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Yakupov, Shinnimin headline the CHL Awards

Nail Yakupov

The Canadian Hockey League – which oversees the Western Hockey League, Ontario Hockey League, and Quebec Major Junior Hockey League – dished out its awards today. Here are some of the highlights:

-- Nail Yakupov was selected as the Top Prospect of the Year. If you haven’t heard his name yet, you will soon. Yakupov topped the NHL Central Scouting’s rankings and there’s a good chance that he will be selected first overall. One potential obstacle in his path is the fact that he’s a forward and the holders of the first overall pick, the Edmonton Oilers, are already stocked up on superb young forwards. The Oilers might ultimately decide to draft based on need and select defenseman Ryan Murray.

-- Brendan Shinnimin became the first player since Alexander Radulov in 2006 to win both the Top Scorer of the Year and Player of the Year awards. Sidney Crosby also captured both of those awards in 2005. Shinnimin had an incredible 134 points, which is the most from a WHL player since 1998-99. Shinnimin went undrafted, but inked an entry-level deal with the Phoenix Coyotes in March.

-- Dougie Hamilton nabbed Defenseman of the Year honors. Hamilton was selected with the ninth overall pick in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft by the Boston Bruins. They were using one of the picks they got from the Toronto Maple Leafs as part of the Phil Kessel deal.

-- Mikhail Grigorenko was selected as the Rookie of the Year. Like Yakupov, Grigorenko is eligible to be taken in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft. It would be a huge surprise if Grigorenko ends up being selected before Yakupov, but both should be top-10 picks.