The Canadian Premier League (CPL) recognized players and coaches at the 2020 CPL Awards on Thursday night.
The HFX Wanderers FC, the Maritimes only club, had a nominee in each of the four categories. The only CPL club to do so. Additionally, star player Akeem Garcia came into the evening with the Golden Boot Award to his name – having scored the most goals at the 2020 Island Games.
Stephen Hart wins Coach of the Year
Bench boss Stephen Hart wins Coach of the Year award over fellow nominees Bobby Smyrnoitis (Forge FC) and Mista (Atlético Ottawa).
Presented to the coach voted to have contributed the most to his club’s all around performance.
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Stephen Hart has without a doubt managed the most improved club this year.
After only winning six of 28 matches in their inaugural CPL season, Hart led a new-look Wanderers onto Prince Edward Island where they finished second in the table after the first stage, second in the table after the second stage and earned a finals appearance.
Unfortunately for Hart and the Wanderers, they fell 2-0 in a mid-September heartbreak to the defending champions from Hamilton, Ontario. But nonetheless, Hart has all the reason to be proud of his squads performance, their improvement, and the future of HFX Wanderers football.
Goalkeeper and homegrown talent Christian Oxner was a nominee for the Golden Glove. In seven starts, Oxner made 22 saves and only conceded six goals in over 600 minutes of action. His stat line was also headlined by two clean sheets.
Chrisnovic N’Sa was a nominee for the Best Canadian U-21 Player Award. The defender from Montréal, QC saw over 700 minutes of action across nine appearances and was a crucial piece in the Wanderers run for a CPL Finals appearance. He has recently signed with York9 FC.
In addition to the Golden Boot, Akeem Garcia was a nominee for the Player of the Year Award. Garcia led the way in goals at the Island Games with six on 19 total shots, 11 of which hit target.
North Atlantic Football 