The AJHL handed Okotoks Oilers Head Coach Tyler Deis his second Coach of the Year award at the end of the season.

Deis' Oilers stormed to the top of the AJHL's South Division in the second half of the season and very nearly earned the league's best record.

He gives credit to a number of people for helping him win this year's award.

"From my assistant coaches, making the program better and helping me out tremendously, to the staff," he said. "And in the end, it's players coming in every day, wanting to be better, being focused, being accountable, I think it's a really good recipe for success."

The Oilers saw some tremendous turnover since last year, including Dylan Holloway, who led the team last year in points, and was named the AJHL's top player.

"We lost our top six guys last year, and we knew what we had in the depth of our team," Deis said. "The biggest thing is it created opportunity for the guys on the team, and the new guys that came in."

Deis believes his players really stepped up and seized the opportunities given to them.

As a two-time winner, he says it never gets old being shown the respect of your peers.

"It's definitely an honour, especially being picked by my peers throughout the league. It's definitely a really cool thing to have."