Our search for the 2016 HockeyNow Minor Hockey Players of the Year kicked off with the start of the season and we’re watching closely to see which players will rise above the pack. Our preliminary lists are released each month and reflect some of the top minor hockey players (in their CHL draft year) from B.C., Alberta and Ontario. These lists, compiled by our Player of the Year committee, are used to eventually determine our winners, announced in July each year. The committee is chaired by Vancouver Canucks alum Dave Babych and ISS Hockey founder and head scout Dennis MacInnis, who have been involved with the award for many years and helped choose last year’s winners, Josh Williams in B.C., Bowen Byram in Alberta and Owen Lalonde in Ontario. Most recently, Williams and Byram were both selected to represent their provinces at the Western Canada U16 Challenge Cup. Williams was named a tournament all-star, competing on the silver-winning Team B.C., and Byram helped lead Team Alberta to the championship crown. As for Lalonde, the 17-year-old was selected to Canada Black, who took home silver at the World U17 Hockey Challenge in Sault Ste. Marie earlier this month. The stakes are high and this year’s players are already proving themselves early in the season. Here are the preliminary lists for November.

Here are the lists for November.

Preliminary list - BC 2002s, November 2016
Borysiuk, Jordan [C] - POE Bant Prep, CSSB
Attacks with speed, likes to beat defenders 1 on 1 , has good size,  makes smart decisions with and with out the puck.Very good on the cycle and uses size to protect the puck.

Bowen, Ethan [C] - Yale Ban. Prep, CSSB
Strong skater with good speed. Was strong on the for check and supported well on the back check,  Good offensive upside due to his vision and his skating.

Gendron, Jacob [D] - Prince George T1, OkMBL
Loves to take the puck end to end and control the game. Has a very good shot off the rush and from the point, can beat defenders to outside and through mid ice, uses his strong skating ability to get away from trouble.

Helliwell, Ryan [D] - BWC A1, PCBHL
Very good dman, uses size to advantage, strong on puck and strong on the boards. Passes hard and makes good decisions with and with out the puck, hard to play against and defends well. Impact player on the ice and very noticeable.

Hoogendoorn, Kurt [D] - NSWC A1, PCBHL
Very smart defenseman who rarely gets caught out of position, and makes good plays with the puck. Nice skater and has deceptive speed. No shortage of upside, and should become a solid WHL defenseman with some work.

MacKenzie, Peyton [C] - OHA Edmonton, CSSB
Very dangerous player when the puck is on his stick with his excellent vision and ability to find the gaps out there. Has a heavy shot.

Mount, Payton [C] - Delta Bantam Prep, CSSB
Very skilled player and a strong two-way forward. Very good skater and has excellent vision. Should be a high pick in the WHL Draft and has the potential to be a strong player at that level.

Shepard, Cole [LW] - Delta Bantam Prep, CSSB
Quick, smart , fast and creates chances with speed, protects puck down low and takes puck to the net hard. Undersized but uses speed and quickness to elude defenders. 

Sourdif, Justin [C] - Delta Bantam Prep, CSSB
Top prospect, Can do it all, skate, shoot, check, was dominating all weekend. Scored big goals in tournament and was a force. Total package and compete level is high. 

Thurston, Trevor [D] - Delta Bantam Prep, CSSB
Has bite to his game, hard to play against, plays vs top line every shift.  Produces on the PP due to his good shot and passing ability, makes good out let passes.

Preliminary list  - AB 2002s, November 2016
Benning, Michael [D] - St. Albt Sabres, AMBH
Shifty, offensively dangerous defender wasn't afraid to take the puck up the ice on his own. He consistently made crisp tape to tape passes and he got his wrist shot off very quickly.

Crnkovic, Kyle [C] - POE Bant Prep, CSSB
Highly skilled  smaller dynamic  player, scored 2 goals in final game and was top forward in the tournament. Fast and quick with excellent hockey sense

Danielson, Noah [C] - Red Deer, AMBH
Potentially the best bantam player in the face off dot. His physicality and drive not to quit on a play is rare to see at this level. A coaches dream in my books. Work horse that puts the team first. 

