Shane Wright

OHL Announces 2021-2022 Academic Player of the Year Winners

Posted on May 17, 2022 by Dominic Tiano

Toronto, Ont. – The Ontario Hockey League today announced the recipients of the League’s three Academic Player of the Year awards for the 2021-22 season.

Owen Beck of the Mississauga Steelheads is the winner of the Bobby Smith Trophy as Scholastic Player of the Year presented by CIBC, Adam Varga of the Ottawa 67’s has earned the Roger Neilson Memorial Award as the Top Post-Secondary School Student for a second straight year, and Owen Sound Attack defenceman Cal Uens has been recognized as the Ivan Tennant Memorial Award recipient as OHL’s Top High School Student.

Beck will serve as the OHL’s nomination for the CHL Scholastic Player of the Year Award.

Bobby Smith Trophy (CIBC Scholastic Player of the Year) – Owen Beck (Mississauga Steelheads:

Draft eligible forward Owen Beck of the Mississauga Steelheads is the 2021-22 recipient of the Bobby Smith Trophy awarded to the OHL’s Scholastic Player of the Year presented by CIBC.

Beck is the latest Steelheads player to earn academic recognition from a program that has produced recent Bobby Smith Trophy winners in Thomas Harley (2019) and Nicolas Hague (2016). The 18-year-old centreman has been busy in the classroom, carrying a heavy course load that includes Advanced Functions (96%), University Chemistry (93%), Kinesiology (94%), Calculus (91%) and University Biology (93%), resulting in an overall average of over 93% in his Grade 12 studies at Philip Pocock Catholic Secondary School. On the ice, Beck came in as the 10th ranked North American skater on NHL Central Scouting’s Final Rankings for the 2022 NHL Draft following a rookie season that yielded 21 goals, 30 assists and 51 points in 68 games for the Steelheads.

“Education has always been important to me throughout my hockey career,” said Beck. “Being able to balance two busy activities has given me life skills and characteristics that I will use for the rest of my life. On top of that, as much as every hockey player wants to make a career out of hockey, not everybody always can for reasons beyond the person’s control. I have worked very hard over the past several years to make sure I have put myself in a position where if hockey unfortunately doesn’t work out I have a solid education and many opportunities available to move forward with another career.”

A native of Port Hope, Ont., Beck emerged as one of the OHL’s premier presences in the faceoff circle, winning 60.6% of his draws. He was voted the Eastern Conference’s top face-off man in the OHL Coaches Poll. Following an impressive season that included being named the OHL’s Rookie of the Month in November, Beck helped the Steelheads reach the second round of the OHL Playoffs, recording six points (1-5–6) in 10 games. He was Mississauga’s second round (29th overall) pick in the 2020 OHL Priority Selection.

“The Mississauga Steelheads would like to congratulate Owen Beck for being named this year’s Bobby Smith Trophy recipient,” said Steelheads Head Coach and General Manager James Richmond. “The entire organization is so proud of Owen for everything we all see every game on the ice but even more so for what he does in the classroom. This is a huge accomplishment! Owen’s commitment and dedication both in the classroom and on the ice is exceptional and he’s a very deserving recipient of this prestigious award.”

Each year the Bobby Smith Trophy is presented to the OHL Scholastic Player of the Year who best combines high standards of play and academic excellence. The trophy is in honour of Bobby Smith, a former Ottawa 67’s star who exhibited a standard of excellence in both of these areas. Past recipients since the award was first presented in 1980 include three-time winner Dustin Brown (Guelph 2001-03), Steven Stamkos (Sarnia 2007), Ryan Ellis (Windsor 2008), Matt Duchene (Brampton 2009), Erik Gudbranson (Kingston 2010), Dougie Hamilton (Niagara 2011), Adam Pelech (Erie 2012), Darnell Nurse (Sault Ste. Marie 2013), back-to-back winner Connor McDavid (Erie 2014, ’15), Sasha Chmelevski (Ottawa 2017), Barrett Hayton (Sault Ste. Marie 2018), Thomas Harley (Mississauga 2019) and Cole Perfetti (Saginaw 2020).

Next in line for the award were a pair of other draft eligibles in forward Matthew Poitras of the Guelph Storm and top-ranked prospect Shane Wright of the Kingston Frontenacs.

Roger Neilson Memorial Award (Top Post-Secondary Student) – Adam Varga (Ottawa 67’s):

For the second straight year, Ottawa 67’s forward Adam Varga is the recipient of the Roger Neilson Memorial Award presented annually to the League’s Top Academic Post-Secondary Student.

Varga managed to exceed his 2020-21 benchmark of a 94% average, achieving a 95.8% mark over seven courses at the University of Maryland, excelling in Human Resources Management (100%), Technology and Culture (98%), Philosophy (98%), Biology (98%), Psychology (95%), Information Systems and Organizations (94%) and Integrated Market Communications (88%).

Varga joins former Mississauga Steelheads teammate Stephen Gibson (2017 & ’18), Windsor Spitfires graduate Derek Lanoue (2010 & ’11) and past 67’s netminder Danny Battochio (2005 & ’06) as the fourth back-to-back winner in League history.

