OHL ANNOUNCES 2021-22 REGULAR SEASON AWARD WINNERS

Posted on by Dominic Tiano

Toronto, Ont. – The Ontario Hockey League today announced recipients of four of the league’s annual awards following the conclusion of the 2021-22 regular season.

Offensively, Wyatt Johnston of the Windsor Spitfires captured the Eddie Powers Memorial Trophy as the league’s leading scorer while Lucas Edmonds of the Kingston Frontenacs is the recipient of the Jim Mahon Trophy as the OHL’s top-scoring right winger. Recognizing defensive efforts, the Hamilton Bulldogs goaltending tandem of Marco Costantini and Matteo Drobac earns the Dave Pinkney Trophy, surrendering a league-low 176 goals against. North Bay Battalion rookie Dom DiVincentiis is the recipient of the F.W. “Dinty” Moore Trophy awarded to the rookie with the lowest goals-against average.

Apr18JohnstonTopScorer

Eddie Powers Memorial Trophy (Top Scorer) – Wyatt Johnston, Windsor Spitfires
Dallas Stars prospect Wyatt Johnston is the recipient of the OHL Top Scorer Award presented by Kubota Canada, claiming the Eddie Powers Memorial Trophy with 124 points including 46 goals and 78 assists in 68 games. Johnston boasted a plus-29 rating to go with a league-leading 1.82 point-per-game production rate. Johnston’s 124 points are the most by an OHL scoring leader since Erie’s Alex DeBrincat in 2016-17.

Johnston finished with 42 multi-point performances on the campaign including four different games with at least four points. His 124 points are the fifth-highest total in Spitfires franchise history, trailing Ernie Godden (153 points, 1980-81), Bill Bowler (135 points, 1994-95), Kelly Cain (133 points, 1987-88) and Blair Barnes (130 points (1979-80). He joins Taylor Hall (2009-10) and Peter Sarno (1997-98) as the third player in modern Spitfires franchise history to claim the honour. Earl Reibel (1949-50) and Bert Giesebrecht (1948-49) were also past Spitfires winners.

The 23rd overall pick of the 2021 NHL Draft by the Dallas Stars, Johnston has collected 58 goals, 96 assists and 154 points through 121 career regular season games with the Spitfires, who selected him with the sixth overall pick of the 2019 OHL Priority Selection. He’ll be making his OHL playoff debut this week when the Spitfires open up their first round series against the Sarnia Sting.

The Eddie Powers Memorial Trophy was donated by the Toronto Marlboro Athletic Club in memory of Eddie Powers and was first awarded in 1945-46 to Tod Sloan of St. Michael’s who scored 79 points in 25 games. High-scoring Stars winger Jason Robertson was the 2018-19 recipient as a member of the Niagara IceDogs while veteran Dallas centreman Tyler Seguin has his named inscribed on the trophy as a member of the Plymouth Whalers in 2009-10.

Apr18EdmondsMahon

Jim Mahon Memorial Trophy (Top Scoring Right Winger) – Lucas Edmonds, Kingston Frontenacs
Lucas Edmonds of the Kingston Frontenacs is the recipient of the Jim Mahon Memorial Trophy, presented annually to the league’s top scoring right winger. Edmonds finished third in OHL scoring with 113 points including 34 goals and a league-high 79 assists over 68 games in his first OHL season.

The 21-year-old originally from North Bay, Ont. turned heads this past season, leading the Frontenacs offensively with 30 different multi-point appearances including nine different instances with at least four points.

Edmonds joins David Ling (1994-95) as just the second Frontenacs player to ever claim the honour, finishing with the Kingston franchise’s sixth-highest assist total of 79. Edmonds’ 113 points are the most by a Frontenac since Ling put up 135 during the 1994-95 season.

Originally Kingston’s seventh round pick in the 2017 OHL Priority Selection, Edmonds made the most of a rare first-year overage season and is eligible for the 2022 NHL Draft in July.

