TORONTO, ON — The Canadian Hockey League (CHL) is proud to announce today the March edition of the CHL Team of the Month presented by CCM for the 2023-24 regular season.
F – Quentin Musty (Sudbury Wolves / OHL)
15G-15A, 30 PTS, +9 in 11 GP in March
With 15 goals and 15 assists in 11 games, San Jose Sharks prospect Quentin Musty of the Sudbury Wolves tallied more points than anyone in the CHL over the month of March. His 15 goals were tied for the most by a CHL skater alongside Moose Jaw’s Jagger Firkus. In his 11 contests in March, the 18-year-old from Hamburg, N.Y. also registered an impressive seven multi-point outings, which included posting a season-high six points on March 8 (4G-2A, including GWG, vs. Windsor) and March 22 (2G-4A vs. Barrie). His four-goal effort against Windsor also set a new single-game career-high for the first overall pick of the 2021 OHL Priority Selection. To kick start the month, Musty also potted a hat-trick and added two helpers in the Wolves’ 10-3 victory against Sarnia. As the season came to a close last week, Musty finished the 2023-24 campaign ranked tied for fourth in scoring in the OHL having recorded 102 points (43G-59A) in 53 games, and he was one of 16 skaters in the CHL to top 100 points this season. Averaging 1.92 points per game through the 2023-24 campaign, the 6-foot-2, 202-pound left-winger had the highest scoring average of any OHL skater and ranked fourth in the CHL behind Halifax’s Jordan Dumais (2.24), Moose Jaw’s Matthew Savoie (2.09) and Firkus (2.00). Drafted 26th overall by the San Jose Sharks at the 2023 NHL Draft, Musty signed a three-year entry-level contract with the club back at the beginning of the season in October.
F – Jagger Firkus (Moose Jaw Warriors / WHL)
15G-10A, 25 PTS, +10 in 10 GP in March
Thanks to a strong month highlighted by 15 goals and 10 assists, Seattle Kraken prospect Jagger Firkus of the Moose Jaw Warriors has been named to the CHL Team of the Month for the second time this season (previously selected as a member of the CHL Team of the Month in January). Firkus’ 15 goals were tied with Sudbury’s Quentin Musty for the most by a CHL skater in March. The 19-year-old from Irma, Alta., tallied a point in all 10 of the Warriors’ regular season games this month and he heads into the post-season riding a 14-game point streak (20G-12A over that stretch). In total, the 5-foot-11, 160-pound centreman registered eight multi-point outings throughout March, including four in a row to close out the month. Firkus also wrapped up March having scored a goal in five straight games, including tallying two or more in each of his last four contests. His strong play and 25 points down the stretch allowed him to finish the 2023-24 season as the leading scorer in the CHL with 126 points (61G-65A). By achieving the latter, he becomes just the second player in Moose Jaw’s franchise history to lead the CHL in points (Jayden Halbgewachs in 2017-18), and the fourth Warriors skater to ever claim the Bob Clarke Trophy as the WHL’s Top Scorer (Halbgewachs in 2017-18; Troy Brouwer in 2005-06; Theoren Fleury in 1987-88). Firkus also finished the 2023-24 campaign as the CHL leader in power-play points with 50 (15G-35A). Drafted in the second round (35th overall) of the 2022 NHL Draft, the 19-year-old signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Seattle Kraken back in April 2023.
F – Dalibor Dvorský (Sudbury Wolves / OHL)
13G-12A, 25 PTS, +3 in 11 GP in March
Having registered 13 goals and 25 points in just 11 games during the month of March, St. Louis Blues prospect Dalibor Dvorský of the Sudbury Wolves has earned his first CHL Team of the Month selection of the 2023-24 season. Trailing only his Wolves teammate Quentin Musty in scoring, Dvorský’s 25 points in March placed him in a tie for second in the CHL, while his 13 goals during the month were ranked third behind Musty (15G) and Moose Jaw’s Jagger Firkus (15G). In total, the 18-year-old from Zvolen, Slovakia registered six multi-point contests in March, which included tallying a single-game career-high of five points on March 8 (2G-3A vs. Windsor) and March 16 (1G-4A vs. Barrie). Prior to the Wolves’ final regular season game, which saw Dvorský held off the scoresheet for the first time since February 18, the Blues’ 2023 first-round pick had registered a point in 14 straight games. The 6-foot-1, 201-pound centreman enters the playoffs having scored a goal in nine of his last 11 contests. He finished the 2023-24 campaign with 88 points (45G-43A), a team-leading 45 goals, and a CHL-best 26.8% shooting percentage this season. Dvorský’s 45 goals also place him among the top-five goal scorers in the OHL. Along with his teammates David Goyette (40 goals) and Musty (43 goals), Dvorský is one of three Sudbury Wolves to have topped the 40-goal plateau this season – marking the first time in 24 years that the Wolves have had three 40-goal scorers (1999-00: Norm Milley, Jason Jaspers and Taylor Pyatt). Chosen tenth overall by the St. Louis Blues in the 2023 NHL Draft, Dvorský signed a three-year entry-level contract with the organization last summer in July 2023.