“I am honoured to receive the Roger Neilson Memorial Award for the second time,” said Varga. “At a young age, my family instilled in me the importance of continuing my education. The OHL has allowed me to do just that. I would not be able to achieve this honour without the resources provided to me by the Ottawa 67’s organization. I want to thank the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group, James Boyd, Jan Egert, and Eileen Duffin for the remarkable support they have given me to succeed. Coach Dave Cameron has also had a tremendous influence on me. From day one, he preached the importance of hard work and dedication. Not just on the ice but in everything I do.”

A 20-year-old native of Bel Air, Maryland, Varga recorded four goals, 11 assists and 15 points in 40 games with the 67’s in his overage season. The 6-foot-1, 181Ib. right-winger appeared in 205 career regular season contests between Ottawa and Mississauga, recording 18 goals, 30 assists and 48 points in the process. He was originally Mississauga’s seventh round (121st overall) pick in the 2017 OHL Priority Selection.

“Adam’s strong leadership skills are evident both on the ice and in his approach to academics,” said 67’s General Manager James Boyd. “He has once again proven to be a diligent student athlete with excellent time management skills. What stands out most during his time with the 67’s is Adam’s relentless work ethic and perseverance towards every task that he dedicates his time to. We congratulate Adam and are all excited to follow and support him in the next phase of his career.”

The Roger Neilson Memorial Award is named in honour of the Hall of Fame Coach who served behind the Peterborough Petes bench in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s. Neilson, a former high school teacher, was a pioneer in stressing the importance of education to all of his players. Varga is the third different 67’s player to receive the honour following back-to-back recipient Danny Battochio (2005, 2006) while joining Sasha Chmelevski (2019) as the second American-born player to have his name engraved on the trophy.

Finalists for the Roger Neilson Memorial Award include defencemen Luc Brzustowski of the Soo Greyhounds and Ryan Mast of the Sarnia Sting.

Ivan Tennant Memorial Award (Top Academic High School Student) – Cal Uens (Owen Sound Attack):

Owen Sound Attack defenceman Cal Uens is the 2021-22 recipient of the Ivan Tennant Memorial Award presented annually to the League’s Top Academic High School Student.

Uens achieved a 98.7% average in studies at Owen Sound District Secondary School, excelling in Business Leadership (100%), a pair of English courses (98%, 99%) and Challenge and Change in Society (98%). His impressive work ethic has resulted in him accumulating enough credits to graduate Grade 12 a year early, enabling him to begin taking University courses next season.

“It’s an honour to win the Ivan Tennant Memorial Award,” said Uens. “I would like to thank academic advisor Sarah Rowe and the Attack organization for giving me the best opportunities to be successful both on and off the ice.”

A 17-year-old native of Napanee, Ont., Uens recorded four goals, 14 assists and 18 points over 68 games in his rookie season on the Attack blue line. The 5-foot-8, 152Ib. defender was Owen Sound’s third round (42nd overall) choice in the 2021 OHL Priority Selection. He will be eligible for the NHL Draft in 2023.

“The Attack organization would like to congratulate Cal Uens on being named the recipient of this year‘s Ivan Tennant Memorial Award,” said Attack General Manager Dale DeGray. “Cal has been an incredibly dedicated individual both on and off the ice. Contributing in all 68 games this season and at the same time will finish with enough credits to graduate Grade 12 a year early. This in itself without the added commitment of playing in the OHL would be a tremendous feat. It is great to see that Cal’s drive in the classroom has been rewarded.”

The Ivan Tennant Memorial Award is given to the League’s Top Academic High School Player and is named in honour of Ivan Tennant, who spent a lifetime combining hockey and education. He was the Kitchener Rangers’ Education Consultant for 20 years and a key figure on the OHL’s Education Consultant’s Committee. Uens follows other recent Attack recipients in Logan LeSage (2020) and Mack Guzda (2018 & ’19). Hamilton Bulldogs forward Lawson Sherk claimed the award in 2021.

Finalists for the award included rookies Sam Alfano of the Peterborough Petes and Matthew Poitras of the Guelph Storm.

Complete OHL Awards History

About the Ontario Hockey League
The Ontario Hockey League is a proud member of the Canadian Hockey League which is the world’s largest development hockey league with 60 teams in nine Canadian provinces and four American states. In addition to the OHL, the CHL is made up of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League and the Western Hockey League. The CHL supplies more players to the National Hockey League and U SPORTS than any other league.

OHL Writers Draft 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

OHL’s Draft Eligible Statistical Leaders

Posted on April 20, 2022April 20, 2022 by Dominic Tiano

Shane Wright of the Kingston Frontenacs. Photo by OHL Images.

There were a few times during the 2021-2022 Ontario Hockey League season that had one wondering whether they would complete the season with the COVID-19 pandemic postponing games and keeping fans from the arena. There were some even calling on the league to cancel the season.

But credit to the league, the players, families, billet families and fans: They got through all 68 games but it wasn’t always easy. As the playoffs are set to begin Thursday, here at OHL Writers we’ll take a look at the statistical leaders in different categories of players eligible for the 2022 NHL Entry Draft.