The Jim Mahon Trophy was first presented following the 1971-72 season by the players and management of the Peterborough Petes in memory of their right winger Jim Mahon who was accidentally killed that summer. Arthur Kaliyev of the Hamilton Bulldogs last received the honour in 2019-20 while other recent winners have included Justin Brazeau of the North Bay Battalion in 2019 and Jordan Kyrou of the Sarnia Sting in 2018.

Apr18PinkneyTrophy

Dave Pinkney Trophy (Lowest Team Goals Against) – Marco Costantini and Matteo Drobac, Hamilton Bulldogs
The Hamilton Bulldogs surrendered a league-low 176 goals over their 68-game schedule, backstopped by goaltenders Marco Costantini and Matteo Drobac who earn the Dave Pinkney Trophy in 2021-22.

Costantini and Drobac backstopped the Bulldogs to the club’s first Hamilton Spectator Trophy as OHL Regular Season champions as the club boasted an overall record of 51-12-3-2 for a franchise record 107 points.

Costantini led the league in goals-against average (2.32), save percentage (.917) and shutouts (6), establishing new Bulldogs single season records in those three categories while also playing to a mark of 31-9-2-2. Hamilton’s new career shutouts leader, Costantini ended the season with 17 consecutive wins dating back to February 16th. The 19-year-old hometown product was Hamilton’s fifth round pick in the 2018 OHL Priority Selection.

Drobac played to a record of 19-2-1-0, posting a 2.57 goals-against average and .905 save percentage with one shutout over 23 games in his first full OHL season. The Oakville, Ont. product was Hamilton’s sixth round pick in the 2019 OHL Priority Selection.

The Bulldogs also saw three appearances from rookie Tristan Malboeuf, who went 1-1, earning his first career OHL shutout on October 16th in Niagara.

This marks the first time the Bulldogs have earned the honour, but the Dave Pinkney Trophy has a prior history in Hamilton. Al Jensen of the 1977-78 Hamilton Fincups has his name inscribed on the trophy, as does the Hamilton Red Wings tandem of Jim Rutherford and Gerry Gray in 1967-68, Bud Blom in 1960-61 and Dennis Riggin of the Hamilton Tiger Cubs in 1953-54.

The Dave Pinkney Trophy is awarded annually to the goaltending tandem from the team that allows the fewest goals against during the regular season.

Apr18DiVincentiis

F.W. “Dinty” Moore Trophy (Best Rookie GAA): Dom DiVincentiis, North Bay Battalion
Dom DiVincentiis of the North Bay Battalion is the recipient of the F.W. “Dinty” Moore Trophy, leading all rookie netminders with a 2.59 goals-against average.

An 18-year-old draft eligible goaltender from Bolton, Ont., DiVincentiis helped backstop the Battalion to a Central Division title, playing to a record of 14-8-0-1 with a .907 save percentage to accompany his 2.59 goals-against average. He was undefeated in regulation through his final eight starts of the season. DiVincentiis was North Bay’s sixth round pick in the 2020 OHL Priority Selection.

DiVincentiis follows Matej Machovsky (2010-11) as the second Battalion goaltender to ever earn the distinction. He’s the third North Bay goaltender to do so, joining Scott Roche (1993-94) and Sandy Allan (1991-92) of the Centennials.

The trophy is named after F.W. “Dinty” Moore of Port Colborne, Ont., who served as OHA President from 1942-45. In order to qualify for this rookie award, a goaltender must play a minimum of 900 minutes. The most recent past recipient of the award was Brett Brochu of the London Knights in 2019-20.

For a look at the history of the Ontario Hockey League’s award recipients, visit ontariohockeyleague.com.


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.

Advertisement

CAJAN AND MORRISON NAMED OHL TOP PERFORMERS OF THE WEEK

Posted on by Dominic Tiano

Toronto, Ont. – The Ontario Hockey League today announced Top Performers of the Week for the week of regular season games ending Sunday, February 13, 2022

Bulldogs’ Logan Morrison Named OHL Player of the Week

Hamilton Bulldogs forward Logan Morrison is the OHL Player of the Week with two goals, seven assists and nine points in three games along with a plus/minus rating of plus-8.

