VIERLING AND GAUDREAU NAMEDOHL 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 playoff games ending Sunday, April 16th.



Colts’ Evan Vierling Named Cogeco OHL Player of the Week

Barrie Colts forward Evan Vierling is the Cogeco OHL Player of the Week, recording seven assists in three games.

Vierling played a big part in Barrie’s Game 6 win over the Hamilton Bulldogs on Monday night, recording four assists in the 5-4 road win. He picked up a primary assist on Ethan Cardwell’s series-clincher, a goal that came with just 10 seconds remaining in the third period, marking the final OHL game at Hamilton’s FirstOntario Centre for at least three seasons. Vierling was back producing to open Barrie’s second round matchup against the North Bay Battalion on Friday, picking up two assists in a 3-2 overtime win. He had the primary assist on Josh Kavanagh’s deciding goal. Vierling left Sunday’s Game 2 against North Bay with an injury, but managed to pick-up an assist in the 5-2 loss.

A 20-year-old overage forward from Aurora, Ont., Vierling led the Colts with 95 points including 35 goals and 60 assists over 60 games this past season. He finished tied for the team lead with 10 power play goals, had a plus-18 rating and seven game-winners in his fourth OHL season, wrapping-up his career with 213 points (75-138–213) over 218 regular season games. Vierling has 13 points (1-12–13) through seven playoff outings. A former first round (2nd overall) pick of the Flint Firebirds in the 2018 OHL Priority Selection, Vierling attended training camp with the Columbus Blue Jackets last October.

Also considered for the award this week, Barrie Colts teammate Ethan Cardwell, a recent signing by the San Jose Sharks, recording three goals, three assists and six points in three games last week. London Knights centreman Sean McGurn was also productive with six points (2-4–6) in three games.

2022-23 Cogeco OHL Players of the Week – Playoffs:
Apr. 10 – Apr. 16: Evan Vierling (Barrie Colts)
Apr. 3 – Apr. 9: Luca Pinelli (Ottawa 67’s)
Mar. 27 – Apr. 2: Matyas Sapovaliv (Saginaw Spirit)

2022-23 Cogeco OHL Players of the Week – Regular Season:
Mar. 20 – Mar. 26: Ethan Miedema (Kingston Frontenacs)
Mar. 13 – Mar. 19: Brandt Clarke (Barrie Colts)
Mar. 6– Mar. 12: Sahil Panwar (Hamilton Bulldogs)
Feb. 27 – Mar. 5: Christian Kyrou (Sarnia Sting)
Feb. 20 – Feb. 26: Braeden Bowman (Guelph Storm)
Feb. 13 – Feb. 19: Nolan Burke (Sarnia Sting)
Feb. 6 – Feb. 12: Sean McGurn (London Knights)
Jan. 30 – Feb. 5: Matthew Maggio (Windsor Spitfires)
Jan. 23 – Jan. 29: Sahil Panwar (Hamilton Bulldogs)
Jan. 16 – Jan. 22: James Hardie (Mississauga Steelheads)
Jan. 9 – Jan. 15: Colby Barlow (Owen Sound Attack)
Jan. 2 – Jan. 8: Bryce McConnell-Barker (Soo Greyhounds)
Dec. 26 – Jan. 1: Connor Lockhart (Peterborough Petes)
Dec. 12 – Dec. 18: Evan Vierling (Barrie Colts)
Dec. 5 – Dec. 11: Ryan Gagnier (Oshawa Generals)
Nov. 28 – Dec. 4: Quentin Musty (Sudbury Wolves)
Nov. 21 – Nov. 27: Jorian Donovan (Hamilton Bulldogs)
Nov. 14 – Nov. 20: Matthew Poitras (Guelph Storm)
Nov. 7 – Nov. 13: Brody Crane (London Knights)
Oct. 31 – Nov. 6: Matvey Petrov (North Bay Battalion)
Oct. 24 – Oct. 30: Deni Goure (Owen Sound Attack)
Oct. 17 – Oct. 23: Owen Beck (Mississauga Steelheads)
Oct. 10 – Oct. 16: Matthew Maggio (Windsor Spitfires)
Oct. 3 – Oct. 9: Pavel Mintyukov (Saginaw Spirit)
Sept. 29 – Oct. 2: Tucker Robertson (Peterborough Petes)
 



Sting’s Ben Gaudreau Named OHL Goaltender of the Week

San Jose Sharks prospect Ben Gaudreau of the Sarnia Sting is the OHL Goaltender of the Week, playing to a mark of 2-0 with a 0.47 goals-against average, .983 save percentage and one shutout.

