Saturday, March 26, 2011

Minor Hockey Player of the Year Awards Presented at OHL Cup

Press Release

Toronto, ON – The Ontario Hockey League today announced the six recipients of Minor Hockey Player of the Year Awards representing the four Ontario Hockey Federation Member Partners including the ALLIANCE, GTHL, NOHA, and OMHA, along with Hockey Northwestern Ontario and the Ottawa District Minor Hockey Association.

The winners include Bo Horvat of the Elgin Middlesex Chiefs named ALLIANCE Player of the Year, Nicolas Ritchie of the Toronto Marlboros was named GTHL Player of the Year, Nolan Nicholas of the Thunder Bay Kings is the HNO Player of the Year, Ryan Kujawinski of the Sudbury Minor Midget Wolves is the NOHA Player of the Year, Nicholas Baptiste of the Ottawa Senators is the ODMHA Player of the Year, and the OMHA Player of the Year is Alex Yuill of the Quinte Red Devils.

The awards were presented at the OHL Showcase Tournament Banquet and marks the first Awards Presentation of its kind that recognizes the achievements of the top minor midget aged players from across Ontario. The Player of the Year Award will be presented annually to the minor midget player who best exemplifies outstanding ability and the qualities of sportsmanship and leadership as voted by the minor hockey coaches, managers and organizations of each respective league.

“The most important part of our game is the players, and it is important to recognize the achievements of these great players,” said OHL Commissioner David Branch. “Congratulations to each of the six award winners and to their families on a tremendous season.”

Horvat, a 5’09 centre, led all winners in points with 118 scoring 47 goals and 71 assists in 68 games to lead the Chiefs to a championship season in the ALLIANCE and a berth in the 2011 OHL Cup. Horvat was also a member of Team Ontario at the Canada Winter Games in February.

Ritchie, a 6’02 forward, scored 45 goals and 41 assists for 86 points in 61 games to lead the Marlies to a GTHL Championship title as the top ranked team entering the 2011 OHL Cup. Ritchie also competed with Team Ontario at the Canada Winter Games.

Nicholas, a 5’10 defenceman, had 12 goals and 25 assists for 37 points in 57 games for the Kings who are representing HNO in the 2011 OHL Cup.

Kujawinski, a 6’00 centre, picked up 56 points in 24 games for the Wolves scoring 24 goals and 35 assists and played for Team Ontario at the Canada Winter Games.

Baptiste, a 6’00 forward, finished the season with 39 goals and 48 assists for 87 points in 42 games for the Senators. He was a member of Team Ontario at the Canada Winter Games.

Yuill, a 5’08 defenceman, was recognized for his strong defensive play recording 24 points in 54 games for Quinte, and also competed with Team Ontario at the Canada Winter Games.

All six players are 1995-born and are eligible for the 2011 OHL Priority Selection which takes place on Saturday May 7.

Round-robin play at the 2011 OHL Cup Showcase Tournament hosted by the GTHL wraps up on Friday evening with the Quarter-Finals and Semi-Finals scheduled for Saturday at the Hershey Centre in Mississauga. The Championship Final takes place on Sunday March 27 at 2:00 pm at Herb Carnegie Arena and will be broadcast live on Rogers Sportsnet Ontario.

(Nathan can be reached at fourniern@students.nescom.edu)

No comments: