Patrick Leaver

GAUDREAU AND ROBERTSON NAMEDOHL TOP PERFORMERS OF THE WEEK

Posted on October 3, 2022 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, October 2, 2022.

Petes’ Tucker Robertson Named Cogeco OHL Player of the Week

Seattle Kraken prospect Tucker Robertson of the Peterborough Petes is the Cogeco OHL Player of the Week, recording one goal, four assists and five points in a pair of victories.

Robertson got the Petes’ season off to a hot start recording his 50th OHL goal, 100th career point and the shootout game winner in a first star performance as the Petes defeated the Erie Otters 5-4 in their home opener. He followed that up with a three-assist effort on Saturday as the Petes defeated the defending champion Hamilton Bulldogs 5-3 at the Memorial Centre. Robertson excelled in the face-off circle, going a combined 39-for-59 (66%) on the weekend.

A 19-year-old native of Toronto, Robertson was a fourth round (123rd overall) pick of the Seattle Kraken following 41 goals, 40 assists and 81 points in 68 games last season. The former fourth round (72nd overall) pick by the Petes in 2019 has registered 50 goals, 54 assists and 104 points in 125 career regular season games in maroon and white.

Also given consideration for the award this week were Petes teammate and Vancouver Canucks prospect Connor Lockhart, who leads all OHL players with six points (1-5–6) on the young season. Fellow Seattle prospect Ty Nelson of the North Bay Battalion was also a standout, recording five points (1-4–5) in split decisions for the Troops.

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 with two victories, a 1.99 goals-against average and a .907 save percentage.

Gaudreau was victorious on Friday in Kitchener, stopping 17 of the 20 shots he faced as the Sting defeated the Rangers 6-3. The 6-foot-2, 172Ib. goaltender returned to the crease on Saturday, stopping 22 shots in a 2-1 overtime win over the Windsor Spitfires, picking up second star recognition.

A 19-year-old native of Corbeil, Ont., Gaudreau is embarking on his third season in Sarnia after a strong sophomore season where he went 19-18-4-1 with a 3.71 goals-against average and .891 save percentage over 44 games. Selected in the third round (81st overall) by the San Jose Sharks in the 2021 NHL Draft, Gaudreau was originally Sarnia’s 1st round (7th overall) pick in the 2019 OHL Priority Selection from the North Bay Trappers 16U program. Over parts of three seasons, he’s 31-31-5-2 with a 3.88 goals-against average and .891 save percentage in 74 regular season appearances.

A pair of other candidates were given consideration for the award as Kingston Frontenacs netminder Ivan Zhigalov posted 61 saves in a pair of outings, recording a 2.03 goals-against average and .939 save percentage. Oshawa Generals goaltender Patrick Leaver went 2-0-0-1 on the weekend, posting a 2.92 goals-against average and .910 save percentage.

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.

A Look at NHL Central Scouting’s Final Draft Ranking

Posted on May 7, 2022May 6, 2022 by Dominic Tiano

So, I am not going to break down NHL Central Scouting’s rankings in its entirety, just those Ontario Hockey League players ranked (or not ranked). After all, this sight is all about the OHL, right?

Let’s begin in the blue paint. One name that we have been pushing on OHL Writers for most of the season is Patrick Leaver of the Oshawa Generals. We selected Leaver as our Draft Eligible Goaltender of the Year at the end of the regular season. Central scouting showed him a lot of love on their final list as Leaver had the highest jump among ranked OHL netminders climbing 13 spots from 29 on the midterm rankings to 16 on the final rankings.

Leaver wasn’t the only netminder with a massive jump. Niagara IceDogs Josh Rosenzweig went from unranked on the midterm list to 22 on the final list.

Of course, when you have risers, they must be accompanied by fallers and the OHL had their share. Brett Brochu of the London Knights dropped 15 spots from 16 to 31. Dom DiVincentiis of the North Bay Battalion dropped 10 spots from 14 to 24.

When it comes to skaters, we have been big fans of Christian Kyrou of the Erie Otters since about the drop of the puck this season. We gave him serious consideration as our Draft Eligible Defenceman of the Year. In the annual OHL Coach’s Poll he was voted the most improved player in the Western Conference and the Most Underrated Player in the Western Conference as well as the second-best Offensive Defenceman in the Western Conference. Among draft eligible defencemen, he finished first in goals, second in points and third in assists. Central Scouting (finally) moved him up a whopping 131 spots from 179 to 48.

But that wasn’t the biggest jump. Matthew Maggio of the Windsor Spitfires jumped 149 spots from being not ranked (there were 251 players ranked on the midterm rankings so we used 252 as Maggio was not ranked) all the way up to 103 on the final rankings. Among draft eligible players, Maggio finished second in goals, assists and points. He was our runner up to Draft Eligible Forward of the Year. In the Coach’s Poll, he finished just ahead of Kyrou as the most improved player in the Western Conference and tied for third as the Hardest Worker in the Western Conference.

But the highest jump belonged to Amadeus Lombardi of the Flint Firebirds who moved up from not being ranked all the way to 94 on the final rankings. I can’t understand how he was not ranked on their midterm ranking, but they got this right.

Another player that deserves mentioning is David Goyette of the Sudbury Wolves who moved up 22 spots from 35 to 13. It’s a massive jump in its own right as that puts Goyette in the bottom third of the first round instead of middle second. And that’s a much-deserved spot for him. He deserves first round consideration.

Two of the biggest fallers are Ruslan Gazizov and Colton Smith, both of the London Knights who dropped from 62 to 149 and 129 to being not ranked respectively. For Comparison’s sake, Bob McKenzie had Gazizov at 15 and Smith as an honorable mention on his midterm rankings (only 80 players were ranked).

I do think that Central Scouting got a couple of Guelph Storm prospects correctly. For most of the season, Matthew Poitras was ranked ahead of Danny Zhilkin on a lot of lists. Poitras was ranked 23 on the midterm rankings and drops to 45 while Zhilkin was ranked 27 and drops to 35. We’re not saying we agree with the overall ranking, but that Zhilkin is rightfully ranked ahead of Poitras and we’ve been saying that for some time.

Vsevolod Gaidamak of the Ottawa 67’s was the highest ranked player on Central Scouting’s midterm rankings to fall off the chart on their final ranking. He went from 121 to being not ranked.

Nice to see a little love for James Hardie of the Mississauga Steelheads who moved up 56 spots from 204 to 148. But we are also surprised to see Tucker Robertson drop 53 spots from 109 to 162.

If you are looking for our final list, it usually comes out after the Memorial Cup. Until then, here is NHL Central Scouting’s rankings with their midterm and final ranking shown:

PLAYER	TEAM	NHL MID	NHL FIN
Shane Wright	Kingston	1	1
Pavel Mintyukov	Saginaw	5	6
Luca Del Bel Belluz	Mississauga	11	8
Owen Beck	Mississauga	19	10
David Goyette	Sudbury	35	13
Matyas Sapovaliv	Saginaw	13	23
Michael Buchinger	Guelph	36	30
Ty Nelson	North Bay	25	32
Bryce McConnell-Barker	Soo	28	34
Danny Zhilkin	Guelph	27	35
Vinzenz Rohrer	Ottawa	46	42
Hunter Haight	Barrie	47	44
Matthew Poitras	Guelph	23	45
Christian Kyrou	Erie	179	48
Paul Ludwinski	Kingston	29	49
Gavin Hayes	Flint	68	51
Isiah George	London	42	53
Servac Petrovsky	Owen Sound	52	58
Cedrick Guindon	Owen Sound	76	59
Jake Karabela	Guelph	61	62
Pano Fimis	Niagara	77	75
Spencer Sova	Erie	28	80
Jorian Donovan	Hamilton	39	81
Evan Konyen	Sudbury	88	85
Beau Jelsma	Barrie	137	88
Amadeus Lombardi	Flint	252	94
Matthew Maggio	Windsor	252	103
Lucas Edmonds	Kingston	107	104
Kiriil Kudryavtsev	Soo	103	108
Liam Arnsby	North Bay	66	115
Rodwin Dionicio	Niagara	132	118
Kocha Delic	Sudbury	200	122
Jackson Edward	London	75	123
Tnias Mathurin	North Bay	152	126
Zakary Lavoie	Mississauga	124	134
Samuel Mayer	Peterborough	120	139
James Hardie	Mississauga	204	148
Ruslan Gazizov	London	62	149
Aidan Castle	Owen Sound	155	151
Brady Stonehouse	Ottawa	138	152
Nolan Collins	Sudbury	252	153
Kyle Jackson	North Bay	182	158
Tucker Robertson	Peterborough	109	162
Gavin Bryant	Owen Sound	160	179
Bryce Cook	Niagara	163	183
Braeden Bowman	Guelph	217	194
Kai Schwindt	Mississauga	252	196
Sam Alfano	Peterborough	190	207
Max Namestnikov	Sarnia	219	211
Landon Sim	London	213	215
Kasper Larsen	Mississauga	252	220
Kirill Steklov	London	196	221
Roberto Mancini	Saginaw	195	222
Caeden Carlisle	Soo	252	223
Vsevolod Gaidamak	Ottawa	121	225
Colton Smith	London	129	225
Stuart Rolofs	Oshawa	142	225
Bryce Cook	Niagara	163	225
Tyler Savard	Soo	183	225
Brody Crane	London	188	225
Ryan Abraham	Windsor	210	225
Nolan Dann	Sarnia	225	225
Simon Slavicek	Flint	LV	225

GOALIES		NHL MID	NHL FIN
Andrew Oke	Saginaw	8	9
Nolan Lalonde	Erie	10	14
Patrick Leaver	Oshawa	29	16
Charlie Schenkel	Soo	12	17
Jacob Oster	Guelph	15	18
Josh Rosenzweig	Niagara	33	22
Domenic DiVincentiis	North Bay	14	24
Marco Costantini	Hamilton	33	29

OHL Writers Draft Eligible Player of the Year

Posted on April 23, 2022 by Dominic Tiano

Shane Wright of the Kingston Frontenacs. Photo by Terry Wilson / OHL Images

You’ll have to trust me when I say “this was no easy decision” especially since for this year only, we are including players re-entering the draft for the second time (thanks to the lost COVID Season). But we also expanded it so that instead of picking one player, we are picking one forward, one defenceman and one goaltender. So, here we go!

FORWARD

It took some time for consensus number 1 pick Shane Wright of the Kingston Frontenacs to reach the top of the lists in statistical categories, but he got there. At the turn of the calendar year, Wright was fifth among draft eligible players in points and assists and ninth in goals. But by the time the season had ended, he led in points, assists and fifth in goals.

There was a point in the season where some pundits were wondering out loud if there was anyone who could challenge Wright as the first overall pick and he did nothing but silence that crowd in the second half of the season.

