OCN Blizzard defenceman and former Norman Northstar Brady Keeper of Cross Lake was named the Manitoba Junior Hockey League’s most valuable player and top defenceman Feb. 24.
Keeper, who committed to play for the NCAA Division 1 University of Maine in 2017-18 prior to the start of the recently concluded MJHL campaign, won the Steve “Boomer” Hawrysh MVP Award and the Brian Kozak Trophy as the league’s top defenceman as well as being named a first-team all-star after a season that saw him score 23 goals and 25 assists in 48 games.
This was Keeper’s third season with the Blizzard. He recorded 16 goals and 28 assists for 44 points in the 2015-16 season and 13 goals and 28 assists in 2014-15 when he was named to the all-rookie team. He was also a first team all-star and runner-up as top defenceman in 2015-16. He has three goals and two assists in five playoff games with the Blizzard over the past two seasons.
Keeper played one season with the midget AAA Northstars in Thompson, recording seven goals and 18 assists in 42 games in 2013-14, when he was recognized by the team for earning the most defensive player of the game citations over the course of the season. He was also a member of the Keystone Junior Hockey League’s Norway house North Stars in 2012-13, scoring six goals and 28 assists.
Long-time former Northstars coach Doug Korman, who took over behind the bench partway through the 2013-414 season when Keeper was on the Northstars, remarked upon Keeper’s development as a player before a Northstars alumni game in Thompson Feb. 25, when Korman was inducted into Thompson’s sports Wall of fame.
“Him and his brother [Anthony] are playing for OCN and they’ve had a good season and hopefully they make a run at the championship,” said Korman. “It’s good seeing those guys.”