In Previous seasons, we only looked at first time draft eligible players. As has been the case all season, because of the sheer number of players re-entering the draft, largely due to the lost season a year ago, we decided to add first- and second-year eligible players and that includes 2003 and 2004 birth dates. There are a few 2002 birthdates that would be on these lists, but we had to draw the line somewhere. It’s a rare occasion where a player is selected in his third draft and we should see Lucas Edmonds of the Kingston Frontenacs being one of those few, but he didn’t make this list. His 113 points are certainly worth mentioning.

Consensus number one pick Shane Wright of the Frontenacs took a while to appear on the top-10 scorers here but when the season came to an end, he found himself in his rightful place at the top of the board with 94 points in 63 games. Wright also easily led all skaters with 62 helpers. It may come as a surprise to many that draft re-entry Matthew Maggio of the Windsor Spitfires finished second to Wright in points and assists. Maggio also finished third in goals behind two other draft re-entries in Tucker Robertson of the Peterborough Petes and Avery Hayes of the Hamilton Bulldogs.

Perhaps the most surprising stat comes in the shooting percentage category. Five of the top six players in the OHL are all draft eligible, led by Kyle Jackson of the North Bay Battalion. Jackson may just be the most prolific scorer on the list with 30 goals with injuries limiting him to just 45 games on the season.

On the blue line, Ty Nelson of the North Bay Battalion led for most of the regular season. But by the time the season had ended, Pavel Mintyukov of the Saginaw Spirit took his rightful place (in my opinion) at the top of the leader board. However, the surprise came in the name of Christian Kyrou of the Erie Otters who finished with the most goals among defencemen and second in points to Mintyukov. Kyrou should get some love when final rankings are released as he was never on NHL Central Scouting’s players to watch list or their mid-term rankings.

Here are the leaders in a variety of different categories. We take great care in compiling stats, but as always, refer to the OHL Website for official stats.