Consideration was also given to our draft eligible player of the month in January and March (separated only by Wright in February): Matthew Maggio of the Windsor Spitfires. Not ranked by NHL Central Scouting on their mid-term rankings, the draft re-entry finished second in goals, assists, points and powerplay goals among draft eligible players. Maggio will certainly draw some interest from NHL scouts with the only thing left to be determined is whether that interest will come in the form of a draft pick or a development camp invite.

DEFENCEMAN

I can’t recall a decision that was as difficult to make as this one. It came down to two defenders: 1) In our opinion the top ranked defenceman out of the OHL and 2) a defenceman that wasn’t even on NHL Central Scouting’s mid-term rankings. They are: Pavel Mintyukov of the Saginaw Spirit and Christian Kyrou of the Erie Otters and we decided that is the order they would finish.

What Mintyukov did on the second last place Saginaw squad was just simply amazing. He led all draft eligible defencemen in points and was second in goals and assists. He finished third among all defencemen in the OHL just 4 points off the leader and led the Spirit in scoring. To put it simply, the offence ran through him. He was named the OHL defenceman of the month for March.

Kyrou finished first among draft eligible defencemen in goals, second in points and third in assists. He was fourth among all OHL defencemen in scoring. Kyrou’s Otters also missed the playoffs (9 points better then Saginaw) and Kyrou finished third on the Otters in scoring. Here’s to hoping Kyrou opened some eyes and he should be one of the biggest risers in draft rankings.

GOALTENDER

In the crease we gave the nod to Patrick Leaver of the Oshawa Generals. Leaver was named our draft eligible goaltender of the month in November, January and February and was our only repeat winner among goaltenders.

Among draft eligible goaltenders, Leaver finished fifth in goals-against-average, second in save-percentage, third in wins, second in minutes played, and second in shutouts. He was named the OHL’s goaltender of the week on three occasions and the runner up twice. You could regularly find Leaver in the OHL’s Save of the Week highlights throughout the season.

Leaver was not listed on NHL Central Scouting’s players to watch list at the start of the season. He did crack Central Scouting’s mid-term list as the 29^th ranked goaltender among North Americans.

Consideration was also given to Michael Simpson of the Peterborough Petes. While his numbers on the season won’t blow your socks off, on many nights Simpson was the Petes best player. It’s hard to imagine where the Petes would have been without him and he saved the best for last as he was named the OHL’s goaltender of the month for April and helping the Petes secure a playoff spot.

Statistically speaking, the nod probably should have gone to Dom DiVincentiis of the North Bay Battalion. But we felt his 27 games played didn’t match up to Leaver’s 49 games played or Simpson’s 45 games played.

Our monthly choices throughout the season were as follows:

FORWARDS

March – Matthew Maggio – Windsor Spitfires

February – Shane Wright – Kingston Frontenacs

January – Matthew Maggio – Windsor Spitfires

December – Luca DelBelBelluz – Mississauga Steelheads

November – Kyle Jackson – North Bay Battalion

October – Tucker Robertson – Peterborough Petes

DEFENCEMEN

March – Pavel Mintyukov – Saginaw Spirit

February – Michael Buchinger – Guelph Storm

January – Christian Kyrou – Erie Otters

December – Kirill Kudryavtsev – Soo Greyhounds

November – Gavin While – Hamilton Bulldogs

October – Ty Nelson – North Bay Battalion

GOALTENDERS

March – Dom DiVincentiis – North Bay Battalion

February – Patrick Leaver – Oshawa Generals

January – Patrick Leaver – Oshawa Generals

December – Pavel Cajan – Kitchener Rangers

November – Patrick Leaver – Oshawa Generals

October – Brett Brochu – London Knights

LEAVER AND MCTAVISH NAMED OHL TOP PERFORMERS OF THE WEEK

Posted on April 5, 2022 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, April 3, 2022

Bulldogs’ Mason McTavish Named OHL Player of the Week

Anaheim Ducks prospect Mason McTavish of the Hamilton Bulldogs is the OHL Player of the Week, recording four goals, three assists and seven points in four Bulldogs victories.

McTavish found the back of the net in all four outings, recording a goal and an assist in his return to the Peterborough Memorial Centre on Tuesday as the Bulldogs took a 6-2 decision. He scored the third period game winner in a 3-2 triumph over the Oshawa Generals on Thursday, and tacked on an additional goal and assist a night later in Erie as Hamilton prevailed by a score of 3-0. McTavish wrapped things up with a goal and assist in Sunday’s 6-1 win over visiting Peterborough, finalizing a productive week that saw Hamilton clinch its second East Division banner.

A 19-year-old native of Carp, Ont., McTavish has registered 40 points (18-22–40) in 25 games between Hamilton and Peterborough this season, collecting 33 of those (12-21–33) since joining the Bulldogs. The 6-foot-1, 207Ib. centre recorded two goals and an assist in nine games with the Anaheim Ducks earlier this season, also appearing in three games with the AHL’s San Diego Gulls where he posted a goal and assist. Voted to the OHL’s second all-rookie team in 2019-20 before winning World Under-18 gold with Team Canada in 2021, McTavish was selected by Anaheim with the third overall pick of the 2021 NHL Draft. The Peterborough Petes selected him with the fifth overall pick of the 2019 OHL Priority Selection from the Pembroke Lumber Kings U18 program.

Also considered for the award this week, reigning OHL Player of the Month and current scoring leader Wyatt Johnston of the Windsor Spitfires recorded seven points (2-5–7) in three wins, while Guelph’s Cooper Walker had six points (4-2–6) over three outings as the Storm went 3-0.

