Toronto, ON – The Ontario Hockey League today announced that Justin Brazeau of the North Bay Battalion is the OHL ‘On the Run’ Player of the Week for the week ending December 10 after leading the league with eight points in three games scoring five goals and three assists.
Brazeau recorded a pair of multi-point performances that helped the Troops earn a pair of victories on home ice to maintain their hold on third place in the Central Division standings. He contributed to 80% of the Battalion’s total offense last week beginning Thursday night by scoring twice including the game-winner and adding one assist as first star of a 4-3 win over the Mississauga Steelheads. The win was the tenth of the season for the Battalion and number 682 all-time for head coach Stan Butler who moved into fourth on the OHL wins list ahead of Larry Mavety. Brazeau was held to just one assist on Friday in a 3-1 loss to the top ranked Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds but rebounded with the best game of his OHL career later that weekend. It was Sunday where the power forward scored his first hat-trick including another game-winner while assisting on Luke Burghardt’s Teddy Bear Toss goal to earn first star honours in a 5-2 win over the Barrie Colts.
A 19-year-old from New Liskeard, Ont., Brazeau is playing in his third season with the Battalion who chose him in the 13th round of the 2014 OHL Priority Selection. The 6’5’’, 221lb winger is currently tied for 18th in league scoring with 36 points in 31 games while his 23 goals are third among OHL leaders. His goal output has already surpassed the 22 he tallied last season as he stands just one point shy of equalling his 37-point total recorded in 67 games played in 2016-17. In September Brazeau attended Training Camp with the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets as a free agent invite.
Watch video highlights of Brazeau and the Battalion against the Steelheads, Greyhounds, and Colts.
Also considered for the award this week was overage forward Aaron Luchuk of the Windsor Spitfires and Florida Panthers prospect Adam Mascherin of the Kitchener Rangers who both scored five goals and two assists for seven points in three contests highlighted by hat-trick performances in the same game head-to-head last Tuesday night. In goal, Stephen Dhillon of the Niagara IceDogs posted a 2-0-0-0 record including one shutout making 59 saves for a goals-against-average of 1.00 and save percentage of .967.
2017-18 OHL ‘On the Run’ Players of the Week:
Dec. 4 – Dec. 10: Justin Brazeau (North Bay Battalion)
Nov. 27 – Dec. 3: Joseph Garreffa (Kitchener Rangers)
Nov. 20 – Nov. 26: Serron Noel (Oshawa Generals)
Nov. 13 – Nov. 19: Cliff Pu (London Knights)
Nov. 6 – Nov. 12: Ryan Merkley (Guelph Storm)
Oct. 30 – Nov. 5: Albert Michnac (Mississauga Steelheads)
Oct. 23 – Oct. 29: Aaron Luchuk (Windsor Spitfires)
Oct. 16 – Oct. 22: Jordan Kyrou (Sarnia Sting)
Oct. 9 – Oct. 15: Brady Hinz (Sarnia Sting)
Oct. 2 – Oct. 8: Nick Suzuki (Owen Sound Attack)
Sept. 25 – Oct. 1: Jonathan Ang (Peterborough Petes)
Sept. 21 – Sept. 24: Michael DiPietro (Windsor Spitfires)
OHL Writers 