Points Leaders
Player	Team	GP	G	A	Pts
Shane Wright	Kingston Frontenacs	63	32	62	94
Matthew Maggio	Windsor Spitfires	66	38	47	85
Tucker Robertson	Peterborough Petes	68	41	40	81
Avery Hayes	Hamilton Bulldogs	66	41	38	79
Luca Del Bel Belluz	Mississauga Steelheads	68	30	46	76
David Goyette	Sudbury Wolves	66	33	40	73
Deni Goure	Owen Sound Attack	68	24	39	63
Kyle Jackson	North Bay Battalion	45	30	32	62
Ryan Humphrey	Hamilton Bulldogs	68	25	37	62
Pavel Mintyukov	Saginaw Spirit	67	17	45	62
Goal Scoring Leaders
Player	Team	GP	G	GPG
Tucker Robertson	Peterborough Petes	68	41	0.60
Avery Hayes	Hamilton Bulldogs	66	41	0.62
Matthew Maggio	Windsor Spitfires	66	38	0.58
David Goyette	Sudbury Wolves	66	33	0.50
Shane Wright	Kingston Frontenacs	63	32	0.51
Luca Del Bel Belluz	Mississauga Steelheads	68	30	0.44
Kyle Jackson	North Bay Battalion	45	30	0.67
Cedrick Guindon	Owen Sound Attack	68	30	0.44
Ethan Burroughs	Owen Sound Attack	68	30	0.44
Nolan Dann	Sarnia Sting	64	29	0.45
Assist Leaders
Player	Team	GP	A	APG
Shane Wright	Kingston Frontenacs	63	62	0.98
Matthew Maggio	Windsor Spitfires	66	47	0.71
Gavin White	Hamilton Bulldogs	66	46	0.70
Luca Del Bel Belluz	Mississauga Steelheads	68	46	0.68
Pavel Mintyukov	Saginaw Spirit	67	45	0.67
Ty Nelson	North Bay Battalion	66	42	0.64
Christian Kyrou	Erie Otters	68	42	0.62
Amadeus Lombardi	Flint Firebirds	67	41	0.61
David Goyette	Sudbury Wolves	66	40	0.61
Tucker Robertson	Peterborough Petes	68	40	0.59
Defencemen Point Leaders
Player	Team	GP	G	A	Pts
Pavel Mintyukov	Saginaw Spirit	67	17	45	62
Christian Kyrou	Erie Otters	68	18	42	60
Gavin White	Hamilton Bulldogs	66	10	46	56
Ty Nelson	North Bay Battalion	66	9	42	51
Michael Buchinger	Guelph Storm	63	5	39	44
Kasper Larsen	Mississauga Steelheads	57	8	35	43
Sam Sedley	Owen Sound Attack	64	4	38	42
Kirill Kudryavtsev	Soo Greyhounds	68	5	34	39
Samuel Mayer	Peterborough Petes	68	11	26	37
Rodwin Dionicio	Niagara IceDogs	57	6	25	31
Plus/Minus Leaders
Player	Team	GP	+/-
Gavin White	Hamilton Bulldogs	66	+35
Jorian Donovan	Hamilton Bulldogs	64	+29
Ty Nelson	North Bay Battalion	66	+24
Isaiah George	London Knights	67	+23
Shane Wright	Kingston Frontenacs	63	+23
Luca Del Bel Belluz	Mississauga Steelheads	68	+23
Lawson Sherk	Hamilton Bulldogs	63	+18
Paul Christopoulos	North Bay Battalion	63	+18
Tnias Mathurin	North Bay Battalion	44	+17
Michael Buchinger	Guelph Storm	65	+15
Penalty Minutes Leaders
Player	Team	GP	PIM	M/G
Landon McCallum	Sudbury Wolves	62	97	1.56
Ethan Larmand	Sudbury Wolves	63	82	1.30
Ryan Humphrey	Hamilton Bulldogs	68	82	1.21
Marc Boudreau	Sudbury Wolves	71	81	1.14
Roberto Mancini	Saginaw Spirit	64	79	1.23
Faceoff Leaders
Player	Team	GP	FOA	FOW	%
Owen Beck	Mississauga Steelheads	68	1348	817	60.6
Stuart Rolofs	Oshawa Generals	62	395	225	57.0
Tucker Robertson	Peterborough Petes	68	1538	873	56.8
Danny Zhilkin	Guelph Storm	66	1092	616	56.4
Nolan Burke	Sarnia Sting	64	717	396	55.2
Max Namestnikov	Sarnia Sting	68	473	261	55.2
Jacob Maillet	Windsor Spitfires	69	869	472	54.3
Amadeus Lombardi	Flint Firebirds	67	866	464	53.6
Jax Dubois	Peterborough Petes	59	877	464	52.9
Vsevolod Gaidamak	Ottawa 67’s	60	830	437	52.7
Minumum 390 faceoffs
Shooting Percentage Leaders
Player	Team	GP	Shots	Goals	SH%
Kyle Jackson	North Bay Battalion	45	111	30	27.03
Dean Loukos	Saginaw Spirit	64	86	22	25.58
Thomas Johnston	Ottawa 67’s	47	61	15	24.59
Braeden Bowman	Guelph Storm	60	113	27	23.89
Nolan Burke	Sarnia Sting	65	144	34	23.61
Tucker Robertson	Peterborough Petes	68	187	41	21.93
Beau Jelsma	Barrie Colts	68	132	27	20.45
Avery Hayes	Hamilton Bulldogs	66	202	41	20.30
Ryan Humphrey	Hamilton Bulldogs	68	134	25	18.66
David Goyette	Sudbury Wolves	66	178	33	18.54
Powerplay Goals
Player	Team	GP	PPG
Avery Hayes	Hamilton Bulldogs	66	12
Luca Del Bel Belluz	Mississauga Steelheads	68	12
Matthew Maggio	Windsor Spitfires	66	10
Deni Goure	Owen Sound Attack	68	10
Kyle Jackson	North Bay Battalion	45	10
Powerplay Assists
Player	Team	GP	PPA
Shane Wright	Kingston Frontenacs	63	20
Ty Nelson	North Bay Battalion	66	20
Tucker Robertson	Peterborough Petes	68	19
Michael Buchinger	Guelph Storm	63	17
Deni Goure	Owen Sound Attack	68	17
Christian Kyrou	Erie Otters	68	17
Longest Point Streak
Player	Team	Gms	G	A	PTS
David Goyette	Sudbury Wolves	13	9	12	21
Longest Goal Streak
Player	Team	GMS	G
Tucker Robertson	Peterborough Petes	5	7
Longest Assist Streak
Player	Team	GMS	A
Ryan Abraham	Windsor Spitfires	8	8
Goaltenders Leaders – Goals Against Average
Player	Team	GP	Min	GA	Avg
Dom DiVincentiis	North Bay Battalion	27	1481	64	2.59
Brett Brochu	London Knights	43	2510	115	2.75
Max Donoso	Ottawa 67’s	27	1491	70	2.82
Jacob Oster	Guelph Storm	34	1845	90	2.93
Patrick Leaver	Oshawa Generals	49	2812	150	3.20
Charlie Schenkel	Soo Greyhounds	7	274	16	3.50
Samuel Ivanov	Soo Greyhounds	35	1847	108	3.51
Michael Simpson	Peterborough Petes	45	2492	148	3.56
Pavel Cajan	Kitchener Rangers	44	2578	155	3.61
Nolan Lalande	Erie Otters	54	3066	185	3.62
Goaltending Leaders – Save Percentage
Player	Team	GP	SH	SVS	SV%
Brett Brochu	London Knights	43	1288	1173	0.911
Patrick Leaver	Oshawa Generals	49	1623	1473	0.908
Dom DiVincentiis	North Bay Battalion	27	686	622	0.907
Max Donoso	Ottawa 67’s	27	743	673	0.906
Pavel Cajan	Kitchener Rangers	44	1561	1406	0.901
Jacob Oster	Guelph Storm	34	831	741	0.892
Michael Simpson	Peterborough Petes	45	1356	1208	0.891
Ian Michelone	Flint Firebirds	10	327	289	0.884
Josh Rosenzweig	Niagara IceDogs	40	1444	1274	0.882

OHL Writers Draft Eligible Player of the Month for March

Posted on April 1, 2022 by Dominic Tiano

Each month, OHL Writers has a Draft Eligible Player of the Month. This season, due to the number of players eligible for the draft mostly because of the lost season a year ago thanks to the COVID-19 Pandemic, we changed it up a little and give you our choice for draft eligible player of the month for a forward, a defenceman and a goaltender.

