Toronto, Ont. – The Ontario Hockey League today announced the Top OHL Performers of the Month for regular season games played in December 2022 including Kitchener Rangers forward Francesco Pinelli and Barrie Colts netminder Anson Thornton along with Saginaw Spirit teammates Pavel Mintyukov and Zayne Parekh.
OHL Player of the Month – Francesco Pinelli (Kitchener Rangers):
Los Angeles Kings prospect Francesco Pinelli of the Kitchener Rangers is the OHL Player of the Month for December, producing eight goals, 13 assists and 21 points in nine games along with a plus/minus rating of plus-12. The Rangers captain guided his team to a December mark of 6-2-2-0, registering points in eight of his nine outings, six of those yielding multiple points. The 6-foot-1, 185 Ib. centre logged three goals and an assist on Dec. 3rd in Guelph as the Rangers defeated the Storm 5-1. Pinelli’s high-scoring contributions continued in three consecutive mid-month contests, recording a goal and two helpers on Dec. 9th as the Rangers defeated the Niagara IceDogs 5-1. He posted a career-high five points with a goal and four assists at home on Dec. 16th as the Rangers shutout Sault Ste. Marie 9-0. His third consecutive multi-point showing came on Dec. 18th in Mississauga as Pinelli recorded a goal and two assists, helping Kitchener skate to a 5-1 win over the Steelheads. Pinelli becomes the first Rangers player to earn OHL Player of the Month honours since Greg Meireles in March 2019.
A 19-year-old native of Stoney Creek, Ont., Pinelli currently sits atop Rangers scoring with 43 points (21-22–43) in 27 games. His 1.59 points-per-game currently sit fourth in the OHL. Now in his third season with the Rangers, Pinelli has produced career totals that include 61 goals, 83 assists and 144 points in 141 regular season games. He was a second round (42nd overall) pick of the Los Angeles Kings in the 2021 NHL Draft, and signed a three-year entry level NHL contract with the club on Apr. 11, 2022. Pinelli was Kitchener’s first round (13th overall) pick in the 2019 OHL Priority Selection from the Toronto Red Wings U16 program.
OHL Defenceman of the Month – Pavel Mintyukov (Saginaw Spirit):
For the third straight month, Anaheim Ducks prospect Pavel Mintyukov of the Saginaw Spirit is the OHL Defenceman of the Month, leading all defenders with 16 points including two goals and 14 assists in 10 games along with a plus/minus rating of plus-8. Mintyukov’s continued dominance on the blue line helped the Western Conference-leading Spirit play to a December record of 6-3-1-0 as they roll into the new year with four consecutive wins. His month included five consecutive multi-point showings, starting with a goal and an assist on Dec. 11th as the Spirit fell to the North Bay Battalion 4-2. He recorded four assists the following game at home as the Spirit defeated the Flint Firebirds 5-1 on Dec. 14th. Mintyukov went on to register a goal and two helpers on Dec. 29th against Sault Ste. Marie, scoring the overtime winner as the Spirit defeated the Greyhounds 5-4. He rounded-out December with a pair of assists in a 7-4 win over the Flint Firebirds on Dec. 30th, followed by another three helpers in a 5-3 win over the Birds on Dec. 31st as the Spirit took a 4-1 lead in the I-75 Divide Cup. Mintyukov becomes the League’s first blueliner on record to ever receive three consecutive OHL Defenceman of the Month honours.
A 19-year-old blueliner standing 6-foot-3 and 195Ibs., Mintyukov sits third in OHL scoring with 51 points (14-37–51) in 34 games this season, paired with the League’s second-best plus/minus rating of plus-27. He became the first defenceman to ever lead the Spirit in scoring last season, recording 62 points (17-45–62) in 67 games before being selected 10th overall by the Anaheim Ducks in the 2022 NHL Draft. The Spirit selected Mintyukov with the 52nd overall pick of the 2020 CHL Import Draft. He was voted to the OHL’s third all-star team last season.
OHL Goaltender of the Month – Anson Thornton (Barrie Colts):
Arizona Coyotes prospect Anson Thornton of the Barrie Colts is the OHL Goaltender of the Month for December, playing to a 5-0-0-1 record with a 2.25 goals-against average, .945 save percentage and one shutout. Thornton was busy, making at least 36 saves in all six of his December outings. He stopped 38 of the 40 shots that came his way on Dec. 4th as the Colts defeated his former Sarnia Sting teammates 3-2 in overtime. He turned aside 45 shots the following week at home as the Colts defeated the Saginaw Spirit by a score of 5-2 on Dec. 8th. Thornton registered another 40-plus save showing on Dec. 17th as Barrie defeated the Central Division-leading North Bay Battalion 6-3. He closed out December with his first shoutout of the campaign on Dec. 31st, making 38 saves as the Colts defeated the Guelph Storm 8-0. Thornton earned star of the game recognition five times in December, three times being named first star while being named second star twice.
A 19-year-old Oshawa, Ont. native, Thornton owns a 10-6-1-2 record with a 3.40 goals-against average and .906 save percentage through 19 games in his second OHL season. The 6-foot-4, 187lb. goaltender has played to a career mark of 18-22-1-2 with a 3.77 goals-against average and .893 save percentage in 45 regular season games between Barrie and Sarnia. Thornton signed an entry-level NHL contract as a free agent with the Arizona Coyotes after attending the team’s training camp in October 2021. He was originally Sarnia’s first round (3rd overall) pick in the 2020 OHL U18 Priority Selection. Thornton won an OHL Cup championship with the Don Mills Flyers U16 program in 2019.
