Wednesday, March 17, 2010

OHL Announces the Winners of Four Annual Awards

Press Release

Toronto, ON – The Ontario Hockey League today announced the recipients of four of the league’s annual awards including the Eddie Powers Memorial Trophy for the league’s Top Scorer, the Jim Mahon Memorial Trophy for the Top Scoring Right Winger, the Dave Pinkney Trophy for the Team with the Lowest Goals Against, and the F.W “Dinty” Moore Trophy for the Rookie Goalie with the Best GAA.

The league will continue to announce award winners throughout the 2010 OHL Playoffs which begin this Thursday March 18. The winners of the 2009-10 OHL Coaches Poll will be announced next week, followed by the announcement of individual award winners beginning in April.

Eddie Powers Memorial Trophy (Scoring Champion): Taylor Hall, Windsor Spitfires and Tyler Seguin, Plymouth Whalers

Taylor Hall and Tyler Seguin tied for the OHL-lead in scoring with 106 points each. This marks only the third time in league history where the award has been presented to co-winners and the first time since the 1973-74 season when Jack Valiquette of Sault Ste. Marie and Rick Adduono of St. Catharines each recorded 135 points. Hall scored 40 goals and 66 assists in 57 games with 25 multi-point games which included four five-point games and recorded a point in all but nine games this season for the Spitfires. Seguin scored 48 goals and 58 assists in 63 games for the Whalers and registered 29 multi-point games with five hat-trick performances.

Hall, an 18-year-old from Kingston, ON, and Seguin, an 18-year-old from Brampton, ON, are both eligible for the 2010 NHL Entry Draft.

The Eddie Powers Memorial Trophy was donated by the Toronto Marlboro Athletic Club in memory of Eddie Powers and was first awarded in 1945-46 to Tod Sloan of St. Michael’s who scored 79 points in 25 games. John Tavares of the London Knights captured the award last season scoring 58 goals and 46 assists for 104 points in 56 games. Hall becomes the first Spitfire to win the award since Peter Sarno scored 121 points in 64 games during the 1997-98 season. Seguin is the first member of the Whalers to lead the league in scoring.

Jim Mahon Memorial Trophy (Top Scoring Right Winger): Taylor Beck, Guelph Storm
Taylor Beck of the Guelph Storm scored 39 goals and 54 assists for 93 points in 61 games to finish tied for fourth in league scoring. He finished the season with 26 multi-point games and was named the Boston Pizza OHL and CHL Player of the Week for the week ending January 19 following his best career game with five points as second star of an 8-3 win over the Sudbury Wolves January 17.

Beck, an 18-year-old from Niagara Falls, ON, was selected by the Nashville Predators in the third round of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.

The Jim Mahon Trophy was first presented following the 1971-72 season by the players and management of the Peterborough Petes in memory of their right winger Jim Mahon who was accidentally killed that summer. Last season, Bryan Cameron won the award as a member of the Belleville Bulls with 81 points in 64 games. Beck becomes the first member of the Storm to win this award.

Dave Pinkney Trophy (Lowest Team Goals Against): Chris Carrozzi and JP Anderson, Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors
The Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors allowed a league-low 175 goals against with Chris Carrozzi and JP Anderson between the pipes. Carrozzi had the second lowest goals-against-average in the league with a mark of 2.36 with Anderson ranked fourth at 2.60. Carrozzi carried a record of 19-10-3-2 and tied for a league-high with five shutouts, with Anderson posting a record of 23-10-1-0 with two shutouts. The Majors finished the regular season with 90 points and hold the third seed in the Eastern Conference heading into the playoffs.

Carrozzi, a 20-year-old from Nepean, ON, was selected in the sixth round of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft by the Atlanta Thrashers, while Anderson, a 17-year-old from Toronto, ON, is eligible for the 2010 NHL Entry Draft.

The Dave Pinkney Trophy is awarded annually to the goaltending tandem from the team that allows the fewest goals against during the regular season. Last season, the Windsor Spitfires allowed a league-low 171 goals against with the award presented to Andrew Engelage and Josh Unice. This marks the first time the Majors have captured the award.

F.W. “Dinty” Moore Trophy (Best Rookie GAA): Petr Mrazek, Ottawa 67’s
Petr Mrazek of the Ottawa 67’s posted a goals-against-average of 3.00 to lead all rookie netminders in that category while posting a 12-9-0-1 record with three shutouts and a save percentage of .905. In 30 games played, his goals-against-average ranks 12th overall in the league.

Mrazek, an 18-year-old from Vitkovice, Czech Republic, was selected 30th overall by the 67’s in the 2009 CHL Import Draft and is eligible for the 2010 NHL Entry Draft.

The trophy is named after F.W. “Dinty” Moore of Port Colborne, ON, who served as OHA President from 1942-45. Last season, JP Anderson of the Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors led all rookie goaltenders with a goals-against-average of 2.94 in 26 games. Mrazek is the first 67’s goaltender to win this award since Levente Szuper won the award in 1998-99, one year following Seamus Kotyk in 1997-98.

(Nathan also is a writer for Maineiacs Post to Post and the Maine Hockey Journal. He can be reached at fourniern@students.nescom.edu)

No comments: