CHL Team of the Month presented by CCM: December 2023

Posted on by Dominic Tiano

TORONTO, ON — The Canadian Hockey League (CHL) is proud to announce today the December edition of the CHL Team of the Month presented by CCM for the 2023-24 regular season.

F – Riley Heidt (Prince George Cougars / WHL)
7G-17A, 24 PTS, +11 in 11 GP in December

With 24 points in 11 games, Minnesota Wild prospect Riley Heidt of the No.2-ranked Prince George Cougars led the CHL in scoring during the month of December alongside Ruslan Gazizov (6G-18A) of the London Knights. To close out 2023, Heidt was held off the scoresheet just twice in December and he recorded seven multipoint contests over that stretch, which included matching a career-high five points (0G-5A) on December 15 against the Wenatchee Wild. The latter represented the fourth time both this season and during his career that the 18-year-old from Saskatoon, Sask., has registered five points in a single WHL game. Thanks to a strong month, Heidt now leads all CHL skaters with 70 points (22G-48A) during the 2023-24 campaign and he’s topped 20 goals for a third consecutive season. The 5-foot-11, 182-pound centre also leads all CHL skaters with 21 power-play assists, while his 28 power-play points rank tied for first alongside teammate Zac Funk. Having collected 17 assists during the month of December, Heidt is up to 48 helpers on the season, which currently stands as the third-most of any player in the CHL. The 2023 Minnesota Wild second-round pick is also one of just four skaters in the CHL to be averaging at least two points per game this season (minimum three games played).

F – Zac Funk (Prince George Cougars / WHL)
14G-8A, 22 PTS, +13, in 11 GP in December

Having scored a CHL-best 14 goals over the month of December, Zac Funk of the No.2-ranked Prince George Cougars becomes the first player this season to have been selected to the CHL Team of the Month presented by CCM for a second time. The 20-year-old from Coldstream, B.C., was a member of the CHL’s Team of the Month in October. Impressively, over his 11 games in December, Funk recorded hat-tricks against Tri-City (December 1), Portland (December 3) and Wenatchee (December 15). He has now tallied a total of six hat-tricks over the course of the 2023-24 campaign, which might help explain why he leads all CHL skaters with 40 goals this season. He’s also recorded 11 outings with two or more goals so far through 37 games this season. Over the month of December, Funk finished with a plus/minus rating of +13, which was the third-best mark in the CHL, and he was held off the scoresheet just twice in 11 games. Through 37 contests during the 2023-24 campaign, Funk is averaging over a goal per game, and he has tallied a CHL-leading 19 power-play goals. The 20-year-old has also set career-highs for goals (40), assists (29), points (69) and power-play goals (19) in a single season with his performance thus far in 2023-24. With 69 points as of January 4, the 6-foot, 210-pound right winger trails only his teammate Riley Heidt (70 points) in the CHL’s scoring race. 

F – Berkly Catton (Spokane Chiefs / WHL)
8G-15A, 23 PTS, +12, in 10 GP in December

Averaging 2.3 points per game over the last month, 2024 NHL Draft prospect Berkly Catton of the Spokane Chiefs was one of the CHL’s highest scoring players in December. Catton’s 23 points trailed only Prince George’s Heidt (7G-17A) and London’s Gazizov (6G-18A) for the CHL lead, and they were the most by any first-time draft eligible skater in the CHL. The 17-year-old from Saskatoon, Sask., is currently on a 10-game point streak, which he most recently extended with consecutive four-point efforts in a pair of games against the Tri-City Americans to wrap up 2023. In total, Catton had six multipoint contests in the month of December, and he recorded three or more points on four occasions over that stretch. Although Catton’s 55 points trail only Terik Parascak (26G-31A) in scoring among 2024 NHL Draft eligible skaters in the CHL, his 1.67 points per game this season leads that same group of skaters. The 5-foot-11, 164-pound centreman’s 55 points (22G-33A) also rank eighth among all WHL skaters, and he’s been held off the scoresheet just once over his last 14 contests. Having received an ‘A’ rating from NHL Central Scouting, Catton is a projected first-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, which is scheduled to take place June 28-29 in Vegas. Earlier in December, Catton was also one of 40 players selected to compete in the 2024 Kubota CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game on Wednesday, January 24.

D – Nick DeAngelis (Sudbury Wolves / OHL)
2G-13A, 15 PTS, +3 in 11 GP in December

Currently on a 17-game point streak, the longest active streak of its kind in the CHL, Nick DeAngelis of the Sudbury Wolves had an excellent month of December. In 11 games over the last month, DeAngelis recorded 15 points, which were tied with Hunter Brzustewicz (1G-14A) of the Kitchener Rangers and Sam Dickinson (6G-9A) of the London Knights for the most by a defenceman in the CHL. The 19-year-old from King City, Ont., has registered a point in every game he has played in since November 15. It’s a stretch that has seen the third-year veteran tally five multipoint outings, including a career-high four-point effort (0G-4A) against the Barrie Colts on December 1. DeAngelis is now up to 27 assists on the season, which ranks tied for fourth among rearguards in the OHL. The 6-foot-2, 195-pound defenceman leads all Wolves blueliners with 29 points (2G-27A) in 33 games this season and his efforts last month no doubt helped the Sudbury Wolves close out 2023 as the OHL’s Eastern Conference leaders.