D – Luca Cagnoni (Portland Winterhawks / WHL)
5G-12A, 17 PTS, +9, in 10 GP in March
Having led all CHL defencemen with 17 points in the month of March, San Jose Sharks prospect Luca Cagnoni of the Portland Winterhawks has earned his second selection of the 2023-24 season to the CHL Team of the Month (previously selected as a member of the CHL Team of the Month in November). In 11 games in March, Cagnoni was held off the scoresheet only twice, having recorded two points or more on six occasions. His strong month allowed the 19-year-old from Burnaby, B.C., to finish the 2023-24 campaign with career-highs in goals (18), assists (72), and points (90). Cagnoni’s 90 points were the most by a WHL blueliner during the 2023-24 campaign, and he was one of just three defencemen in the CHL to top 90 points this season (along with Saginaw’s Zayne Parekh & Kitchener’s Hunter Brzustewicz). Cagnoni was also the first WHL defenceman in 30 years to top the 90-point plateau in a single season, and the first Winterhawks blueliner since 1986 to achieve the feat (1985-86: Glen Wesley, 91 points). In addition to leading all WHL defencemen in scoring this season, Cagnoni’s 72 assists were also the most by a WHL blueliner and he ranked second among rearguards in the CHL trailing only Brzustewicz (79). Last summer, Cagnoni was selected in the fourth round (123rd overall) of the 2023 NHL Draft by the San Jose Sharks.
D – Vsevolod Komarov (Drummondville Voltigeurs / QMJHL)
4G-10A, 14 PTS, +7 in 10 GP in March
With four goals and 14 points through 10 games in the month of March, Buffalo Sabres prospect Vsevolod Komarov of the Drummondville Voltigeurs rounds out the defencemen selected in March’s CHL Team of the Month. Komarov was held off the scoresheet on just four occasions and he registered four multi-point outings in March, including matching a single-game career-high with four points (1G-3A) on March 1 against the Charlottetown Islanders. The 20-year-old from Chelyabinsk, Russia finished the 2023-24 campaign with 55 assists and 69 points, both of which rank as the most by a QMJHL defenceman this season. The 6-foot-3, 188-pound defenceman ultimately set new career highs in goals (14), assists (55) and points (69) during the 2023-24 season, and he averaged over a point per game for the first time in his QMJHL career. The Sabres prospect, who won a Memorial Cup last year with the Québec Remparts, was acquired by the Voltigeurs from the Remparts at the beginning of December. Of his 69 points recorded this season, Komarov tallied 50 of them in just 38 games with Drummondville. His strong play no doubt played an important role in helping the Voltigeurs to their first 100-point season since 2019 and allowing the club to secure first place in the QMJHL’s Western Conference. Selected in the fifth round (134th overall) of the 2022 NHL Draft by the Buffalo Sabres, Komarov signed a three-year entry-level contract with the club last May ahead of his participation in the 2023 Memorial Cup.
G – Jacob Oster (Oshawa Generals / OHL)
9-0-0-0 record, 2.33 GAA, .914 SV% in nine starts in March
Having secured a CHL-best nine wins through the month of March, Jacob Oster of the Oshawa Generals was selected for the first time this season to the CHL Team of the Month. Through nine starts in March, Oster held a perfect 9-0-0-0 record along with an impressive 2.33 goals-against-average and a .914 save percentage. In six of his nine starts this month, Oster gave up two goals or fewer, which included turning aside 26-of-27 shots against the OHL’s highest-scoring team (the Sudbury Wolves) on March 24. The latter proved to be an important victory and performance by Oster, as the Generals secured the top spot in the Eastern Conference for the first time in nine years with the victory. Oshawa’s triumph over the Wolves in that regular-season finale also gave the Generals their 12th victory in a row, which stands as their longest winning streak since 1986-87. Through this historic winning streak, Oster has started in and won 11 of those contests. His strong play late in the year allowed the 20-year-old from Ottawa, Ont., to finish in a tie for first in the OHL with a .905 save percentage and to grab a share of first place in the CHL with 35 wins this season. Additionally, Oster’s 2.82 goals-against-average during the 2023-24 campaign ranked second in the OHL, trailing only London’s Michael Simpson (2.61 GAA).
OHL Writers 