2021-22 OHL Players of the Week – Regular Season:
Mar. 28 – Apr. 3: Mason McTavish (Hamilton Bulldogs)
Mar. 21 – Mar. 27: Dalton Duhart (Saginaw Spirit)
Mar. 14 – Mar. 20: Matthew Maggio (Windsor Spitfires)
Mar. 7 – Mar. 13: Lucas Edmonds (Kingston Frontenacs)
Feb. 28 – Mar. 6: Theo Hill (Sarnia Sting)
Feb. 21 – Feb. 27: Logan Morrison (Hamilton Bulldogs)
Feb. 14 – Feb. 20: Antonio Stranges (London Knights)
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)

Generals’ Patrick Leaver Named OHL Goaltender of the Week

Patrick Leaver of the Oshawa Generals is the OHL Goaltender of the Week, going 2-0-0-1 with a 2.52 goals-against average and .933 save percentage as the Generals collected five of a possible six points and clinched a spot in the OHL Playoffs.

Leaver was kept busy, making 111 saves in three outings beginning with 30 in a 4-3 shootout loss to the Ottawa 67’s on Tuesday that netted him first star honours. He was first star again on Friday in Kingston, turning aside 40 of 43 before stopping three of four in a shootout as the Generals won 4-3. Leaver saved the best for last, making 41 saves in Sunday’s 3-2 overtime win over the visiting Frontenacs, backstopping the Generals to two points despite being outshot 43-22. He joins Barrie’s Mack Guzda as the second netminder to earn Goaltender of the Week honours three times this season.

An 18-year-old from Perth, Ont., Leaver has played to a mark of 22-17-1-3 this season with a 3.16 goals-against average and .909 save percentage to go with two shutouts. The 6-foot-1, 186Ib. The former eighth round (158th overall) pick in the 2019 OHL Priority Selection was the 29th-ranked North American goaltender on NHL Central Scouting’s Midterm Rankings released in January.

Also considered for the award this week, Jacob Oster of the Guelph Storm picked up a pair of wins including a 43-save effort in Flint on Saturday as the Storm booked a trip to the OHL Playoffs. Hamilton Bulldogs goaltender Matteo Drobac earned his first career OHL shutout, going 2-0 with a 0.86 goals-against average and .957 save percentage as the Bulldogs clinched an East Division title.

2021-22 OHL Goaltenders of the Week – Regular Season:
Mar. 28 – Apr. 3: Patrick Leaver (Oshawa Generals)
Mar. 21 – Mar. 27: Joey Costanzo (Niagara IceDogs)
Mar. 14 – Mar. 20: Marco Costantini (Hamilton Bulldogs)
Mar. 7 – Mar. 13: Nick Chenard (Owen Sound Attack)
Feb. 28 – Mar. 6: Marco Costantini (Hamilton Bulldogs)
Feb. 21 – Feb. 27: Leevi Merilainen (Kingston Frontenacs)
Feb. 14 – Feb. 20: Mack Guzda (Barrie Colts)
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)

OHL’s Draft Eligible Statistical Leaders as of February 28, 2022

Posted on March 2, 2022March 2, 2022 by Dominic Tiano

The month of February has seen a change in the statistical leaders among players eligible for the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. It was more to do with lost games being made up and the gap in games played between different teams than it had to do with players picking it up or others dropping off.

Look no further then the point leaders. For almost the entire season it’s been either Tucker Robertson of the Peterborough Petes or Luca Del Bel Belluz of the Mississauga Steelheads at the top. Don’t look now but here comes projected number one pick Shane Wright of the Kingston Frontenacs who sits in between the pair. I don’t think it will be too long before Wright is all alone at the top.

It’s no different for defencemen. Ty Nelson of the North Bay Battalion has been at the top of defencemen scoring since the first puck drop. Now he’s been passed by February’s Defenceman of the Month and Rookie of the Month Christion Kyrou of the Erie Otters as well as Pavel Mintyukov of the Saginaw Spirit and Gavin White of the Hamilton Bulldogs.

Offensively, it appears there are three tiers at the top of the draft class for defenders: The first tier has Kyrou all alone as it looks like he will begin to run away with it. That’s followed by the second tier of Mintyukov, White and Nelson. They are also a clear group ahead of the third tier.

In the crease, it’s been a season long battle between Brett Brochu of the London Knights and Patrick Leaver of the Oshawa Generals and I suspect that’s how it will be right up until the last whistle.

Here’s a look at the statistical leaders in different categories. As a reminder, we are including first year and second year eligible players where in the past we’ve only done first year eligible players. While we take great care in compiling stats, please refer to the OHL Website for official stats.

