Saturday, April 10, 2010

Bryan Cameron named OHL Overage Player of the Year

Press Release

Toronto, ON – The Ontario Hockey League today announced that Barrie Colts forward Bryan Cameron is the recipient of the Leo Lalonde Memorial Trophy as the OHL’s Overage Player of the Year for the 2009-10 season.

Cameron led the OHL with 53 goals in 62 games and added 25 assists for 78 points to help the Colts capture their first Hamilton Spectator Trophy for first place overall in the regular season. He registered a plus-minus rating of plus-38 which was 10th best in the league. He was one of only two players to score 50 goals this season and recorded three hat-tricks and 23 multi-point games. He was also among the league-leaders in power play goals with 18 and game-winning goals with seven. His 53 goals set a new Colts record for goals in a season surpassing Sheldon Keefe who scored 48 goals in the 1999-2000 season where he captured the league’s scoring title with 121 points. Cameron becomes the first member of the Colts to win this award since it was first introduced following the 1983-84 season.

"It’s a great honour for me” said Cameron. “We had great overage players here in Barrie including another great one on my line so I feel pretty lucky to win this award. Luke (Pither) and I both had really good years and there are a lot of quality overage players around the league so it feels really nice to win this award and I am definitely grateful."

A 21-year-old from Brampton, ON, Cameron began his OHL career with the Belleville Bulls where he spent four seasons. He was selected with the eighth overall pick in the 2005 OHL Priority Selection in a season where he captured an OHL Cup Championship title with the Toronto Marlboros. He played in 318 career OHL games over five seasons producing 324 points including 184 goals and 140 assists. His 81 points last season marked his best offensive year and earned him the Jim Mahon Memorial Trophy as the Top Scoring Right Winger and a spot on the OHL’s First All-Star Team. He was selected in the third round, 82nd overall by the Los Angeles Kings in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft.

The Leo Lalonde Memorial Trophy is awarded annually to the top overage player of the year as selected by all 20 OHL General Managers. Teams were not permitted to vote for players from their own hockey club. Players received five points for a first place vote, three points for a second place vote and one point for a third place vote.

Cameron received 59 points in the voting process just narrowly edging defenceman Jacob Muzzin of the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds who received 58 points. Zack Torquato of the Erie Otters finished third with 35 points.

Former winners of the trophy include Iain Fraser (Oshawa, 1989-90), Bill Bowler (Windsor, 1994-95), Dan Tessier (Ottawa 99-00), and Ryan Callahan (Guelph, 2005-06). Justin DiBenedetto of the Sarnia Sting won the award last season after finishing third in league scoring with 93 points in 62 games.

The Leo Lalonde Memorial Trophy was donated by the trainers of the Ontario Hockey League, in memory of the late Leo Lalonde, former Chief Scout of OHL Central Scouting. Leo Lalonde was also formerly the Chief Scout for the Belleville Bulls as well as a scout for the Peterborough Petes.

Cameron will be presented with the Leo Lalonde Memorial Trophy at the 2009-10 OHL Awards Ceremony scheduled for June 9 at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto.

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

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