Aiden Fink in skills training with the Brooks Bandits on Wednesday, March 15, 2023. (Jacob Varcoe photo)

By Jacob Varcoe

AJHL’s Most Valuable Player looking to accomplish more

Mar 15, 2023 | 5:14 PM

BROOKS, AB – To win an individual award as the Most Valuable Player of a league is an impressive accomplishment, but it’s not what Aiden Fink is striving for.

Fink is an 18-year-old right winger on the Brooks Bandits who won the Alberta Junior Hockey League’s MVP award and scoring title for the 2022-23 regular season. In 54 games played, he posted 41 goals and 56 assists, totalling 97 points.

However, the Bandits forward is looking to accomplish more than individual success.

“It’s obviously pretty cool to win those things,” said Fink on Wednesday.

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“Honestly, for me, it’s just winning a national championship with these guys. These guys have worked hard every single day, so, I think our reward at the end of the year would be winning a national championship.”

Brooks finished the regular season with a record of 53-5-1-1 and is set to take on an opponent to be determined in the second round of the playoffs.

At the conclusion of the season, Fink will become eligible for the 2023 NHL Entry Draft. He’s currently the 66th-ranked draft-eligible North American skater on the NHL’s Central Scouting list for the selection, according to eliteprospects.com.

Bandits assistant coach Taylor Makin has high praise for Fink and has a good idea of what an NHL team would be getting by selecting him,

“You’re going to get a kid that loves to win hockey games, you’re going to get a competitive kid who’s very, very skilled,” said Makin on Wednesday.

“Maybe a bit undersized, but, he makes up for that in his spirit and his work ethic.”

Aiden stands at five-foot-eight, 152 pounds, but that hasn’t prevented him from being an impactful player for the Bandits.

Through two years with Brooks, Fink has posted 60 goals with 150 points in 114 games played, helping him to make a commitment to the University of Wisconsin.