OHL’s Kyrou and Vella earn CHL’s top marks
Sting’s Jordan Kyrou named CHL Player of the Week
Toronto, ON – The Canadian Hockey League today announced that St. Louis Blues prospect Jordan Kyrou of the Sarnia Sting is the CHL Player of the Week for the week ending February 25 after recording 13 points in four games including five goals and eight assists with a plus-minus rating of plus-7.
Kyrou earns the national honour for the second time this season in a week highlighted by a career-high seven point performance. The first star achievement came on Sunday in a 9-0 win over the Flint Firebirds and featured four goals and three assists tying a Sting single game record which put the captain into a tie atop the OHL’s scoring race with 99 points. Kyrou’s week also included a goal and an assist on Monday where he was named second star of a 6-1 win over the Saginaw Spirit, and a four-assist effort on Friday as first star of a 6-2 win over the Firebirds. He was held off the scoresheet on Saturday in a 2-1 loss to the Erie Otters. The Sting have been a staple in the CHL’s Top-10 Rankings for the majority of the season and enter this week’s action 42-14-4-0 which is just one win shy of a new franchise record.
A 19-year-old from Toronto, Ont., Kyrou is playing in his fourth career season with the Sting who chose him in the second round of the 2014 OHL Priority Selection. His 99 points represent a new career-high and include 35 goals and 64 assists in just 49 games played for an impressive 2.02 point-per-game average. Kyrou was a second round pick by the Blues in the 2016 NHL Draft and helped Canada win gold at the 2018 IIHF World Junior Championship in Buffalo.
Also considered for the award this week was 2018 NHL Draft prospect Ty Smith who scored three goals and seven assists for 10 points in four games including a Spokane Chiefs record for points by a defenceman with a seven point performance, and Calgary Flames prospect D’Artagnan Joly of the Baie-Comeau Drakkar who scored five goals and four assists for nine points in three games.
2017-18 CHL Players of the Week:
Feb. 19 – Feb. 25: Jordan Kyrou (Sarnia Sting)
Feb. 12 – Feb. 18: Aaron Luchuk (Barrie Colts)
Feb. 5 – Feb. 11: Maxime Comtois (Victoriaville Tigres)
Jan. 29 – Feb. 4: Ty Ronning (Vancouver Giants)
Jan. 22 – Jan. 28: Peter Abbandonato (Rouyn-Noranda Huskies)
Jan. 15 – Jan. 21: Jordan Kyrou (Sarnia Sting)
Jan. 8 – Jan. 14: Taylor Raddysh (Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds)
Jan. 1 – Jan. 7: Owen Tippett (Mississauga Steelheads)
Dec. 25 – Dec. 31: Ivan Kosorenkov (Victoriaville Tigres)
Dec. 11 – Dec. 17: Morgan Frost (Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds)
Dec. 4 – Dec. 10: Stelio Mattheos (Brandon Wheat Kings)
Nov. 27 – Dec. 3: Alex Barré-Boulet (Blainville-Boisbriand Armada)
Nov. 20 – Nov. 26: Cody Glass (Portland Winterhawks)
Nov. 13 – Nov. 19: Cliff Pu (London Knights)
Nov. 6 – Nov. 12: Aleksi Heponiemi (Swift Current Broncos)
Oct. 30 – Nov. 5: Albert Michnac (Mississauga Steelheads)
Oct. 23 – Oct. 29: Aaron Luchuk (Windsor Spitfires)
Oct. 16 – Oct. 22: Drake Batherson (Cape Breton Screaming Eagles)
Oct. 9 – Oct. 15: Tyler Soy (Victoria Royals)
Oct. 2 – Oct. 8: Kale Clague (Brandon Wheat Kings)
Sept. 25 – Oct. 1: Tyler Steenbergen (Swift Current Broncos)
Sept. 21 – Sept. 24: Kole Lind (Kelowna Rockets) 
Steelheads’ Emanuel Vella named Vaughn CHL Goaltender of the Week
Toronto, ON – The Canadian Hockey League today announced that Emanuel Vella of the Mississauga Steelheads is the Vaughn CHL Goaltender of the Week for the week ending February 25 after posting a 4-0-0-0 record including two shutout victories with a goals-against-average of 1.50 and save percentage of .954.
Vella turned aside 124 shots last week for the Steelheads who climbed back up to the .500 mark maintaining their hold on the final playoff spot in the OHL’s Eastern Conference with a record of 28-28-1-2. He recorded his first shutout of the season last Monday with a 29-save performance as first star of a 4-0 victory over the Flint Firebirds, then made 37 saves on Thursday in a 7-4 win over the division leading Barrie Colts. On Friday he stopped a career-high 40 shots and earned first star honours with his second shutout of the week and season blanking the Niagara IceDogs by a 4-0 score, then finished the week with 18 saves on Sunday in a 5-2 win over the Guelph Storm.
A 19-year-old from Toronto, Ont., Vella is playing in his second full OHL season and first with the Steelheads after being acquired from the Owen Sound Attack in the off-season. He began his OHL tenure with the London Knights who chose him in the third round of the 2014 OHL Priority Selection. In 27 appearances in the Steelheads crease he carries a 15-9-1-0 record with a goals-against-average of 3.09 and save percentage of .901.
Also considered for the award this week was Edmonton Oilers prospect Stuart Skinner of the Swift Current Broncos who posted a 2-0-0-0 record including one shutout making 57 saves for a goals-against-average of 1.00 and save percentage of .966. In the QMJHL, Etienne Montpetit of the Victoriaville Tigres went 2-0-0-0 also making 57 saves for a goals-against-average of 1.00 and save percentage of .966.
2017-18 Vaughn CHL Goaltenders of the Week:
Feb. 19 – Feb. 25: Emanuel Vella (Mississauga Steelheads)
Feb. 12 – Feb. 18: Riley Lamb (Red Deer Rebels)
Feb. 5 – Feb. 11: Brody Willms (Moose Jaw Warriors)
Jan. 29 – Feb. 4: Zachary Bouthillier (Chicoutimi Sagueneens)
Jan. 22 – Jan. 28: Jeremy Helvig (Kingston Frontenacs)
Jan. 15 – Jan. 21: Mario Culina (Kitchener Rangers)
Jan. 8 – Jan. 14: Stuart Skinner (Swift Current Broncos)
Jan. 1 – Jan. 7: Samuel Harvey (Rouyn-Noranda Huskies)
Dec. 25 – Dec. 31: James Porter (Kelowna Rockets)
Dec. 11 – Dec. 17: Tristan Bérubé (Gatineau Olympiques)
Dec. 4 – Dec. 10: Carter Hart (Everett Silvertips)
Nov. 27 – Dec. 3: Carter Hart (Everett Silvertips)
Nov. 20 – Nov. 26: Carter Hart (Everett Silvertips)
Nov. 13 – Nov. 19: Anthony Morrone (Victoriaville Tigres)
Nov. 6 – Nov. 12: Justin Fazio (Sarnia Sting)
Oct. 30 – Nov. 5: Cole Kehler (Portland Winterhawks)
Oct. 23 – Oct. 29: Dustin Wolf (Everett Silvertips)
Oct. 16 – Oct. 22: Samuel Harvey (Rouyn-Noranada Huskies)
Oct. 9 – Oct. 15: Logan Flodell (Swift Current Broncos)
Oct. 2 – Oct. 8: Cole Kehler (Portland Winterhawks)
Sept. 25 – Oct. 1: Dereck Baribeau (Quebec Remparts)
Sept. 21 – Sept. 24: Michael DiPietro (Windsor Spitfires)
OHL Writers 