D – Sam Dickinson (London Knights / OHL)
6G-9A, 15 PTS, +7 in 11 GP in December

Along with Kitchener’s Brzustewicz (1G-14A) and Sudbury’s DeAngelis (2G-13A), 2024 NHL Draft prospect Sam Dickinson of the London Knights had 15 points to lead all CHL defenceman in scoring during the month of December. Moreover, no draft eligible blueliner in the CHL had more points last month than Dickinson. Through 11 games played, the 17-year-old from Toronto, Ont., also potted six goals, which trailed only Nathan Drapeau (7G-5A) of the Val-d’Or Foreurs for the most by any blueliner in the Canadian Hockey League in December. The 6-foot-3, 195-pound defenceman is now up to 34 points (11G-23A) on the campaign, which is tied for fourth among rearguards in the OHL. His 34 points also trail only Zayne Parekh (45 points) of the Saginaw Spirit and Carter Yakemchuk (39 points) of the Calgary Hitmen among 2024 NHL Draft eligible blueliners across the CHL. Having received an ‘A’ rating from NHL Central Scouting, Dickinson is a projected first-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, which is scheduled to take place June 28-29 in Vegas. Earlier last month, Dickinson was also one of 40 players selected to compete in the 2024 Kubota CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game on Wednesday, January 24.

G – Olivier Ciarlo (Blainville-Boisbriand Armada / QMJHL)
4-2-0-0, 1.49 GAA, .941 SV%, 2 SO in six starts in December

Coming into the month of December, and playing for the Baie-Comeau Drakkar at the time, netminder Olivier Ciarlo carried a shutout streak that he would extend into one of the longest in QMJHL history. Over December 1 and 2, the 19-year-old from Laval, Que., posted a pair of shutouts against the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada on consecutive nights to give him three straight games with a shutout. During his next start on December 10 against Chicoutimi, Ciarlo would eventually give up a goal, but only after he had extended his shutout streak to 239 minutes and 56 seconds – which not only broke a Baie-Comeau franchise record, but now stands as the third-longest streak of its kind in QMJHL history. Ultimately, Carlo was just three minutes and 40 seconds shy of breaking the all-time QMJHL record held by former Rimouski Océanic netminder Philippe Desrosiers (243:35). On December 17, Ciarlo was acquired from Baie-Comeau by Blainville-Boisbriand, where he played a pair of games to wrap up the year 2023. In December, between the six games he played for the Drakkar and Armada, Ciarlo’s 1.49 goals against average (GAA) and .941 save percentage (SV%) ranked second among all goalies across the CHL who played at least 180 minutes. Among netminders in the CHL who played five games or more in December, Ciarlo’s 1.49 GAA and .941 SV% both ranked first. With a CHL-best 21 wins as of January 4, Ciarlo is also the only goalie who has topped the 20-win plateau so far during the 2023-24 campaign.

OHL ANNOUNCES TOP PERFORMERS OF THE MONTH FOR DECEMBER

Posted on by Dominic Tiano

Toronto, Ont. – The Ontario Hockey League today announced Top Performers of the Month for regular season games played in December 2023.

Player of the Month – Ruslan Gazizov (London Knights)

London Knights forward Ruslan Gazizov is the OHL Player of the Month for December, leading the league with 24 points including six goals and 18 assists over 11 games as the Knights played to a mark of 8-3-0-0. The 5-foot-11, 185lb. Gazizov registered points in nine of his 11 outings, headlined by a four-point showing on Dec. 14th, followed by a season-high five-point performance on Dec. 15th., scoring a goal and four assists in London’s 8-2 win over the Owen Sound Attack. He proceeded to score twice on Dec. 17th at home to Sudbury, closing out the first half with an overtime game-winner. Gazizov racked up eight different multi-point performances in the month of December, helping the Knights enter the new year on a six-game winning streak.

Selected by the Knights in the first round, 12th overall of the 2021 CHL Import Draft, the 19-year-old comes-off a a solid first half of the season, registering 42 points (15-27-42) in 35 games. Gazizov continues his third-year campaign in London, tallying 48 goals, 70 assists, and 118 points over 145 career OHL regular season contests.

Also considered for the award this month, North Bay Battalion forward Anthony Romani registered eight goals, 13 assists, and 21 points (8-13-21) in 11 games played throughout December. He enters January on a 12-game point streak.