Dubinsky, Cole [C] - OHA Edmonton, CSSB
Crafty little offensive player with slick passing skills and offensive instincts. A natural play-maker with excellent vision. Very high hockey IQ

Guhle, Kaiden [D] - OHA Edmonton, CSSB
Smooth skating and his ability to control the pace of the game. Guhle has the potential to be a 2-way defender in the WHL in the future. 

McClennon, Connor [C] - POE Bant Prep, CSSB
Top 3 prospect in BC.controls game, sets pace and tone, has excellent hockey sense and awareness on the ice, works hard and isn't afraid to mix it up.

McMaster, Anson [D] - Rocky Mtn Raiders, AMBH
Skating has improved, especially acceleration. Solid player at both ends of the ice and has a frequent impact when he is on the ice. Has the skill set to be a good WHL defenseman.

Neighbours, Jake [LW] - POE Bant Prep, CSSB
Lot of offensive upside. Strong kid that is very tough to take off the puck once he has possession, Uses his body well to protect the puck and win battles. Excellent vision and makes outstanding offensive decisions.

Plaschewsky, Braden [C] - Cal. Bisons, AMBH
Was a threat every time he is on the ice. Great at reading the play. His hands allow him to make creative passes to his teammates and generate scoring chances. Can make high end plays at full speed.

Prokop, Luke [D] - POE Bant Prep, CSSB
Very solid, plays against top lines , shut down d man. Plays a big role on a good team and kills PK and plays PP. Solid prospect that contributes to the team success.

Preliminary list - ON 2001s, November 2016
Aguanno, Anthony [D] - Miss. Rebels, GTHL
Good, strong skater with speed and showed the ability to rush the puck. Walks line with the puck well and has a heavy point shot.

Burridge, Jeff [RW] - London, AliMin
Has a tremendous shot, hard and accurate. Knows where he needs to be in the O-zone, is strong in the corners off the cycle.

Clarke, Graeme [RW] - Tor Marlboro, GTHL
He is a shooter; takes a high volume of shots. Protects the puck well in the offensive zone and is dangerous working off the cycle. 

Howard, Mason [D] - London, AliMin
Played physical as usual, threw some big hits, doesn't lose battles in the corners or along the boards. Good gap control on the rush, doesn't give the forwards many options to beat him. Great at boxing out opponents in front of the net.

Hughes, Jack [C] - Tor Marlboro, GTHL
Great skater; very good edge work and top end speed. Hard snap shot that he can get away on the rush at full speed.  Projects as a top line forward at the OHL/NCAA level.

Rees, Jamieson [C] - Miss. Reps, GTHL
Center with average size. Very good skater with good speed and quickness. Quick hands. Can make plays with the puck at top speed.

Rowe, Lucas [C] - Miss. Reps, GTHL
Natural goal-scorer with tremendous shot. Can beat the opposing goalie from all over the ice thanks to a lethal shot and a quick release. Oozes skill and makes his line-mates better. Possesses underrated passing ability.

Suzuki, Ryan [C] - London, AliMin
Has elite vision and passing/playmaking abilities. Excellent puck control, always comes out of a scrum with the puck, seems to have it on a string. High hockey IQ, seems to be thinking 2 steps ahead of everyone else on the ice.

Tomasino, Philip [C] - Miss. Rebels, GTHL
Very gifted player that has a lot upside to his game. Loves to have the puck on his stick and he does a great job of push the pace up ice. Has great speed and loves to drive the puck wide.

Washkurak, Keean [C] - Waterloo, AliMin
Continues to use his speed to his advantage to push defenders back and create chances. Competes harder than anyone else on the ice. Has good vision and offensive instincts. Will be a strong 2-way center at the OHL level.