Points Leaders
Player	Team	GP	G	A	Pts
Luca Del Bel Belluz	Mississauga Steelheads	51	26	38	64
Shane Wright	Kingston Frontenacs	43	21	41	62
Tucker Robertson	Peterborough Petes	47	26	31	57
Avery Hayes	Hamilton Bulldogs	45	30	23	53
Matthew Maggio	Windsor Spitfires	44	24	28	52
David Goyette	Sudbury Wolves	48	21	28	49
J. R. Avon	Peterborough Petes	44	19	30	49
Nolan Burke	Sarnia Sting	45	27	19	46
Kyle Jackson	North Bay Battalion	31	20	25	45
Deni Goure	Owen Sound Attack	48	21	23	44
Goal Scoring Leaders
Player	Team	GP	G	GPG
Avery Hayes	Hamilton Bulldogs	45	30	0.67
Nolan Burke	Sarnia Sting	45	27	0.60
Luca Del Bel Belluz	Mississauga Steelheads	51	26	0.51
Tucker Robertson	Peterborough Petes	47	26	0.55
Matthew Maggio	Windsor Spitfires	44	24	0.55
Shane Wright	Kingston Frontenacs	43	21	0.49
David Goyette	Sudbury Wolves	48	21	0.44
Deni Goure	Owen Sound Attack	48	21	0.44
Kyle Jackson	North Bay Battalion	31	20	0.65
Nolan Dann	Sarnia Sting	43	20	0.47
Assist Leaders
Player	Team	GP	A	APG
Shane Wright	Kingston Frontenacs	43	41	0.95
Luca Del Bel Belluz	Mississauga Steelheads	51	38	0.75
Michael Buchinger	Guelph Storm	46	33	0.72
Ty Nelson	North Bay Battalion	51	32	0.63
Gavin White	Hamilton Bulldogs	45	31	0.69
Christian Kyrou	Erie Otters	47	31	0.66
Tucker Robertson	Peterborough Petes	47	31	0.66
J. R. Avon	Peterborough Petes	44	30	0.68
Matthew Maggio	Windsor Spitfires	44	28	0.64
Jake Karabela	Guelph Storm	46	28	0.61
Defencemen Point Leaders
Player	Team	GP	G	A	Pts
Christian Kyrou	Erie Otters	47	13	31	44
Pavel Mintyukov	Saginaw Spirit	47	10	28	38
Gavin White	Hamilton Bulldogs	45	7	31	38
Ty Nelson	North Bay Battalion	51	6	32	38
Michael Buchinger	Guelph Storm	46	4	33	37
Samuel Mayer	Peterborough Petes	47	9	18	27
Rodwin Dionicio	Niagara IceDogs	43	6	20	26
Kasper Larsen	Mississauga Steelheads	40	5	21	26
Sam Sedley	Owen Sound Attack	47	3	23	26
Kirill Kudryavtsev	Soo Greyhounds	50	3	23	26
Plus/Minus Leaders
Player	Team	GP	+/-
Avery Hayes	Hamilton Bulldogs	45	+33
Ryan Humphrey	Hamilton Bulldogs	47	+33
Isaiah George	London Knights	44	+29
Luca Del Bel Belluz	Mississauga Steelheads	51	+25
Gavin White	Hamilton Bulldogs	45	+18
Shane Wright	Kingston Frontenacs	43	+17
Jorian Donovan	Hamilton Bulldogs	45	+16
Jake Karabela	Guelph Storm	46	+16
Ty Nelson	North Bay Battalion	51	+16
Ben Roger	Kingston Frontenacs	43	+15
Penalty Minutes Leaders
Player	Team	GP	PIM	M/G
Landon McCallum	Sudbury Wolves	47	68	1.45
Samuel Mayer	Peterborough Petes	47	60	1.28
Ryan Humphrey	Hamilton Bulldogs	47	59	1.26
Roberto Mancini	Saginaw Spirit	46	58	1.26
Marc Boudreau	Sudbury Wolves	53	57	1.08
Faceoff Leaders (minimum 240 faceoffs)
Player	Team	GP	FOA	FOW	%
Owen Beck	Mississauga Steelheads	51	1009	606	60.1
Jacob Maillet	Windsor Spitfires	47	541	316	58.4
Stuart Rolofs	Oshawa Generals	43	248	142	57.3
Tucker Robertson	Peterborough Petes	47	1132	642	56.7
Danny Zhilkin	Guelph Storm	44	752	425	56.5
Max Namestnikov	Sarnia Sting	45	418	234	56.0
Braeden Kressler	Flint Firebirds	23	394	218	55.3
Landon McCallum	Sudbury Wolves	47	512	281	54.9
Nolan Burke	Sarnia Sting	45	479	259	54.1
Amadeus Lombardi	Flint Firebirds	49	612	330	53.9
Minumum 60 faceoffs
Shooting Percentage Leaders
Player	Team	GP	Shots	Goals	SH%
Braeden Bowman	Guelph Storm	39	68	19	27.9
Kyle Jackson	North Bay Battalion	31	73	20	27.4
Dean Loukas	Saginaw Spirit	44	56	15	26.8
Nolan Burke	Sarnia Sting	45	103	27	26.2
Thomas Johnston	Ottawa 67’s	39	52	13	25.0
James Jodoin	Windsor Spitfires	28	25	6	24.0
Beau Jelsma	Barrie Colts	45	105	25	23.8
Tucker Robertson	Peterborough Petes	47	120	26	21.7
Avery Hayes	Hamilton Bulldogs	45	141	30	21.3
Hunter Haight	Barrie Colts	41	95	19	20.0
LONGEST POINT STREAK
Player	Team	From	To	GMS	PTS
Nolan Dann	Sarnia Sting	11/5	11/27	11	15
LONGEST GOAL STREAK
Player	Team	From	To	GMS	G
Tucker Robertson	Peterborough Petes	10/28	11/7	5	7
LONGEST ASSIST STREAK
Player	Team	From	To	GMS	A
Stuart Rolofs	Oshawa Generals	2/11	2/24	7	9
Goaltenders Leaders – Goals Against Average
Player	Team	GP	Min	GA	Avg
Brett Brochu	London Knights	39	2306	102	2.65
Max Donoso	Ottawa 67’s	16	889	40	2.70
Dom DiVincentiis	North Bay Battalion	19	996	48	2.89
Patrick Leaver	Oshawa Generals	34	1920	97	3.03
Jacob Oster	Guelph Storm	21	1145	59	3.09
Samuel Ivanov	Soo Greyhounds	26	1432	81	3.39
Pavel Cajan	Kitchener Rangers	29	1690	102	3.62
Nolan Lalonde	Erie Otters	38	2504	157	3.76
Goaltending Leaders – Save Percentage
Player	Team	GP	SH	SVS	SV%
Brett Brochu	London Knights	39	1191	1089	0.914
Patrick Leaver	Oshawa Generals	34	1106	1009	0.912
Max Donoso	Ottawa 67’s	16	437	397	0.908
Pavel Cajan	Kitchener Rangers	29	1011	909	0.899
Dom DiVincentiis	North Bay Battalion	19	465	417	0.897
Jacob Oster	Guelph Storm	21	523	464	0.887
Michael Simpson	Peterborough Petes	29	879	776	0.883
Samuel Ivanov	Soo Greyhounds	26	677	596	0.880