Gaudreau helped the Sting take a 2-0 series lead over the Saginaw Spirit in their Western Conference Semi-Final series. Gaudreau’s week started with a 26-save shutout against Saginaw in Game 1, earning first star honours as the Sting prevailed by a score of 3-0 on home ice. The shutout set a new Sting franchise mark, making him the first Sarnia netminder to ever record two playoff shutouts. Gaudreau turned-in another first star showing in Game 2 on Sunday, turning aside 33 shots as the Sting outlasted the Spirit 2-1 in overtime.

A 20-year-old native of Corbeil, Ont., Gaudreau went 24-12-3-3 with a 3.07 goals-against average and .889 save percentage over 44 games in his third OHL season. The 6-foot-2, 172Ib. puck stopper owns a career mark of 53-43-8-5 with a 3.60 goals-against average, .890 save percentage and three shutouts over 116 regular season games since being selected in the first round (7th overall) by the Sting in 2019. So far in these playoffs, Gaudreau is 6-1 with a 2.24 goals-against average and .909 save percentage. Gaudreau, who won gold with Canada’s National Junior Team this past January, was selected by San Jose in the third round (81st overall) of the 2021 NHL Draft.

Also considered for the award this week, Michael Simpson of the Peterborough Petes went 1-1 with a 2.01 goals-against average and .934 save percentage as the Petes drew even with the Ottawa 67’s in their second round series. Gaudreau’s series counterpart Tristan Lennox of the Saginaw Spirit was also solid, going 1-2 with a 2.26 goals-against average and .925 save percentage over three games.

2022-23 OHL Goaltenders of the Week – Playoffs:
Apr. 10 – Apr. 16: Ben Gaudreau (Sarnia Sting)
Apr. 3 – Apr. 9: Brett Brochu (London Knights)
Mar. 27 – Apr. 2: Marco Costantini (Kitchener Rangers)

2022-23 OHL Goaltenders of the Week – Regular Season:
Mar. 20 – Mar. 26: Collin MacKenzie (Ottawa 67’s)
Mar. 13 – Mar. 19: Liam Sztuska (Peterborough Petes)
Mar. 6 – Mar. 12: Dom DiVincentiis (North Bay Battalion)
Feb. 27 – Mar. 5: Dom DiVincentiis (North Bay Battalion)
Feb. 20 – Feb. 26: Michael Simpson (Peterborough Petes)
Feb. 13 – Feb. 19: Tristan Lennox (Saginaw Spirit)
Feb. 6 – Feb. 12: Zach Bowen (London Knights)
Jan 30 – Feb. 5: Nate Krawchuk (Sudbury Wolves)
Jan 23 – Jan. 29: Jacob Oster (Oshawa Generals)
Jan 16 – Jan. 22: Mason Vaccari (Kingston Frontenacs)
Jan 9 – Jan. 15: Matteo Drobac (Hamilton Bulldogs)
Jan. 2 – Jan. 8: Max Donoso (Ottawa 67’s)
Dec. 26 – Jan. 1: Michael Simpson (Peterborough Petes)
Dec. 12 – Dec. 18: Marco Costantini (Kitchener Rangers)
Dec. 5 – Dec. 11: Owen Flores (Niagara IceDogs)
Nov. 28 – Dec. 4: Dom DiVincentiis (North Bay Battalion)
Nov. 21 – Nov. 27: Brett Brochu (London Knights)
Nov. 14 – Nov. 20: Michael Simpson (Peterborough Petes)
Nov. 7 – Nov. 13: Joe Ranger (Sudbury Wolves)
Oct. 31 – Nov. 6: Tristan Lennox (Saginaw Spirit)
Oct. 24 – Oct. 30: Carter George (Owen Sound Attack)
Oct. 17 – Oct. 23: Collin MacKenzie (Ottawa 67’s)
Oct. 10 – Oct. 16: Ivan Zhigalov (Kingston Frontenacs)
Oct. 3 – Oct. 9: Alessio Beglieri (Mississauga Steelheads)
Sept. 29 – Oct. 2: Ben Gaudreau (Sarnia Sting)


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.

