The Western Hockey League has announced the 2023-24 Division nominees for the Dunc McCallum Memorial Trophy.
The trophy is awarded annually to the WHL Coach of the Year.
All WHL Division Award winners are eligible for the overall WHL Awards, which will be announced from Wednesday, May 1 through Thursday, May 9.
The Dunc McCallum Memorial Trophy winner will be revealed on Wednesday, May 1.
WHL Coach of the Year Nominees
B.C. Division – Mark Lamb – Prince George Cougars
Central Division – Willie Desjardins – Medicine Hat Tigers
East Division – Brennan Sonne – Saskatoon Blades
U.S. Division – Mike Johnston – Portland Winterhawks
Mark Lamb (Prince George Cougars)
Mark Lamb is the WHL B.C. Division Coach of the Year for a second-straight season.
The Prince George Cougars General Manager and Head Coach steered the Cougars to the team’s best regular season since moving to the Northern Capital for the 1994-95 season.
The Cougars put up a 49-15-1-3 record to clinch the team’s second-ever B.C. Division title and first top placement in the Western Conference.
Under Lamb, Prince George was the second-highest scoring team in the league (316) while allowing the second-fewest goals against (187). The team’s powerplay (30.1 percent) and penalty kill (84.3 percent) both ranked second in the WHL.
Three Cougars players, Zac Funk (Washington Capitals), Riley Heidt (Minnesota Wild) and rookie Terik Parascak (2024 NHL Draft-eligible) surpassed the 100-point mark, with Funk leading all WHL skaters with 67 goals and a +56 rating.
Prince George was also the league’s strongest road team, amassing a 24-8-0-2 record in enemy territory.
In five seasons as the Cougars’ Head Coach, Lamb holds a regular season record of 139-122-17-10.
Lamb is also the WHL B.C. Division Executive of the Year.