FORWARD

For the second month (also in January) Matthew Maggio is our choice here after a blazing month of March. Maggio, a draft re-entry in 2022 had an astounding 13 goals and 12 assists in just 15 games in March. The next best? Shane Wright of the Kingston Frontenacs had 7 goals and 13 assists in 13 games.

Maggio now has 37 goals and 40 assists for 77 points in 59 games. Is it enough for the 6-foot 181 pound right wing to hear his name called at the NHL Entry Draft?

Michael Maggio of the Windsor Spitfires. Photo by OHL Images

DEFENCEMAN

At this point, it’s probably safe to say that Saginaw Spirit Defenceman Pavel Mintyukov will be the second player from the OHL to hear his name called at the NHL Entry Draft behind Wright, at least to these eyes. It’s hard to imagine where the Saginaw Spirit, who sit in last place in the entire league, would be without him in their lineup.

Mintyukov played in 13 games in the month of March and tallied 5 goals and 10 assists. He has 15 goals and 38 assists through 60 games and is second on his squad in scoring, just 4 points off the leader Josh Bloom.

Not too many defenders can dissect and control the offensive zone like the native of Moscow Russia does for the Spirit. And today, he was also recognized by the league as the top defender for the month of March.

Also considered was Danish defenceman from the Mississauga Steelheads Kasper Larsen, who had 2 goals and 11 helpers in 12 games. He has 7 goals and 32 assists in 52 games on the season. The 6’5” 229 pound left shot defenceman is re-entering the draft and is not currently ranked by NHL Central Scouting.

GOALTENDER

It wasn’t a banner month for draft eligible goaltenders in March. But we had to pick one and the nod goes to Dom DiVincentiis of the North Bay Battalion. He appeared in just 5 games in March and winning all 5 games while posting a 2.00 goals-against-average and .925 save-percentage. The fourteenth ranked goalie on NHL Central Scouting’s mid term rankings (North America) has a 12-8-0 record along with a 2.68 goals-against-average and .903 save-percentage.

Strong consideration was being given to Michael Simpson of the Peterborough Petes who was having a fantastic month of his own until two games against the high-flying Hamilton Bulldogs and Kingston Frontenacs sent his numbers for a dive. The blame doesn’t fall on him in those games and shouldn’t take away from an otherwise good month.

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

CHENARD AND EDMONDS NAMEDOHL TOP PERFORMERS OF THE WEEK

Posted on March 15, 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, March 13, 2022.

Frontenacs’ Lucas Edmonds Named OHL Player of the Week

Kingston Frontenacs forward Lucas Edmonds is the OHL Player of the Week, recording three goals, six assists and nine points in three victories.

Edmonds put together three consecutive three-point performances as Kingston defeated Peterborough, Oshawa and Niagara. He scored and tacked on two assists on Thursday as the Fronts bested the Petes 5-4 in Peterborough. Edmonds added three primary assists in Friday’s 7-2 win over visiting Oshawa before scoring his 29th and 30th goals of the season on Sunday, adding an assist as the Frontenacs clinched a playoff spot with a 5-2 win over Niagara. He earns Player of the Week honours for the second time this season.

A 21-year-old native of North Bay, Ont., Edmonds sits second in OHL scoring with 95 points including 30 goals and 65 assists along with a plus/minus rating of plus-26. His 223 shots on goal are the fourth-most in the League while his 35 power play points lead all players. The first-year winger was originally Kingston’s seventh round (131st overall) pick in the 2017 OHL Priority Selection before spending the past four seasons playing between the junior and professional ranks in Sweden. Edmonds was the 107th-ranked North American skater on NHL Central Scouting’s Midterm Rankings for the 2022 NHL Draft.

Also considered for the award this week, Frontenacs teammate Shane Wright had eight points (3-5–8) in Kingston’s three victories while San Jose Sharks prospect Ethan Cardwell of the Barrie Colts returned to the lineup with seven points (2-5–7) as his team won two of three last week.

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

Attack’s Nick Chenard Named OHL Goaltender of the Week

Nick Chenard of the Owen Sound Attack is the OHL Goaltender of the Week after going 2-0-1-0 with a 1.99 goals-against average and .944 save percentage.

Chenard, who was a runner-up for last week’s distinction, made 101 saves for the Attack in three games, helping them extend their run of consecutive games undefeated in regulation to nine. He turned aside 41 shots on Monday night, backstopping the Bears past the visiting Guelph Storm 5-3 for his sixth consecutive win. Chenard returned to the crease in front of a hometown crowd in Windsor on Thursday, making 30 saves as the Attack fell to the Spitfires 2-1 in overtime. He closed out the weekend stopping 30 of 31 in Saginaw on Saturday as Owen Sound skated to a 5-1 win.

A 19-year-old native of Tecumseh, Ont., Chenard owns a record of 19-12-3-1 this season with a 3.03 goals-against average, .902 save percentage and two shutouts. Now in his second season with the Attack after being a sixth round (108th overall) pick of the club in 2018, he owns a career record of 25-16-3-2 with a 2.99 goals-against average and .909 save percentage in 50 career regular season games.