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Ethan Cardwell – Barrie Colts – Player Profile

Posted on by Dominic Tiano

Height: 5’11”

Weight: 180 Pounds

Date of birth: August 30, 2002

Hometown: Courtice, Ontario

Position: Center/Right Wing

Shoots: Right

OHL Draft: Round 2, 33rd overall, 2018 Priority Selection (Saginaw Spirit)

NHL Central Scouting Rankings

Pre-season

 November Mid-term Final
C Prospect N.R. 104 N.A.

70 N.A.

Its quite possible that, according to NHL Central Scouting’s lists, there is no bigger enigma then Barrie Colts forward Ethan Cardwell. Coming into the season NHLCS had him as a C – Prospect, to unranked in November to 104 (among North Americans) on their mid-term to 70 (among North Americans) on their final rankings. That is about as close as you can get to the definition of all over the map.

Cardwell played Minor Midget AAA hockey during the 2017-2018 season with the Clarington Toros and in 35 games scored 30 goals and assisted on 24. He went on to play the final 2 regular season and playoffs with the Wellington Dukes of the Ontario Junior Hockey League where they captured the Buckland Cup. Cardwell also represent Team OMHA Black at the OHL Gold Cup, scoring twice in two games and capturing Bronze.

Cardwell’s grandfather Steve played junior hockey with the Oshawa Generals and spent 3 seasons with the Pittsburgh Penguins in the NHL and 2 in the WHA. His father Justin played NCAA hockey with Western Michigan before going on to have a lengthy career in the ECHL, AHL and IHL. His Uncle Matt also played hockey, most notably for York University and had a brief 9 game stint of professional hockey in the ECHL.

The 2018-2019 season was a whirlwind season for Cardwell that almost required a program to keep track of.

Ethan Cardwell of the Barrie Colts. Photo by Terry Wilson / OHL Images
Ethan Cardwell of the Barrie Colts. Photo by Terry Wilson / OHL Images

 

Cardwell began the season with the Saginaw Spirit training camp and got into some exhibition games. But the Spirit sent him to the OJHL and the Trent Golden Hawks who had just acquired his rights in a trade. He got called up to the Spirit on December 8 and would score his first OHL goal in that contest. After a brief stint he was back in the OJHL, this time with the Pickering Panthers before coming back to Saginaw to finish out the year.

This season was a slow start for Cardwell, who posted 4 goals and 4 assists in his first 15 games. The numbers aren’t particularly bad, but considering 5 of those points came in just 2 games, one could suggest there was consistency issues in terms of providing offence. The next 22 games for Saginaw saw him score 8 goals and 5 assists.

But on January 10, 2019 in a blockbuster deal, the Barrie Colts acquire Cardwell, Connor Punnett and draft picks while sending Nick Suzuki to the Spirit. That’s when things took a turn offensively for Cardwell as he scored 11 goals along with 15 helpers in 26 games.

There were many questions about Cardwell that were unanswered until the trade to Barrie.

What is evident first and foremost is Cardwell’s extremely high hockey IQ. In the offensive zone, he alludes defenders and finds those soft spots almost unnoticed and when teammates find him, he releases an above average wrister with a superb release. He uses that same IQ defensively. As one of the youngest players available in the draft class, his defensive abilities and understanding is ahead of most of his peers. His positioning is superb, he gets into lanes with his body or stick and does extremely well at creating turnovers.

Cardwell is a good technical skater, good edges and control, strong on his blades and agile. However, he lacks speed in both his first strides and top end. If he can continue to work on his speed that would help him even more. What we do know is that Cardwell is an extremely hard worker so putting in the effort is something we expect from him.

Cardwell has shown he can play up and down the lineup and play an offensive role with talented players, or take on a checking role on a lower line. By all accounts, he is a coachable kid willing to do whatever is asked of him.

In Saginaw, Cardwell did very well on the faceoff dot at 58.5% but took a big dip in Barrie at 35.8%. But he spent most of his time in both cities on the wing. I would like to see him with more time in the middle to make a definitive decision on which position he is best suited for.

As of now, I believe Cardwell’s upside is of a defensively responsible third liner who could kill penalties and provide some offence at the next level with an ability to move up the lineup in a pinch. If he can add some speed, he could end up on a second line.