Morrison put up three consecutive multi-point performances as the Bulldogs won a pair of games last week. He recorded two assists in his return from injury on Tuesday, helping Hamilton double-up the first place Mississauga Steelheads 4-2 on the road. Morrison followed up with a four-point effort, scoring and adding three helpers at home on Friday as the Bulldogs defeated the Barrie Colts 5-1 for their seventh straight win. He ended the weekend with a goal and two assists on Sunday afternoon in Kingston, extending his current point streak to 12 games as the Bulldogs fell just short, losing 5-4 to the Frontenacs. Morrison is the first Bulldogs player to earn OHL Player of the Week honours since Jan Jenik in November 2019.

A 19-year-old from Guelph, Ont., Morrison leads the Bulldogs in scoring with 55 points including 18 goals and 37 assists over 34 games along with a plus/minus rating of plus-26. The 6-foot, 180Ib. centre has also won 57.5 percent of his faceoffs this season. Morrison. Now in his third OHL season, Morrison has recorded 134 points (55-79–134) over 140 career regular season games. He was Hamilton’s first round (18th overall) pick in the 2018 OHL Priority Selection from the Guelph Gryphons U16 program. He attended training camp with the Los Angeles Kings last fall.

Also considered for the award this week, Kingston Frontenacs forward Jordan Frasca recorded three goals, five assists and eight points in three games as the Fronts won a pair last week. North Bay Battalion forward and OHL scoring leader Brandon Coe recorded three goals, four assists and seven points as the Troops won three in a row.

2021-22 OHL Players of the Week – Regular Season:
Feb. 7 – Feb. 13: Logan Morrison (Hamilton Bulldogs).
Jan. 31 – Feb. 6: Luke Evangelista (London Knights)
Jan. 24 – Jan. 30: Brandt Clarke (Barrie Colts)
Jan. 17 – Jan. 23: Riley Piercey (Flint Firebirds)
Jan. 10 – Jan. 16: David Goyette (Sudbury Wolves)
Jan. 3 – Jan 9: Wyatt Johnston (Windsor Spitfires)
Dec. 27 – Jan. 2: James Hardie (Mississauga Steelheads)
Dec. 13 – Dec. 19: Ty Tullio (Oshawa Generals)
Dec. 6 – Dec. 12: Lucas Edmonds (Kingston Frontenacs)
Nov. 29 – Dec. 5: Wyatt Johnston (Windsor Spitfires)
Nov. 22 – Nov. 28: Brennan Othmann (Flint Firebirds)
Nov. 15 – Nov. 21: Brandon Coe (North Bay Battalion)
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)

Rangers’ Pavel Cajan Named OHL Goaltender of the Week

Pavel Cajan of the Kitchener Rangers is the OHL Goaltender of the Week, stopping 109 shots across a pair of victories to post a 3.46 goals-against average and .940 save percentage.

Cajan was the difference in Kitchener’s 6-4 win over the London Knights on Friday’s CHL on TSN broadcast, stopping 44 shots as the Rangers defeated their division rival for the first time since December 2019. He returned to the crease on Saturday, stopping an OHL season-high 65 shots as the Rangers defeated the host Owen Sound Attack 4-3 on a game winner by Joseph Serpa. Cajan becomes the first Rangers netminder to stop 60 shots in a regular season game since Reg Bourcier on Oct. 1, 1999 against Erie. Luke Opilka made 64 saves in a playoff game on Mar. 29, 2017 against Owen Sound. Cajan helped the Rangers pick up four points despite their being outshot 116-63.

A 19-year-old native of Hlubos, Czechia, Cajan has played to a 12-9-1-1 record with a 3.37 goals-against average and .908 save percentage in 23 games this season. The 6-foot-2, 174Ib. goaltender was selected by Kitchener in the first round (49th overall) of the 2020 CHL Import Draft.

Also considered for the award this week, Xavier Medina of the Windsor Spitfires played to a 2-0 record with a 1.50 goals-against average and .929 save percentage in victories over Saginaw and London. Rookie Dom DiVincentiis of the North Bay Battalion also went 2-0, posting a 2.00 goals-against average and .925 save percentage as the Troops defeated Niagara and Sudbury.

