Clint Jordan Memorial Award recipient Lochlan Vandervalk with Emily and Al Douglas during the Fort Macleod Minor Hockey awards night Wednesday at the Empress Theatre.
Fort Macleod Minor Hockey honoured Lochlan Vandervalk on Wednesday with its most prestigious award.
Minor Hockey awarded the U18 Mavericks forward with the Clint Jordan Memorial Award during the year-end awards night at the Empress Theatre.
“Lochlan is the kind of player every coach wants, and every team needs,” Mavericks coach Jadon Sharratt said.
The Clint Jordan Memorial Award is presented to the Fort Macleod player who best exemplifies the characteristics of hard work, dedication, sportsmanship and team play.
Owen Archibald of the U15 Mavericks was the other nominee for the Clint Jordan Award, which is presented in memory of a Fort Macleod Minor Hockey player who died suddenly at the age of 17 in 1990.
Jordan was quick to welcome any new players to the team.
“He was really welcoming and easy to make friends with,” Vandervalk said. “Whoever joined our team through the years, Clint was one of the guys who would sit by them and get to know them right away and make them feel welcome.”
Jordan was also a good teammate on the ice.
“He was a really hard worker. He was gritty,” Vandervalk remembered. “He wasn’t afraid to go to the corner. He wasn’t afraid to go to the front of the net. He wasn’t afraid of anything.”
“Even though he was a smaller player, he was just in there. But he never took dirty penalties, never played dirty and never put his team in a bad situation.”
Fueled by a competitive, team-first attitude, Jordan did whatever it took to help his team win.
As a result, Vandervalk said, being nominated for the Clint Jordan Memorial Award is a big deal in Fort Macleod Minor Hockey circles.
The 2026 nominees were Owen Archibald, a goalie with the U15 Mavericks, and Lochlan Vandervalk, a forward with the U18 Mavericks.
“Both these players are very well-deserving,” Fort Macleod Minor Hockey vice-president Huub Wooldrik said.
Owen Archibald was the only goalie on the U15 Mavericks, playing all 16 regular season games and compiling a record of seven wins, seven losses and two ties.
Owen stopped 502 of 562 shots for a save percentage of .890 and a goals-against average of 3.75.
In the playoffs, Owen had a record of two wins, two losses and a tie, with a goals-against average of 4.26 and a save percentage of .880.
Lochlan Vandervalk suited up for 12 regular season games, scoring 16 goals and assisting on 18 others for 34 points. He had just 10 penalty minutes.
In the playoffs, Lochlan recorded another six goals and five assists, with six penalty minutes.
Although not officially recognized as a captain or assistant captain, Lochlan was a leader on the U18 Mavericks.
“He would just lead by example,” coach Jadon Sharratt said. “Coaches could put him in any spot.”
That included both the powerplay and the penalty kill.
“Any time we needed to change the game, Lochlan was the kid to throw over the boards,” Sharratt said
Lochlan gave his coaches feedback and was quick to share ideas about how to make the team play better.
“He worked hard every shift, and paid dearly for it time and time again, because he was always in front of the net,” Sharratt said. “He would go in the corners. He made his teammates better and would always bring energy when we needed it, on and off the ice.”
“He was coachable, and very kind and respectful to the refs and the other players.”
Clint Jordan Memorial Award nominees Lochlan Vandervalk and Owen Archibald with Emily and Al Douglas, grandparents of the late Clint Jordan.
Clint Jordan Memorial Award recipient Lochlan Vandervalk with Emily and Al Douglas during the Fort Macleod Minor Hockey awards night Wednesday at the Empress Theatre.