Also considered for the award this week, reigning award recipient Marco Costantini of the Hamilton Bulldogs went 2-0-0-0, stopping 52 of 55 as the Dogs took road wins over Barrie and Mississauga. Flint Firebirds goaltender Luke Cavallin was also solid, going 2-0-0-0 with a 2.02 goals-against average and .956 save percentage in wins over London and Guelph.

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

OHL’s Draft Eligible Statistical Leaders as of January 31

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

Shane Wright of the Kingston Frontenacs. Photo by Robert Lefebvre/OHL Images

It’s February and that means it is time for us to look at the Ontario Hockey League players eligible for the 2022 National Hockey League Entry Draft and see who is leading the way statistically. Because of the missed 2020-2021 OHL season, we are including first and second time draft eligible players just because of the volume of players eligible.

If you’ve been following along since the start of the season, the one name that has been missing from this list is potential first overall pick Shane Wright of the Kingston Frontenacs. And if you’ve been waiting for him to appear, your wait is finally over.

Wright is now third in points behind Luca Del Bel Belluz of the Mississauga Steelheads and Tucker Robertson of the Peterborough Petes. But he has played considerably fewer games as well. He sits second in assists behind Del Bel Belluz and ninth in goals. Robertson has led in the goal department for almost the entire season.

Ty Nelson of the North Bay Battalion continues to lead defencemen in scoring but watch out for Christian Kyrou of the Erie Otters who closed the gap and sit within one point of the leader and in six fewer games.

Here are the leaders in several different statistical categories. While we take great care in compiling stats, always refer to the OHL website for official stats.

Points Leaders
Player	Team	GP	G	A	Pts
Luca Del Bel Belluz	Mississauga Steelheads	39	20	31	51
Tucker Robertson	Peterborough Petes	37	23	25	48
Shane Wright	Kingston Frontenacs	31	15	28	43
Nolan Burke	Sarnia Sting	33	22	19	41
Matthew Maggio	Windsor Spitfires	34	18	22	40
Avery Hayes	Hamilton Bulldogs	35	22	16	38
Deni Goure	Owen Sound Attack	35	17	20	37
Kyle Jackson	North Bay Battalion	23	15	22	37
Owen Beck	Mississauga Steelheads	39	15	20	35
David Goyette	Sudbury Wolves	38	14	20	34
Goal Scoring Leaders
Player	Team	GP	G	GPG
Tucker Robertson	Peterborough Petes	37	23	0.62
Nolan Burke	Sarnia Sting	33	22	0.67
Avery Hayes	Hamilton Bulldogs	35	22	0.63
Luca Del Bel Belluz	Mississauga Steelheads	39	20	0.51
Matthew Maggio	Windsor Spitfires	34	18	0.53
Deni Goure	Owen Sound Attack	35	17	0.49
Nolan Dann	Sarnia Sting	31	16	0.52
Ethan Burroughs	Owen Sound Attack	35	16	0.46
Shane Wright	Kingston Frontenacs	31	15	0.48
Owen Beck	Mississauga Steelheads	39	15	0.38
Assist Leaders
Player	Team	GP	A	APG
Luca Del Bel Belluz	Mississauga Steelheads	39	31	0.79
Shane Wright	Kingston Frontenacs	31	28	0.90
Tucker Robertson	Peterborough Petes	37	25	0.68
Ty Nelson	North Bay Battalion	40	24	0.60
Kirill Kudryavtsev	Soo Greyhounds	39	23	0.59
Kyle Jackson	North Bay Battalion	23	22	0.96
Gavin White	Hamilton Bulldogs	33	22	0.67
Matthew Maggio	Windsor Spitfires	34	22	0.65
Ryan Humphrey	Hamilton Bulldogs	35	22	0.63
Pavel Mintyukov	Saginaw Spirit	37	21	0.57
Defencemen Point Leaders
Player	Team	GP	G	A	Pts
Ty Nelson	North Bay Battalion	40	6	24	30
Christian Kyrou	Erie Otters	34	9	20	29
Pavel Mintyukov	Saginaw Spirit	37	8	21	29
Gavin White	Hamilton Bulldogs	33	4	22	26
Kirill Kudryavtsev	Soo Greyhounds	39	3	23	26
Samuel Mayer	Peterborough Petes	37	8	15	23
Michael Buchinger	Guelph Storm	34	2	18	20
Roberto Mancini	Saginaw Spirit	35	8	11	19
Kasper Larsen	Mississauga Steelheads	28	2	15	17
Rodwin Dionicio	Niagara IceDogs	33	2	15	17
Plus/Minus Leaders
Player	Team	GP	+/-
Luca Del Bel Belluz	Mississauga Steelheads	39	+31
Ryan Humphrey	Hamilton Bulldogs	35	+22
Isaiah George	London Knights	32	+20
Avery Hayes	Hamilton Bulldogs	35	+19
Nolan Burke	Sarnia Sting	33	+17
Matthew Maggio	Windsor Spitfires	34	+15
Dylan Gordon	Mississauga Steelheads	19	+14
Michael Buchinger	Guelph Storm	34	+13
Ethan MacKinnon	London Knights	20	+12
Kyle Jackson	North Bay Battalion	23	+12
Faceoff Leaders
Player	Team	GP	FOA	FOW	%
Owen Beck	Mississauga Steelheads	39	803	486	60.5
Tucker Robertson	Peterborough Petes	37	916	524	57.2
Landon McCallum	Sudbury Wolves	36	419	233	55.6
Jacob Maillet	Windsor Spitfires	36	354	197	55.6
Danny Zhilkin	Guelph Storm	32	561	310	55.3
Braeden Kressler	Flint Firebirds	23	394	218	55.3
Max Namestnikov	Sarnia Sting	33	380	209	55.0
Cedrick Guindon	Owen Sound Attack	35	418	227	54.3
Nolan Burke	Sarnia Sting	33	338	182	53.8
Amadeus Lombardi	Flint Firebirds	37	424	226	53.3
Minimum 325 faceoffs
Shooting Percentage Leaders
Player	Team	GP	Shots	Goals	SH%
Braeden Bowman	Guelph Storm	26	51	14	27.5
Nolan Burke	Sarnia Sting	33	82	22	26.8
Beau Jelsma	Barrie Colts	34	59	15	25.4
Dean Loukus	Saginaw Spirit	35	40	10	25.0
Tucker Robertson	Peterborough Petes	37	96	23	24.0
Gavin Bryant	Owen Sound Attack	30	33	7	21.2
Avery Hayes	Hamilton Bulldogs	35	106	22	20.8
Cooper Matthews	Barrie Colts	34	29	6	20.7
Nolan Dann	Sarnia Sting	31	79	16	20.3
Hunter Haight	Barrie Colts	30	61	12	19.7