LEAVER AND EVANGELISTA NAMED OHL TOP PERFORMERS OF THE WEEK

Posted on February 7, 2022 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 6, 2022

Knights’ Luke Evangelista Named OHL Player of the Week

Nashville Predators prospect Luke Evangelista of the London Knights is the OHL Player of the Week with six goals, four assists and 10 points in three games with a plus/minus rating of plus-6.

Back in action for the first time since Jan. 23rd, the Knights won three straight over the weekend as Evangelista led the way, scoring in all three outings. He opened the scoring on the power play in Friday’s 5-1 win over the Windsor Spitfires before collecting a career-high five points including a hat trick and two assists in Saturday’s 6-3 defeat of the Kitchener Rangers. The 6-foot, 171Ib. right-winger was back at it on Sunday, hitting the empty net twice while adding two assists in London’s 8-3 road win over the Owen Sound Attack to extend his point streak to seven games. Evangelista surpassed his 2019-20 point total of 61 (23-38–61) recorded over 62 games in his 31st game of the season on Sunday.

A 19-year-old native of Oakville, Ont., Evangelista sits tied for the OHL goal-scoring lead with 32 tallies in just 31 games. He’s fourth in overall points with 64 (32-32–64) and leads OHL players with 2.06 points-per-game. The third-year forward was a second round (42nd overall) pick of the Nashville Predators in the 2020 NHL Draft, and signed a three-year entry level NHL contract in November 2020. Evangelista was London’s first round (14th overall) pick in the 2018 OHL Priority Selection.

Also considered for the award this week, Flint Firebirds forward Amadeus Lombardi registered a goal and five assists for six points in a pair of victories for his club. Edmonton Oilers prospect Matvey Petrov of the North Bay Battalion was also a force, scoring four goals along with two assists for six points as the Troops went 3-0 on home ice.

2021-22 OHL Players of the Week – Regular Season:
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)

Generals’ Patrick Leaver Named OHL Goaltender of the Week

Patrick Leaver of the Oshawa Generals is the OHL Goaltender of the Week, going 2-0-0-0 with a 1.44 goals-against average, .955 save percentage and one shutout.

Leaver claims the honour for the second time this season, helping the Generals put together a perfect weekend by stopping 64 of the 67 shots he faced. He was in the crease on Friday in Mississauga as the Generals edged the first place Steelheads 4-3 in a shootout. Leaver stopped 33 of the 36 shots he faced before turning aside all nine Steelheads shootout attempts to secure the win. He was back at it on Saturday in Barrie, posting his second shutout of the season as the Generals were outshot 31-17 but managed to defeat the Colts 1-0 on a third period goal from Ryan Gagnier.

An 18-year-old from Perth, Ont., Leaver leads all OHL goaltenders with a .935 save percentage since January 1. His overall season totals include a 15-9-1-1 record, 2.95 goals-against average, .916 save percentage and two shutouts in 28 games. The former eighth round (158th overall) pick in the 2019 OHL Priority Selection was the 29th-ranked North American goaltender on NHL Central Scouting’s Midterm Rankings released in January.

Also considered for the award this week, London Knights netminder Brett Brochu played to a 3-0-0-0 record with a 2.33 goals-against average and .936 save percentage as the Knights continue to lead the Western Conference. Luke Cavallin of the Flint Firebirds was 2-0-0-0 with a 1.50 goals-against average and .956 save percentage as the Firebirds remain hot.

2021-22 OHL Goaltenders of the Week – Regular Season:
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)

OHL Writers’ Draft Eligible Player of the Month for January

Posted on February 1, 2022January 31, 2022 by Dominic Tiano

Matthew Maggio of the Windsor Spitfires. Photo by Tim Cornett – OHL Images

Just a reminder that for this season, we are breaking down our Draft Eligible Player of the Month down by position due to the number of draft eligible players this season. In previous seasons we named one player only. So, lets get right to it!

Forward

Up front we’re going with Matthew Maggio of the Windsor Spitfires. Maggio played in 8 games scoring 8 goals and adding 7 assists. He had 3 multi-goal games and 5 multi-point games while being held off the score sheet just once. He was named the game’s first star on 4 occasions and second star twice through the month.

Maggio is a late 2002 birthdate which means he is re-entering the draft in 2022. He has 18 goals and 22 assists in 34 games on the season.

Also considered was Nolan Burke of the Sarnia Sting. Burke also appeared in 8 games in January and also scored 8 goals and added 6 helpers. Like Maggio, Burke is a late 2002 birthdate and is re-entering the draft. He has 22 goals and 19 assists in 33 games on the season.