2021-22 OHL Goaltenders of the Week – Regular Season:
Feb. 7 – Feb. 13: Pavel Cajan (Kitchener Rangers)
Jan. 31 – Feb. 6: Patrick Leaver (Oshawa Generals)
Jan. 24 – Jan. 30: Max Donoso (Ottawa 67’s)
Jan. 17 – Jan. 23: Mack Guzda (Barrie Colts)
Jan. 10 – Jan. 16: Mitchell Weeks (Sudbury Wolves)
Jan. 3 – Jan. 9: Nolan Lalonde (Erie Otters)
Dec. 27 – Jan. 2: Joe Ranger (Mississauga Steelheads)
Dec. 13 – Dec. 19: Owen Bennett (Guelph Storm)
Dec. 6 – Dec. 12: Mack Guzda (Barrie Colts)
Nov. 29 – Dec. 5: Leevi Merilainen (Kingston Frontenacs)
Nov. 22 – Nov. 28: Tye Austin (Peterborough Petes)
Nov. 15 – Nov. 21: Ben Gaudreau (Sarnia Sting)
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’ DRAFT ELGIBLE PLAYERS OF THE MONTH: DECEMBER 2021

Posted on by Dominic Tiano

The Ontario Hockey League had to postpone more games than anyone wanted to see in December due to the COVID-19 Protocols, but there were some pretty good performances that should not be ignored.

Pavel Cajan of the Kitchener Rangers. Photo by Luke Durda/OHL Images

In previous season, I looked for one performance that I would feel comfortable saying that player was the Player of the Month. But because of the lost season one year ago and the number of players re-entering the NHL Entry Draft in 2022, I decided for this year to select one forward, one defenceman and one goaltender. Here we go.

Up front, It’s Mississauga Steelheads forward Luca DelBelBelluz who scored 4 goals and 9 assists in 9 contests in the month of December and a whopping 31 shots on goal. He had 4 multi point games including a four-assist night against North Bay on December 29 and he was held off the scoresheet in just two contests.

DelBelBelluz now has 15 goals and 21 assists on the season and sits second in points on the Steelheads just two points behind James Hardie. Among draft eligible players, he is third in points, tied for third in goals and second in assists and easily leads all draft eligible players in plus/minus with a plus-27.

Also considered were a pair of Hamilton Bulldogs. Avery Hayes had 6 goals and 7 assists in 9 games while Ryan Humphrey had 3 goals and 8 assists in 9 games. Shane Wright of the Kingston Frontenacs had 3 goals and 7 assists but played in just 4 games because of the World Junior Championships and the Fronts being in COVID protocol.

On the blueline I could have gone a number of different ways but settled on Kirill Kudryavtsev of the Soo Greyhounds. The 5’11, 200-pound Russian scored once and added 6 assists in 7 games for the Greyhounds raising his totals to 2 goals and 16 assists in 28 games on the season.

I gave the nod to Kudryavtsev because I liked his all-around game. He was kept off the scoresheet in 2 of those 7 games, but the Greyhounds were 0-1-1 in those games. In the 5 games he registered a point? 4-0-1. He is an important player on the Greyhounds blueline as a rookie.

Also considered were Saginaw Spirit defenceman Pavel Mintyukov with 3 goals and 5 assists in 10 games, Samuel Mayer of the Peterborough Petes with 3 goals and 3 assists in 7 games, Ty Nelson of the North Bay Battalion with 8 assists in 9 games and Rodwin Dionicio of the Niagara IceDogs with a goal and 5 assists in 5 games.

The decision in net was the easiest and that was Pavel Cajan of the Kitchener Rangers. The draft re-entry netminder simply gives the Rangers a chance every time he mans the crease. He went 4-1-1 in the month of December with a stellar .919 save-percentage.

In his only regulation loss, Cajan stopped 32 of 34 shots in a 2-1 loss to the Windsor Spitfires. In his only other loss – in overtime- he stopped 34 of 38 shots in a 4-3 OT loss to the Soo Greyhounds. On the season Cajan has a save-percentage of .904 – third among draft eligible goalies and a goals-against-average of 3.23 – fifth among draft eligible goalies.

