VANCOUVER – Following one of the most dominant offensive seasons – and careers – in program history, UBC Thunderbirds forward
Sasha Mutala has been named the 2025-26 Canada West Men's Hockey Player of the Year.
The blue and gold dominate the annual conference honours this year as
Jake Lee has earned Top Defenceman,
Brett Mirwald is Goaltender of the year and
Sven Butenschon has won the third Canada West Coach of the Year of his career.
The first Thunderbird Player of the Year recipient since 1985, Mutala also brings home the Dave "Sweeney" Schriner Trophy as the first T-Bird to finish atop the conference scoring race since Bill Holowaty also accomplished the feat 41 years ago. Mutala's 46 points is the most in a single season by any Thunderbird since 1995-96, and the third highest total by any Canada West player in the last 12 years.
The Vancouver native set a new program record this regular season with 32 assists while his 137 career points in his four seasons with the blue and gold is tied for fourth all-time in UBC history.
"He's been the consummate pro since he's been here," said Butenschon. "After his first season, he came and just asked what he needed to do to be the best player in the league. He's learned to play a complete, professional game and his point production hasn't been sacrificed by doing that. As a coach, that's exactly what you want. We're proud of him and if you ask him, he'll give all his credit to his linemates and his teammates – that's why we love him."
Named to the conference All-Rookie squad in 2022-23, the former Tri-City American has a pair of second team All-Star selections and now a first team nod to add to his growing collection of accolades.
A fifth-round draft pick by the Colorado Avalanche in 2019, Mutala has also shone on the international stage having won a gold medal for Canada at the 2025 FISU World University Games, finishing as the tournament's highest scoring player with 12 points.
Finishing his outstanding UBC career as the highest scoring blue liner in program history,
Jake Lee becomes the first Thunderbird to win the Mervyn "Red" Dutton Trophy since Rick Amann in 1985.
A two-time first team Canada West All-Star and an All-Canadian, Lee not only re-wrote the UBC record books but proved to be one of the most dynamic defencemen the conference has seen.
"He's a special player. He's grown up as a person off the ice over his time at UBC which has allowed him to flourish on the ice," Butenschon said of his prolific defenceman. "I tell people, if you watch him on video it's one thing, but then when you're up close in person, and you see another team sending two guys at him as hard as they can in the corner to hit him, to slow him down and he shows his deception, and his skill set, it's incredible. He's not just offensive. I personally get really excited when I see him dig in on defence because he's got a great stick, he boxes out, he doesn't lose position and it does lead to offence. You're looking at a complete package back there."
His 34 points this season – matching his previous high water mark from two years ago – led all Canada West blue liners while his plus-37 rating was tops among all skaters by a wide margin. The Sherwood Park, Alberta native led all conference defencemen with 14 goals while his 121 total shots were second only to Mutala.
With 107 points in 101 career games over the past four seasons, Lee not only goes down as UBC's highest scoring blue liner of all time but sits tied for ninth in overall UBC points.
Leading the conference with a 2.27 goals against average along with an 11-1-2 record and a .907 save percentage,
Brett Mirwald becomes just the second Thunderbird to be named Canada West Goaltender of the Year.
Tied with his crease-mate,
Cole Schwebius, for the conference lead with 11 wins, the second-year from Saskatoon added a pair of shutouts and finished off the regular season with five straight wins while losing just once in regulation all year.
"Mirsy is another feel-good story. He went home in the summer, I think he made a real pledge to himself that he was going to find his game and be the player and the goalie he knew he could be," said Butenschon. "He's another guy who off the ice has really matured and grown as an individual, therefore his trade is a little bit easier when he comes to work. He loves the game, he really breaks the game down, he loves the position and we're expecting him to continue this and honestly he's got a lot more to give too. If you ask him, he's not even close to being satisfied or complacent. He's extremely driven and he's going to push even more."
Together with Schwebius, Mirwald led the Thunderbirds to a tie with Calgary for the fewest goals allowed all season at 67.
Earning WHL Goaltender of the Year honours in his final season with the Vancouver Giants in 2023-24, Mirwald improved his first-year Thunderbird numbers to the tune of a .054 boost in save percentage and nearly a full goal against per game.
Mirwald joins former U SPORTS Goaltender of the Year, Rylan Toth, as the only T-Bird netminders to receive the conference honour.
For the third time in his UBC career and second in the last three seasons, Butenschon has once again been named Canada West Coach of the Year.
His tenth season at the helm of the blue and gold proved to be his best yet as Butenschon guided the T-Birds to single-season program records in wins (23) and points (49). UBC's truly dominant campaign saw the team lead the Canada West with 148 goals while conceding just 67, tied for the fewest, a goal differential of a whopping +81.
UBC's special teams were perhaps even more impressive, finishing the regular season with a power play converting at 34.3 per cent, the third best single season performance by any team in Canada West history and the most potent in 27 years.
With 83 regular season wins over the last four seasons, no team has won more than the UBC Thunderbirds with Butenschon leading his program to four series victories and a Canada West Championship during that span. The winningest coach in UBC Men's Hockey history, Butenschon boasts a 148-74-22 conference record for a .607 win percentage.
"What Sven has accomplished in his tenure at UBC is extraordinary and this award is deserved recognition for his continued work to build and maintain one of the top hockey programs anywhere in Canada," said UBC Managing Director of Athletics,
Kavie Toor. "A former Olympian, NHLer and long-time professional player, Sven's passion for the game has never been stronger. He successfully combines his elite experience with an innate drive to constantly improve his program. Sven has made UBC a go-to destination for elite hockey players to continue to grow on and off the ice while setting them up for success in the game and life well beyond their time representing the blue and gold. Sven's passion and commitment to his program and his players is unparalleled and we're so excited for the future of this team."
2025-26 Canada West Men's Hockey Major Awards
Player of the Year
Sasha Mutala, UBC
Top Defenceman
Jake Lee, UBC
Goaltender of the Year
Brett Mirwald, UBC
Rookie of the Year
Conner Roulette, Saskatchewan
Coach of the Year
Sven Butenschon, UBC
Student-Athlete Community Service Award
Blake Gustafson, Alberta
UBC Hockey Alumni Trophy for Sportsmanship and Ability
Adam Kydd, Calgary
