File Photo (Image Credit: Kootenay International Junior Hockey League)

By Victor Kaisar

In the KIJHL

Storm, Heat represented as KIJHL announces 2025-26 Doug Birks Division award winners

Mar 5, 2026 | 2:45 PM

KAMLOOPS — Players from the Kamloops Storm and Chase Heat were both represented as the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League (KIJHL) handed out its latest Doug Birks Division awards in eight separate categories.

Kamloops Storm forward Noah Paulsen was named the division’s most valuable player. The 18-year-old Kamloopsian finished his sophomore season with 62 points (29 goals and 33 assists) in 43 games. He led all Storm players in goals, assists and points in the 2025-26 regular season.

Paulsen also had six game-winning goals and was tied for fourth in the KIJHL with five other players.

Storm netminder Brenner Fyfe took home the top goaltender award, as he led the league in wins (22) this season. The 19-year-old Lethbridge native posted a 2.93 goals against average and a .914 save percentage in 31 regular season games.

Fyfe was unbeatable in November as he won all seven of his starts and took home the KIJHL’s goaltender of the month award that month.

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Chase Heat forward Shiva Singh was named the Doug Birks Division rookie of the year. The 18-year-old from Surrey was ninth in the rookie scoring race with 43 points (18 goals and 25 assists) in 39 games.

Singh also led all Heat forwards in goals, assists and points in the 2025-26 regular season. He was named the KIJHL Rookie of the Week in late September and again in mid-December.

The Storm (32-10-1-1) and Heat (14-29-1-0) are gearing up to meet in round one of the KIJHL playoffs, which get underway this weekend. Games one and two will be played in Kamloops March 6 and 7 with games three and four scheduled to be played in Chase on March 10 and 11.

A trio of Williams Lake Mustangs took home the other divisional player awards – JP Desabrais was the top-scorer with 68 points (30 goals and 38 assists) in 44 games. Declan Pocock was named the top defenceman, while Alberto Kellgren was named the most sportsmanlike player.

Off the ice, Matt Kolle of the Kamloops Storm was named the Doug Birks Division general manager of the year. Kolle built a Storm roster that finished with 66 points, just three points shy of the regular-season title, which was won by the Revelstoke Grizzlies (33-8-1-2).

The Storm scored the second-most goals (201) this season and allowed the fifth fewest (133). Kamloops also had the third-best power play in the league at 26.7 per cent and the tenth-best penalty kill at 81 per cent.

Kolle struck well before the KIJHL trade deadline and brought in Nelson Leafs captain Quinn Ramsay and along with forward Cale Nachai. He also signed defenceman Teegan Mudryk from the Rocky Rams of the Heritage Junior Hockey League the day before the deadline.

Early in the season, Kolle also acquired forward Nicholas Clark from the La Ronge Ice Wolves of the SJHL. He also bolstered the team’s depth with the addition of forward Kuy Schmirler from Revelstoke.

The KIJHL also named Tyrel Lucas of the Williams Lake Mustangs as the Doug Birks Division coach of the year. Lucas led the Mustangs (26-13-2-3) to a second place finish in the division and eighth overall in the league.

The Mustangs are gearing up to face the third-place Quesnel River Rush (22-17-4-1) in the first round of playoffs.

Award winners in each of the four KIJHL divisions – Doug Birks, Bill Ohlhausen, Neil Murdoch and Eddie Mountain – will compete for the overall league award, with the winners set to be announced at a later date.