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.
Matthew Phillips was dynamic in the WHL from 2014-18. The former Victoria captain recorded a 1.31 points per game during his career and is the only Royals player to eclipse 100 points in a season. Overall, he sits second in goals and points and also fourth in assists in Royals history.
Phillips first full season saw him record 76 points in 72 games. For his efforts, he was given the Jim Piggott Trophy for WHL Rookie of the Year. In 13 playoff games that season, he finished with five goals and eight points.
Phillips continued to improve in his second season scoring 50 goals and recording 90 points in 70 games. That season, he was named to the WHL’s West First All-Star Team. After the Royals were eliminated from the playoffs, he joined the Stockton Heat recording one point in his only regular season games.
During his last season is where Phillips became a star. The newly minted captain set a franchise record with 112 points in 71 games. Only five players in the entire league had more points than him in 2017-18. In 11 playoff games that season, he added 19 points before the Royals fell in the second round to the Tri-City Americans.
Although he only played three full seasons in the WHL, Phillips was one of the best players from the 2010s in the BC Division. Few matched his goal scoring and playmaking ability which is why he will go down as the best Royal in history.