Welcome to another WHL Best of the 2010s feature where we profile the best WHL players from the 2009-10 season all the way to the 2019-20 season. Players are judged based on what they did in each division. This means if a player spent time in multiple divisions, their placement will be judged based on what they did separately while in each division. Don’t forget to vote on our Twitter page, @WHLonA51 to help determine which player will be crowned the best WHL player of the 2010s. We hope you enjoy.
Jordan Papirny made quite the impact during his time with the Brandon Wheat Kings. Signed in 2013, the former first-round bantam draft choice became the first Brandon goalkeeper to record 40 or more wins in a season since Glen Hanlon (1976-77) in just his second season (2014-15). A year later, he led the league with a whopping 9,945 minutes played, once again breaking Glen Hanlon’s record.
Throughout his tenure with the Wheat Kings, he posted an average 2.90 GAA, second only to Andrew Hayes’ record 2.79 GAA, a playoff run of 16-5-0, a .907 save percentage over 188 career games, a total playing time of 10,967 minutes, and is tied with his former goalie coach, Tyler Plante, for the record of 12 total shutouts.
Between the pipes, Papirny was known for his consistency and level-headed style of play, a goalie the team could rely on to stay confident and not get rattled. He backstopped the Wheat Kings in back-to-back League Championship Finals and was a vital piece for Brandon in besting the Seattle Thunderbirds and winning the coveted Ed Chynoweth Cup in 2016.
He was also popular with Wheat Kings’ fans, winning the Fans Choice Award presented by Shoppers Drug Mart in 2015. His 49 playoff appearances are also a franchise high record, with a 2.87 GAA and a remarkable 33-15-1-0 games played. In 2019, he was awarded a scholarship from the Wheat Kings to attend the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology. After a record-setting career, he is a worthy member of our WHL Best of the 2010s list.