Also considered was North Bay Battalion netminder Dom DiVincentiis. In 4 appearances he went 1-2-0 with a .909 save-percentage

FORWARDS

December – Luca DelBelBelluz – Mississauga Steelheads

November – Kyle Jackson – North Bay Battalion

October – Tucker Robertson – Peterborough Petes

DEFENCEMEN

December – Kirill Kudryavtsev – Soo Greyhounds

November – Gavin While – Hamilton Bulldogs

October – Ty Nelson – North Bay Battalion

GOALTENDERS

December – Pavel Cajan – Kitchener Rangers

November – Patrick Leaver – Oshawa Generals

October – Brett Brochu – London Knights

HOCKEY CANADA RECOGNIZES 13 OHL PLAYERS INVITED TO 2021 NATIONAL SUMMER UNDER-18 TEAM DEVELOPMENT CAMP

Posted on by Dominic Tiano

CALGARY, Alta. – Hockey Canada has recognized 13 Ontario Hockey League players as part of a group of 45 players invited to attend Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team Development Camp at Seven Chiefs Sportsplex on the Tsuut’ina Nation near Calgary from July 25th to Aug 4th. Sarnia Sting head coach Alan Letang, Ottawa 67’s goaltending coach Charles McTavish and Kingston Frontenacs equipment manager Chris Cook have also been recognized, along with Owen Sound Attack therapist Andy Brown, North Bay Battalion therapist Andrew Sachkiw and Guelph Storm mental performance consultant Dr. Ashwin Patel.

One OHL goaltender, four defencemen and eight forwards were recognized as invitees to the 11-day camp. Players will be split into two teams, Red and White, and participate in practices and intrasquad games, including combined practices and intrasquad games with Canada’s National Junior Team on Aug. 2nd and 3rd.

“This stage of our Summer Showcase is about bringing together the top under-18 players in Canada to work and learn from an elite-level coaching staff, giving them the necessary skills for their hockey development to grow and succeed,” said Alan Millar, director of player personnel for Hockey Canada. “We have an opportunity to connect with the players through on- and off-ice sessions to give them the tools that will only enhance their skill set as they advance through our program and prepare for the upcoming season.”

Letang, who was appointed head coach of the Sting late last month after serving behind the Attack bench, will return to Canada’s coaching staff. Letang won a gold medal as an assistant coach with Canada’s National Junior Team at the 2020 IIHF World Junior Championship and, as a player, helped Canada’s National Men’s Team to a 1998 Spengler Cup championship and won a bronze medal at the 2006 Deutschland Cup.

The camp is typically a stepping stone in evaluating and selecting Canada’s roster for the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, but Canada will not participate this year due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The focus will now turn to the 2022 IIHF U18 World Championship next spring, where Canada will look to defend their gold medal after claiming the top prize at this year’s tournament in Texas.

OHL Players Invited to Canada’s National Summer Under-18 Team Development Camp

Goaltenders:
Domenic DiVincentiis (North Bay Battalion)

Defencemen:
Jorian Donovan (Hamilton Bulldogs)
Donovan McCoy (Sudbury Wolves)
Ty Nelson (North Bay Battalion)
Spencer Sova (Erie Otters)

Forwards:
Sam Alfano (Peterborough Petes)
Pano Fimis (Niagara IceDogs)
David Goyette (Sudbury Wolves)
Cedrick Guindon (Owen Sound Attack)
Hunter Haight (Barrie Colts)
Paul Ludwinski (Kingston Frontenacs)
Bryce McConnell-Barker (Soo Greyhounds)
Matthew Poitras (Guelph Storm)

Coaches:
Assistant Coach – Alan Letang (Sarnia Sting)
Goaltending Coach – Charles McTavish (Ottawa 67’s)
Equipment Manager – Chris Cook (Kingston Frontenacs)
Therapist – Andy Brown (Owen Sound Attack)
Therapist – Andrew Sachkiw (North Bay Battalion)
Mental Performance Consultant – Dr. Ashwin Patel (Guelph Storm)

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.