Defenceman

It’s never an easy choice when it comes to OHL blueliners, but for January we give the nod to Christian Kyrou of the Erie Otters. Kyrou is overshadowed a tad in draft circles by teammate Spencer Sova, but Kyrou is having quite the season with 9 goals and 20 helpers in 34 games.

In the month of January, Kyrou posted 4 goals and 5 assists in 8 games and finished a plus-5. He was kept off the scoresheet twice and had 3 multi-point games.

Also considered was Chas Sharpe of the Mississauga Steelheads. Sharpe posted 9 points in 11 games seemingly coming out of nowhere. He had just 2 assists in the previous 24 games heading into January. Kirill Kudryavtsev of the Soo Greyhounds also got some consideration after putting up a goal and 7 helpers in 11 games.

Goaltender

For the second time this season, Patrick Leaver of the Oshawa Generals is our choice. Leaver appeared in 7 games during the month – one of them in relief – and posted a sparkling .930 save-percentage. Unfortunately for Leaver he posted just a 3-3-0 record in his starts. One of those losses came on January 23, he stopped 48 of 49 shots in a 2-0 loss to the Kingston Frontenacs. That earned him first star honors.

Leaver had faced the Frontenacs 5 days earlier and in the contest the Fronts fired 41 shots at his net. He stopped 39 of those and leading his team to a 4-2 victory. His effort that night earned him second star honors.

On January 15 Leaver went up against Oshawa’s rivals the Peterborough Petes. He stopped 36 of 37, many of them of a difficult variety and backstopped his club to a 4-1 victory. He was named the games second star.

Also considered was Max Donoso of the Ottawa 67’s. Donoso appeared in 4 games and posted a save percentage of .939 and a 3-0-0-1 record. In his first appearance in January, he came in in relief and stopped all 12 shots he faced allowing the 67’s to come back and earn a victory in the shootout.

On the season:

FORWARDS

January – Matthew Maggio – Windsor Spitfires

December – Luca DelBelBelluz – Mississauga Steelheads

November – Kyle Jackson – North Bay Battalion

October – Tucker Robertson – Peterborough Petes

DEFENCEMEN

January – Christian Kyrou – Erie Otters

December – Kirill Kudryavtsev – Soo Greyhounds

November – Gavin While – Hamilton Bulldogs

October – Ty Nelson – North Bay Battalion

GOALTENDERS

January – Patrick Leaver – Oshawa Generals

December – Pavel Cajan – Kitchener Rangers

November – Patrick Leaver – Oshawa Generals

October – Brett Brochu – London Knights

GUZDA AND PIERCEY NAMED OHL TOP PERFORMERS OF THE WEEK

Posted on January 24, 2022 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, January 23, 2022

Firebirds’ Riley Piercey Named OHL Player of the Week

Flint Firebirds forward Riley Piercey is the OHL Player of the Week, scoring four goals while adding three assists for seven points in three victories to go with a plus/minus rating of plus-3.

Piercey scored in all three of his outings, helping the Firebirds climb to within three points of first place in the West Division with wins over Guelph, Saginaw and Kitchener. He scored the overtime winner in Guelph on Tuesday, finding the back of the net with 26 seconds remaining in the extra frame as the ‘Birds defeated the Storm 5-4. Piercey put together a season-high four point effort on Friday at home to Saginaw, scoring twice while adding two assists as the Firebirds secured the I-75 Divide Cup, taking a 6-3 decision to win their season series against the rival Spirit. He finished the week with a goal in Saturday’s commanding 7-1 win over the visiting Kitchener Rangers, extending his current point streak to four games.

A 19-year-old native of Mississauga, Ont., Piercey sits second in Flint scoring with 37 points (15-22–37) over 30 games this season. The 6-foot-3, 212Ib. centreman is in his third OHL season, recording 85 points (35-50–85) over 152 career regular season games between Flint and Barrie. Piercey was originally Barrie’s first round (16th overall) pick in the 2018 OHL Priority Selection.

Piercey joins Brennan Othmann as the second Firebirds player to earn OHL Player of the Week honours this season. Othmann was also considered for the award this week, registering eight points (2-6–8) over three games. Kingston Frontenacs forward Jordan Frasca posted seven points (2-5–7) and a plus-6 rating across four games as the Fronts closed out the weekend on a three-game winning streak.

2021-22 OHL Players of the Week – Regular Season:
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)

Colts’ Mack Guzda Named OHL Goaltender of the Week

Mack Guzda of the Barrie Colts is the OHL Goaltender of the Week, going 2-0-0-0 with a 1.49 goals-against average and .956 save percentage.

Guzda stopped 65 of the 68 shots he faced last week, helping the Colts score home wins over divisional opponents Sudbury and North Bay. He turned aside 31 shots in Tuesday’s 4-1 win over the Wolves, registering over 57 minutes of shutout hockey after Sudbury scored an early goal. Guzda returned to the crease on Saturday against North Bay, backstopping the Colts to a 3-2 overtime win despite being outshot, making 34 saves to earn second star honours in the process. This marks the second time this season Guzda has earned OHL Goaltender of the Week recognition.

A 21-year-old native of Knoxville, Tenn., Guzda is currently tied for the League-lead in save percentage at .922, going 14-6-0-1 with a 2.62 goals-against average in 21 games between Barrie and Owen Sound. Now 9-2-0-0 since joining the Colts in mid-November, Guzda was originally Owen Sound’s second round (31st overall) pick in the 2017 OHL Priority Selection, and has played to career mark of 72-51-10-7.