OHL ANNOUNCES ACADEMIC PLAYERS OF THE MONTH FOR FEBRUARY

Posted on by Dominic Tiano

academic players for February

Toronto, Ont. – The Ontario Hockey League today announced that Lawson Sherk of the Hamilton Bulldogs, Ethan Cardwell of the Barrie Colts, Aidan Campbell of the Erie Otters and Braeden Kressler of the Flint Firebirds have been named OHL Academic Players of the Month for February.

East Division: Hamilton’s Lawson Sherk is February’s East Division Academic Player of the Month. Sherk achieved a 93.3% average over three first semester courses at Ancaster High School that included university level Physics and Chemistry.

His teachers praise him for his good attendance and his perseverance and his second semester teachers have already provided positive feedback.

The Bulldogs rookie has put up four goals and 10 assists for 14 points over his first 58 games. He was drafted by Hamilton 40th overall in the 2019 OHL Priority Selection following a 50-point season (15-35—50) with the OMHA’s Halton Hurricanes.

Central Division: Ethan Cardwell has been recognized as February’s Central Division Academic Player of the Month. The Barrie Colts winger received marks of over 90% in three of his four university level courses and over 80% in his fourth. His courses included English, Calculus, Leadership and Elite Athlete, and he’ll graduate from high school upon completing his current university courses in English, Business Management, and World Issues.

Cardwell was commended for his involvement both on the ice and in the community. His dedication, maturity, and commitment to balancing academics with athleticism were also applauded.

The 17-year-old sits second in scoring among his Barrie teammates with 44 points (21-23—44) over 57 games in his sophomore OHL season. The Courtice, Ont. native was originally a second round pick of the Saginaw Spirit in the 2018 OHL Priority Selection.

Midwest Division: Aidan Campbell of the Erie Otters is February’s Midwest Division Academic Player of the Month. The 17-year-old goaltender has been working toward six online courses as well as a major senior project at Fairview Senior High/Seneca Valley Senior High.

“He consistently works at the highest academic level and maintains a positive attitude despite his rigorous schedule,” wrote advisor Leigh Kostis.

The native of Cranberry Township, Penn. has posted an .878 save percentage and 3.50 goals-against average over 25 appearances in his rookie season with the Otters. He was picked up in the 12th round of the 2018 OHL Priority Selection out of the Pittsburgh Penguins Elite U15 team and spent the 2018-19 season with the U16 elite squad where he posted eight shutouts and held a 0.69 goals-against average and .944 save percentage.

West Division: Braeden Kressler of the Flint Firebirds has been named the West Division’s Academic Player of the Month for February. He earned a 3.78 GPA in Physical Education, Modern Tech, Leadership, and Math at Grand Blanc High School, and has been praised for his work ethic both in the classroom and on the ice.

The rookie centreman has amassed seven goals and eight assists for 15 points through 41 games in his rookie season with the Firebirds. The Kitchener, Ont. native was drafted 28th overall by the ‘Birds in last year’s OHL Priority Selection after spending the 2018-19 season with the Mississauga Senators where he put up 30 points (18-12—30).

2019-20 OHL Academic Players of the Month:

East Division:
February – Lawson Sherk (Hamilton Bulldogs)
January – Tye Austin (Peterborough Petes)
December – Cameron Tolnai (Ottawa 67’s)
November – Lleyton Moore (Oshawa Generals)
October – Shane Wright (Kingston Frontenacs)

Central Division:
February – Ethan Cardwell (Barrie Colts)
January – Ethan Del Mastro (Mississauga Steelheads)
December – Giordano Biondi (Sudbury Wolves)
November – Jonah De Simone (Niagara IceDogs)
October – Pacey Schlueting (North Bay Battalion)

Midwest Division:
February – Aidan Campbell (Erie Otters)
January – Logan LaSage (Owen Sound Attack)
December – Stuart Rolofs (London Knights)
November – Michael Vukojevic (Kitchener Rangers)
October – Zack Terry (Guelph Storm)

West Division:
February – Braeden Kressler (Flint Firebirds)
January – Will Cuylle (Windsor Spitfires)
December – Jacob Holmes (Soo Greyhounds)
November – Ryan Mast (Sarnia Sting)
October – Cole Perfetti (Saginaw Spirit)

Last season, the OHL Centrally Administered Scholarship Program facilitated scholarships for 340 OHL Alumni at 69 different academic institutions across North America with a total scholarship payment in excess of $3.2 million. Since the 2007-08 season, OHL Scholarship payments have totalled more than $25 million.

Click here for more information about ‘OHL Players First’ programs.