Defenceman of the Month – Nick DeAngelis (Sudbury Wolves)

Sudbury Wolves blueliner Nick DeAngelis is the OHL Defenceman of the Month, riding an OHL season-high 17-game point streak into the month of January. DeAngelis recorded two goals, 13 assists, and 15 points over 11 December outings as the Wolves closed-out 2023 in first place in the Central Division. DeAngelis started the month with a career-high four assist performance as the Wolves beat the Barrie Colts 9-6 on Dec. 1st. He’s recorded at least a point in every game since Nov. 15th., the longest point streak by a Wolves blueliner in the last 25 years of OHL history. DeAngelis becomes the first Wolves blueliner to earn OHL Defenceman of the Month honours since Jack Thompson in October 2021.

A 19-year-old from King City, Ont., DeAngelis leads the Wolves offensively from the back end with 29 points (2-27–29) over 33 games this season along with a plus/minus rating of plus-13. The third-year veteran has registered a total of eight goals, 60 assists, and 68 points over 163 regular season contests spent between the Wolves and the Windsor Spitfires. The 6-foot-2, 195Ib. left-shot defenceman was originally selected in the second round (36th overall) by the Spitfires in the 2020 OHL Priority Selection before joining the Wolves this season. He attended training camp with the Columbus Blue Jackets in September.

Also considered for the award, Vancouver Canucks prospect and OHL scoring leader Hunter Brzustewicz (1-14–15) of the Kitchener Rangers and 2024 NHL Draft prospect Sam Dickinson (6-9–15) of the London Knights each registered 15 points in the month of December.

Goaltender of the Month – Marcus Vandenberg (Sudbury Wolves)

Marcus Vandenberg of the Sudbury Wolves is the OHL Goaltender of the Month for December, playing to a 6-2-1-1 record with a 3.07 goals-against average and .901 save percentage over 10 games spent between Sudbury and the Niagara IceDogs. Vandenberg, who was acquired by Sudbury on Dec. 8th after backstopping Niagara to wins over Kitchener and Peterborough to begin the month, proceeded to win his first two starts with Sudbury in wins over Kingston and Flint. He ended December with consecutive wins, making 22 saves in a victory over North Bay on Dec. 29th and 33 stops in Sault Ste. Marie as the Wolves defeated the West Division-leading Greyhounds 5-1 on Dec. 30th. Vandenberg is the first Wolves goaltender to claim the honour since Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen in December 2018.

A 19-year-old from Dorchester, Ont., Vandenberg has played to a season mark of 7-8-3-1 with a 3.61 goals-against average and .888 save percentage between Sudbury and Niagara. Selected by the Kitchener Rangers in the ninth round (177th overall) of the 2020 OHL Priority Selection, Vandenberg has appeared in 49 career regular season contests, tallying a 16-20-5-1 record, 3.71 goals-against average and .889 save percentage over three seasons.

Also considered for the award this month, Oshawa Generals netminder Jacob Oster played to a 5-2-1-0 record with a 2.76 goals-against-average and .898 save percentage. Brayden Gillespie of the Guelph Storm also remained solid between the pipes, recording a 5-3-1-0 record with a 2.83 goals-against-average and .900 save percentage.

Rookie of the Month – Jake O’Brien (Brantford Bulldogs)

Brantford Bulldogs forward Jake O’Brien is the OHL Rookie of the Month, recording 15 points, including three goals and 12 assists over 10 appearances in December. O’Brien registered five multi-point showings over the course of the month, tallying 10 points in his last four games. He recorded a career-high three-point showing on Dec. 28th in a 5-4 win over the Oshawa Generals, followed by another three-point showing on Dec. 31st. O’Brien now ranks second among all OHL rookie skaters in points, registering 28 (5-23-28) through 27 games this season. O’Brien becomes the first Bulldogs player to be named OHL Rookie of the Month since Matthew Strome in March 2016.

A 16-year-old from Toronto, Ont., O’Brien currently ranks second in OHL rookie scoring with 28 points (5-23–28) through 27 games this season. The Toronto, Ont. native was selected eighth overall by the Bulldogs in the 2023 OHL Priority Selection from the Toronto Jr. Canadiens U16 AAA program. Crowned a 2023 OHL Cup champion, the 6-foot-1, 165Ib. forward was awarded the tournament’s Most Valuable Player Award, registering 17 points (7-10-17) through seven games played last spring.

Also considered for the award, 2024 NHL Draft prospect Sam O’Reilly of the London Knights was also a front-runner, collecting 15 points (3-12–15) over 11 games in December.

2023-24 OHL Performers of the Month:

Player of the Month:
December – Ruslan Gazizov (London Knights)
November – Filip Mesar (Kitchener Rangers)
October – Carson Rehkopf (Kitchener Rangers)

Defenceman of the Month:
December – Nick DeAngelis (Sudbury Wolves)
November – Zayne Parekh (Saginaw Spirit)
October – Hunter Brzustewicz (Kitchener Rangers)

Goaltender of the Month:
December – Marcus Vandenberg (Sudbury Wolves)
November – Jackson Parsons (Kitchener Rangers)
October – Brayden Gillespie (Guelph Storm)

Rookie of the Month:
December – Jake O’Brien (Brantford Bulldogs)
November – Cole Davis (Windsor Spitfires)
October – Carter George (Owen Sound Attack)


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.