Goaltenders Leaders – Goals Against Average
Player	Team	GP	Min	GA	Avg
Brett Brochu	London Knights	27	1604	66	2.47
Dom DiVincentiis	North Bay Battalion	14	751	37	2.96
Patrick Leaver	Oshawa Generals	26	1464	75	3.07
Jacob Oster	Guelph Storm	17	899	48	3.20
Pavel Cajan	Kitchener Rangers	21	1248	70	3.37
Goaltending Leaders – Save Percentage
Player	Team	GP	SH	SVS	SV%
Max Donoso	Ottawa 67’s	8	194	179	0.923
Brett Brochu	London Knights	27	829	763	0.920
Patrick Leaver	Oshawa Generals	26	857	782	0.912
Pavel Cajan	Kitchener Rangers	21	717	647	0.902
Dom DiVincentiis	North Bay Battalion	14	365	328	0.899

OHL WRITERS’ DRAFT ELGIBLE PLAYERS OF THE MONTH: DECEMBER 2021

Posted on January 2, 2022 by Dominic Tiano

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

FORWARDS

December – Luca DelBelBelluz – Mississauga Steelheads

November – Kyle Jackson – North Bay Battalion

October – Tucker Robertson – Peterborough Petes

DEFENCEMEN

December – Kirill Kudryavtsev – Soo Greyhounds

November – Gavin While – Hamilton Bulldogs

October – Ty Nelson – North Bay Battalion

GOALTENDERS

December – Pavel Cajan – Kitchener Rangers

November – Patrick Leaver – Oshawa Generals

October – Brett Brochu – London Knights

JOHNSTON AND MERILAINEN NAMED OHL TOP PERFORMERS OF THE WEEK

Posted on December 6, 2021 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, December 5, 2021

Spitfires’ Wyatt Johnston Named OHL Player of the Week

Dallas Stars prospect Wyatt Johnston of the Windsor Spitfires is the OHL Player of the Week with nine points including two goals and seven assists in two games along with a plus/minus rating of plus-5.

Johnston extended his point streak to 14 games, helping the Spitfires collect three of a possible four points last week. He recorded three primary assists and went 14-for-17 in the faceoff circle in Thursday’s 5-4 overtime loss to the Erie Otters. He followed-up with a career-high six points, scoring twice while adding four assists in a 7-5 road win over the Sarnia Sting on Friday. The six points are the most in a single game by a Spitfires player since Josh Ho-Sang put up a similar stat line on Feb. 9, 2014 against North Bay.

An 18-year-old from Toronto, Ont., Johnston leads the Spitfires with 36 points (13-23–36) over 21 games, with a current 14-game point streak dating back to Oct. 28th. The 6-foot-2, 181Ib. centre’s 1.71 points-per-game mark the fourth-highest pace in the OHL. Johnston was selected by the Dallas Stars with the 23rd overall pick of the 2021 NHL Draft. He was originally Windsor’s first round (6th overall) pick in the 2019 OHL Priority Selection from the Toronto Marlboros U16 program.

Johnston becomes the first Spitfires player to earn Player of the Week honours since Aaron Luchuk last did so in October 2017.

Other players considered for the award this week include San Jose Sharks prospect Brandon Coe of the North Bay Battalion who put up seven points (3-4–7) over two victories. Coe leads the League with 46 points (14-32–46) over 24 games. Top 2022 NHL Draft prospect Shane Wright of the Kingston Frontenacs was also a candidate, recording eight points (2-6–8) over three victories.

