Seven-point game powers Cristall to WHL honour
The Western Hockey League has named Andrew Cristall of the Kelowna Rockets as the Tempo WHL Player of the Week for the week ending March 10, 2024.
The Washington Capitals prospect led all WHLers with nine points (three goals, six assists) and a +3 rating in three games.
Cristall exploded for a seven-point night (two goals-five assists) against the Kamloops Blazers on March 8, helping his team clinch a playoff spot and putting him over 100 points on the season.
The Burnaby native helped the Rockets come back to beat the Blazers the next night, scroring to cut the Blazers lead to 3-2 in a game the Rockets went on to win 4-3 to sweep the weekend series.
Cristall has 38 goals and 65 assists for 103 points to sit fifth in the WHL points race. He’s the first Rockets player to eclipse 100 points since Colin Long hit the century mark in the 2007-08 season.
The 5-foot-10, 175-pound forward was selected by the Washington Capitals in the second round, 40th overall in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft and signed a three-year, entry-level contract in July.
Kelowna (31-28-3-1) hosts the Western Conference-leading Prince George Cougars on March 13 at 7:05 p.m. It’s a Fan First Menu game with hot dogs on for $2 and Lucky Lager for $5.