Kamloops Blazers Head Coach and GM Shaun Clouston has been nominated for the WHL’s Executive of the Year Award.

Clouston, who has guided the Blazers to four consecutive B.C. Division titles, engineered one of the largest trades in recent history, when he acquired defenceman Olen Zellweger and forward Ryan Hofer from the Everett Silvertips.

Zellweger, the reigning WHL Defenceman of the Year, went on to score 22 goals in his 32 regular season games as a Blazer, while Hofer finished with a team-best 40 goals – with 17 coming in Blazers blue and orange.

Clouston also added defenceman Kyle Masters and forward Jakub Demek – who won the WHL title with the Edmonton Oil Kings last season – as the Blazers prepare to host the 2023 Memorial Cup.

A longtime Medicine Hat Tigers bench boss, Clouston was hired by the Blazers as head coach in 2019, taking over from Serge Lajoie. He added GM duties to his role in 2021, taking over from Matt Bardsley.

Also up for the Lloyd Saunders Memorial Trophy, which will be handed out on May 3, is Willie Desjardins of Medicine Hat Tigers, reigning winner Matt Cockell of the Winnipeg ICE, and Bil La Forge of the Seattle Thunderbirds.

The last Blazer to win the WHL Executive of the Year Award was Bob Brown, who did it twice in 1990-91 and in 1993-94.