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

Frontenacs’ Leevi Merilainen Named OHL Goaltender of the Week

Ottawa Senators prospect Leevi Merilainen of the Kingston Frontenacs has been named the OHL Goaltender of the Week after he went 2-0 with a 0.50 goals-against average, a .980 save percentage and one shutout.

Merilainen stopped 48 of the 49 shots that came his way as Kingston defeated Oshawa and Ottawa on home ice to exit the weekend as the first place team in the East Division. The 6-foot-2, 160Ib. Finnish netminder stopped all 28 shots he faced on Friday for his first career OHL shutout as the Frontenacs blanked the Generals 5-0. Merilainen was solid again on Sunday, making 20 saves in a 5-1 win over the Ottawa 67’s.

A 19-year-old from Oulu, Finland, Merilainen sits tied for second in OHL wins with 12 on the season, playing to an overall record of 12-4-3-0 with a 3.10 goals-against average and .897 save percentage. He leads all netminders, stopping all 13 shootout opponents he has faced this season to help the Frontenacs win three shootouts. The first-year goaltender was a third round (71st overall) pick of the Ottawa Senators in the 2020 NHL Draft, and signed an entry-level contract with the franchise on June 14, 2021. Merilainen was Kingston’s first round (48th overall) pick in the 2021 CHL Import Draft.

Also considered for the award this week, Flint Firebirds goaltender Ian Michelone went 2-1 across three consecutive starts, making 100 saves while posting his first career OHL shutout on Thursday. Samuel Ivanov of the Soo Greyhounds won a pair of outings, posting a 2.00 goals-against average as the Greyhounds maintained top spot in the West Division.

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

BASRAN AND WRIGHT NAMED OHL TOP PERFORMERS OF THE WEEK

Posted on November 8, 2021 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, November 7, 2021

Frontenacs’ Shane Wright Named OHL Player of the Week

Top 2022 NHL Draft prospect Shane Wright of the Kingston Frontenacs is the OHL Player of the Week, leading the League with eight points including three goals and five assists over three contests.

Wright put up three multi-point showings on home ice, beginning with a goal and an assist in a 3-2 overtime loss to the Mississauga Steelheads on Wednesday. The Frontenacs came up short again on Friday, but Wright scored his fifth and sixth goals of the season while going 20-for-32 in the faceoff circle as the North Bay Battalion took a 5-4 decision. Wright’s Frontenacs battled back into the win column on Sunday as he recorded a career-high four assists in a 6-5 overtime win against the Peterborough Petes. Wright gathered an assist on Lucas Edmonds’ OT winner, extending his current point streak to five games.

A 17-year-old native of Burlington, Ont., Wright sits third in Frontenacs scoring with 16 points (6-10–16) through 11 games. Named both OHL and CHL Rookie of the Year as an exceptional status talent in 2019-20, Wright helped guide Canada to IIHF World Under-18 Hockey Championship gold this past May in Frisco, Texas. He was selected by the Frontenacs with the first overall pick of the 2019 OHL Priority Selection after leading the Don Mills Flyers to an OHL Cup championship.

Wright becomes the first Frontenacs player to win the weekly honour since Brett Neumann last did so in December 2018.

Also considered for the award this week, Guelph Storm forward and reigning Player of the Month Sasha Pastujov helped his club play to a 2-1-0-0 mark, climbing to the top of OHL scoring with seven points (2-5–7) over three games. Soo Greyhounds forward Rory Kerins also recorded seven points (2-5–7) as the Hounds went 2-1-0-0 on the week.

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

Steelheads’ Roman Basran Named OHL Goaltender of the Week

Roman Basran of the Mississauga Steelheads is the OHL Goaltender of the Week with three wins, a 0.97 goals-against average, .952 save percentage and his first career OHL shutout.

Basran backstopped the Steelheads to a perfect 3-0 week on the ice, first turning aside 18 shots in a 3-2 overtime road win over the Kingston Frontenacs on Wednesday. He provided a clean sheet on Friday, making 20 saves for his first OHL shutout as the Trout beat the Hamilton Bulldogs 3-0 on home ice. Basran wrapped up the weekend on Sunday, making 21 saves in a 4-1 victory over the visiting Niagara IceDogs.

A 20-year-old product of Vancouver, BC, Basran was acquired by the Steelheads via OHL entry waivers on October 4. He played four seasons with the WHL’s Kelowna Rockets, going 52-41-7-4 with a 2.90 goals-against average, .905 save percentage and five shutouts after originally being selected in the third round of the 2016 WHL Bantam Draft. The 6-foot-2, 192Ib. netminder represented Canada Black at the 2017 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge in Dawson Creek and Fort St. John, BC. Basran owns the League’s second-lowest goals-against average of 2.37, going 5-3-0-0 with an .894 save percentage with the Steelheads so far this season.

Other goaltenders considered for the award this week include Xavier Medina of the Windsor Spitfires who went 2-0 with a 1.99 goals-against average and .933 save percentage. London Knights goaltender Brett Brochu also played well, going 1-1 with a 1.98 goals-against average and .909 save percentage.

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

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