OHL Rookie of the Month – Zayne Parekh (Saginaw Spirit):
Saginaw Spirit blueliner Zayne Parekh is the OHL Rookie of the Month for December, recording 10 points including six goals and four assists in 10 games along with a plus/minus rating of plus-7. Parekh recorded points in eight of his 10 December contests, finishing the month with points in four consecutive showings. He had a two-point night on Dec. 6th, recording a goal and an assist as the Spirit defeated the Erie Otters 8-3. He did the same on Dec. 30th as the Spirit defeated the rival Flint Firebirds 7-4. Parekh finished the month with his 11th goal of the season on Dec. 31st as the Spirit took another 5-3 win over Flint. Parekh becomes the first rookie defenceman in Saginaw Spirit history to earn OHL Rookie of the Month honours.
A 16-year-old from Nobleton, Ont., Parekh has been an offensive threat from the blue line with 20 points (11-9–20) in 24 games. His 11 goals this season lead all OHL rookie blueliners. Parekh was Saginaw’s first round (19th overall) pick in the 2022 OHL Priority Selection from the Markham Majors U16 program.
2022-23 OHL Performers of the Month:
Player of the Month:
December – Francesco Pinelli (Kitchener Rangers)
November – Sean McGurn (London Knights)
October – Brennan Othmann (Flint Firebirds)
Defenceman of the Month:
December – Pavel Mintyukov (Saginaw Spirit)
November – Pavel Mintyukov (Saginaw Spirit)
October – Pavel Mintyukov (Saginaw Spirit)
Goaltender of the Month:
December – Anson Thornton (Barrie Colts)
November – Tristan Lennox (Saginaw Spirit)
October – Michael Simpson (Peterborough Petes)
Rookie of the Month:
December – Zayne Parekh (Saginaw Spirit)
November – Oliver Bonk (London Knights)
October – Michael Misa (Saginaw Spirit)
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.
With exceptional mobility and speed, Clarke is almost like a fourth forward when transitioning to offence and jumping up into the play. It should come as no surprise since he models his game after Erik Karlsson. He plays a very poised game, patient with the puck, and rarely turns it over. He has excellent hockey senses and is a superb passer. His defensive game showed marked improvement as the season progressed. He gets back quickly because of his skating, has good gat control and is effective with his stick. And he doesn’t shy away from the physicality and began to be the player who initiated contact rather then the receiver as the season went on. Clarke finished the season with 6 goals and 32 assists in 57 games and was named to the OHL First All-Rookie Team. 
The offensively talented McTavish led all 2003 born players in goals and points despite not always getting the best offensive opportunities with the Petes, moving up and down the lineup. He’s a puck possession beast, seemingly having the puck on a string. He’s not shy about going end-to-end, is patient with the puck and is very adept at creating space. He reads the play extremely well and is able to find soft spots undetected. He is willing to drive the net with or without the puck. McTavish is a pure sniper with a pro caliber shot and release already. He’s already physically strong and yet there is still room for more. He’s also a top player in the faceoff circle. McTavish finished the season with 29 goals and 13 assists in 57 games and was named to the OHL Second All-Rookie Team.
At this point, it may not be a reach to say that Pinelli is the best two-way player out of the draft class and that ability coming straight from minor midget earned him the trust of the Rangers coaches. He’s a versatile player who can play both the wing and down the middle. He works hard from shift-to-shift and is not afraid to play a physical game. He has high hockey senses, is positionally sound and creates turnovers almost at will. He’s a strong skater with a unique ability to draw in defenders and make a perfect pass. He has a superb one-timer and can unleash it with accuracy and it is especially dangerous on the pp with space. He finished fourth among rookies with 18 goals and 23 assists in 59 games.
When watching Othmann play, it’s obvious his deadliest asset is his shot. He possesses and excellent one-timer and a snap shot that is deadly accurate with a superb release. Maybe it was a lack of confidence in his abilities, but he just didn’t use that shot enough as he chose to dish off rather then take his shot. That said, he is a very good playmaker as well, so maybe he was reading something else on the ice. One might raise the question if it’s his hockey sense/vision that comes into play. However, I believe it’s just a question of confidence in his ability to beat goaltenders and with a year under his belt, those questions will be answered. Othmann finished the season with 17 goals and 16 assists in 55 games and was named to the OHL First All-Rookie Team.
With a late 2002 birth date, Chayka will be in his third OHL season come his draft year and the young Russian has already made a name for himself. He is a smooth skater, plays in all situations and eats up huge minutes. Chayka is a pass first defender but is more then willing to jump into the play on offence. He has a good shot from the point but doesn’t try to overpower goaltenders and shoots with a purpose. Defensively his size and skating make him hard to beat one-on-one. Even at a young age, Chayka has shown excellent leadership qualities. Chayka finished the season with 11 goals and 23 assists in 56 games. He was named to the 2018-2019 OHL Second All-Rookie Team.
While the attention in Sudbury was all on Quinton Byfield, Stillman quietly put up a very good rookie season. The son of former NHL’er Cory Stillman and younger brother of Riley, he comes from a family with hockey blood lines. He is a swift skater he has a high level of hockey smarts. Stillman is a coachable player – not because his father is a coach in Sudbury, he stayed with a billet family, but he took directions well from the older players. Expect Stillman to be one of the go-to guys for offence in Sudbury next season. He finished the year with 13 goals and 21 assists in 58 games. He was named to the OHL First All-Rookie Team.
OHL Writers 