Toronto, Ont. – The Ontario Hockey League today announced Top Performers of the Week for the week of regular season games ending Sunday, November 14, 2021.
Knights’ Antonio Stranges Named OHL Player of the Week
Dallas Stars prospect Antonio Stranges of the London Knights is the OHL Player of the Week, scoring three times while adding four assists for seven points over three contests.
Stranges posted three consecutive multi-point performances as the Knights took five of a possible six points last week. He tied the score late in the third period of London’s 4-3 overtime loss to the Guelph Storm on Tuesday before posting two assists in Friday’s 7-4 win over the Soo Greyhounds, picking up a helper on Max McCue’s second period game winning goal. Stranges finished off the weekend with a season-high three points, scoring a pair of goals in a 7-4 road win over the Erie Otters on Saturday. He collected a primary assist on Cody Morgan’s deciding goal in the third period before tacking on insurance just over three minutes later.
A 5-foot-11, 188Ib. left-winger from Plymouth, Mich., Stranges has 10 points including three goals and seven assists through his first eight games of the season. Now in his third OHL campaign, Stranges has recorded 84 points (35-49–84) over 135 regular season games since joining the Knights as a second round (21st overall) pick in the 2018 OHL Priority Selection. He made his professional debut last season, recording an assist during a nine-game stint with the AHL’s Texas Stars, top affiliate of the Dallas Stars who selected him in the fourth round (123rd overall) of the 2020 NHL Draft.
Also given consideration for this week’s recognition, Kingston Frontenacs forward Lucas Edmonds posted seven points including a goal and six assists over three games, earning first star honours in Saturday’s shootout win over the Mississauga Steelheads on CBC. Detroit Red Wings prospect Pasquale Zito of the Windsor Spitfires also merited consideration, recording two goals and three assists for five points in two games.
2021-22 OHL Players of the Week – Regular Season:
Nov. 8 – Nov. 14: Antonio Stranges (London Knights)
Nov. 1 – Nov. 7: Shane Wright (Kingston Frontenacs)
Oct. 25 – Oct. 31: Tucker Robertson (Peterborough Petes)
Oct. 18 – Oct. 24: Rory Kerins (Soo Greyhounds)
Oct. 11 – Oct. 17: Calum Ritchie (Oshawa Generals)
Oct. 4 – Oct. 10: Jack Thompson (Sudbury Wolves)
Battalion’s Joe Vrbetic Named OHL Goaltender of the Week
Montreal Canadiens prospect Joe Vrbetic of the North Bay Battalion is the OHL Goaltender of the Week with a 0.96 goals-against average, .956 save percentage, one shutout and a record of 1-0-0-1.
The 6-foot-6, 186Ib. Vrbetic stood tall in a 3-2 shootout loss to the Sudbury Wolves on Friday, stopping 29 of 31 shots to help the Troops earn a point on the road. He was back in the crease on Sunday, stopping all 14 shots he faced for his first shutout of the season as the Battalion blanked the visiting Wolves 4-0.
A 19-year-old native of Dunvegan, Ont., Vrbetic owns an 8-2-0-1 record, 2.82 goals-against average, .901 save percentage and one shutout through 11 games this season, helping the Battalion hold down first place in the Central Division. Now in his second full season with the Battalion, Vrbetic has played to an overall record of 22-27-1-1 with a 3.93 goals-against average, .885 save percentage and three shutouts over 54 career regular season games. North Bay’s second round (31st overall) pick in the 2018 OHL Priority Selection, Vrbetic was a seventh round (214th overall) choice of the Montreal Canadiens this past summer.
Also receiving consideration for this week’s award, New York Islanders prospect Tristan Lennox of the Saginaw Spirit went 1-1-0-0 with a 2.03 goals-against average and .922 save percentage. Sudbury Wolves netminder Mitchell Weeks was also steady, stopping 74 of the 80 shots he faced, going 1-1-0-0 with a 2.88 goals-against average and .925 save percentage.
2021-22 OHL Goaltenders of the Week – Regular Season:
Nov. 8 – Nov. 14: Joe Vrbetic (North Bay Battalion
Nov. 1 – Nov. 7: Roman Basran (Mississauga Steelheads)
Oct. 25 – Oct. 31: Patrick Leaver (Oshawa Generals)
Oct. 18 – Oct. 24: Jacob Oster (Guelph Storm)
Oct. 11 – Oct. 17: Brett Brochu (London Knights)
Oct. 4 – Oct. 10: Tucker Tynan (Niagara IceDogs)
About the Ontario Hockey League
The Ontario Hockey League is a proud member of the Canadian Hockey League which is the world’s largest development hockey league with 60 teams in nine Canadian provinces and four American states. In addition to the OHL, the CHL is made up of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League and the Western Hockey League. The CHL supplies more players to the National Hockey League and U SPORTS than any other league.
OHL Writers 