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY DINOS
CANADA WEST HUSKY - WHL GRADUATES OF THE MONTH
Tracey Katelnikoff (F) - Feb. 94, Mar. 95
Jason Krywulak (F) - Nov. 95, Oct. 97
Mark Fioetti (F) - Jan. 90
Peter Fry (G) - Feb. 90
Wayne Hynes (F) - Oct. 90
Todd Sceviour (F) - Dec. 91
Jaret Burgoyne (G) - Jan. 93
Sean Krakiwsky (F) - Jan. 94
Trevor Couldwell (F) - Mar. 96
Mark Dawkins (G) - Jan. 97
Eric Schneider (F) - Feb. 99
Ron Grimard (F) - Feb. 00
Aaron Baker (G) - Feb. 01
Scott Rideout (G) - Nov. 01
Wade Davis (F) - Feb. 05
Jarret Lukin (F) - Nov. 05
Jared Aulin (F) - Jan. 08
Reid Jorgensen (F) - Feb. 08
Dustin Butler (G) - Feb. 10
About Canada West Universities Athletic Association
Canada West is consistently the most decorated of the four conferences in Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS), winning at least 10 CIS national titles every year since 1997-98. Comprised of 14 schools, from the provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia, the CWUAA produces numerous major award winners and Academic All-Canadian student-athletes each year, with many going on to athletic success around the globe in pro leagues or events such as the Olympics, Paralympics or Universiade Games.
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