Also considered for the award this week, Ottawa Senators prospect Leevi Merilainen of the Kingston Frontenacs went 2-1-0-0 with a 1.68 goals-against average, .944 save percentage and his first shutout of the season. Oshawa Generals netminder Patrick Leaver played to a 2-1-0-0 mark, making 120 saves over three games to post a 1.95 goals-against average and .952 save percentage.

2021-22 OHL Goaltenders of the Week – Regular Season:
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)

OHL WRITER’S DRAFT ELIGIBLE PLAYER OF THE MONTH FOR NOVEMBER 2021

Posted on December 3, 2021 by Dominic Tiano

Kyle Jackson of the North Bay Battalion. Photo by Terry Wilson, OHL Images

I can’t tell you how much fun it is to be back in an arena and watching live hockey. There just isn’t anything like it in the sports world.

In prior years, we here have done a draft eligible player of the month. However, just like we did for October, because of the sheer number of players re-entering the draft we have expanded it to include the draft eligible player of the month at forward position, defence and goaltending. So here we go…

FORWARD

It was an easy decision up front and that was Kyle Jackson of the North Bay Battalion. Jackson recorded eleven goals and eleven assists in just eleven games in November and now sits with fourteen goals and twenty-one assists in twenty-two games to lead all draft eligible players in scoring. Jackson was held off the scoresheet just once in November and produced seven multi-point games. He was recognized by the OHL as the top performer of the month.

We did consider Nolan Dann of the Sarnia Sting briefly. Dann played in twelve games and scored ten goals and assisted on six.

DEFENCEMAN

This could have gone any number of ways but we went with Gavin White of the Hamilton Bulldogs. White scored twice while adding eleven assists in ten games in the month of November. The reason we chose White over the others was his consistency through the month. He was only held pointless twice in those ten games and he only had two multi point games in the remaining eight. You can’t get much more consistent than that for a blueliner. White is a draft re-entry.

Also considered were a pair of Saginaw Spirit defencemen. Pavel Mintyukov had two goals and eight helpers in twelve games while Roberto Mancini had three goals and eight assists. Spencer Sova of the Erie Otters was also given consideration with his three goals and eight assists in eleven contests.

GOALTENDER

Patrick Leaver gets the nod here and it’s a token nod since he will not get the playing time, he has gotten through the first two months with the return of Oshawa Generals number one netminder from an injury. It’s not like he is not deserving though. Leaver posted a 4-2-1 record through November and a .902 save-percentage.

Of course, Brett Brochu of the London Knights was also considered. Brochu had a 6-4-1 record and a .904 save-percentage.

FORWARDS

November – Kyle Jackson – North Bay Battalion

October – Tucker Robertson – Peterborough Petes

DEFENCEMEN

November – Gavin While – Hamilton Bulldogs

October – Ty Nelson – North Bay Battalion

GOALTENDERS

November – Patrick Leaver – Oshawa Generals

October – Brett Brochu – London Knights

Patrick Leaver – Oshawa Generals – Player Profile

Posted on November 27, 2021 by Dominic Tiano

HT	WT	DOB	POS	CATCHES	OHL DRAFT	NHLCS	COUNTRY
6’0”	165	Sept 4, 2003	G	Left	158 – 2019	NR	Canada

SEASON	LEAGUE	TEAM	W	L	GAA	SV%
2018-2019	Under-18	Smiths Falls Bears	9	10	2.89	.902
2019-2020	CCHL2	Westport Rideaus	16	6	2.75	.920
2020-2021		DID NOT PLAY

Patrick Leaver of the Oshawa Generals. Photo courtesy of Robert Lefebvre – OHL Images.

Oshawa Generals netminder Patrick Leaver wasn’t listed on NHL Central Scouting’s preseason Players to Watch list not their November list. There really wasn’t much of a body of work to pass judgement on Leaver, especially with the lost season od 2020-2021.

It wasn’t until incumbent and undisputed number one netminder Zachary Paputsakis went down with an injury that still has him out of the lineup after just his third game of the season. Leaver has taken the crease and has appeared in all but one game for the Generals since then.

Leaver has done just enough to at least have a conversation about as we approach the end of November. He currently has a 9-4-2 record while sporting a 2.99 goals-against-average (sixth in the league) and a nice .914 save-percentage (second in the league) while playing the fourth most minutes.

The stats speak for themselves as Leaver enters his second go around in the NHL Entry Draft. But what about Patrick Leaver the goaltender intrigues me?

At 6’0”, Leaver doesn’t possess the typical size of the ‘new era’ goaltender. One area that needs to be improved on is that he plays small in the blue paint. While set for a shot, he is crouched over to far exposing a lot of the top of the cage and for a ‘smaller goaltender’ he will need to learn to play bigger. It’s those high shots he has the most trouble with but it is an area that can be improved with continued coaching.

On the plus side, Leaver is very athletic. His lateral movement from post to post is exceptional. He reads the play extremely well and his puck tracking is also exceptional. Size hinders him a bit in seeing long distance shots but he does an adequate job looking around players to find where the shot is coming from. In tight, he gets low and is able to take away the bottom portion of the net. He has a good glove hand and his rebound control is just okay, but not an area of concern as it’s something that can be improved.

Leaver has done nothing but give the Generals a chance to win almost every night he has taken the net. It will be interesting to see what the Generals decide to do once Paputsakis returns, but Leaver is definitely worth keeping track of as the season progresses.

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