Monday, April 30, 2012

Knights’ Olli Maatta OHL Player of Week

Press Release

Toronto, ON – The Ontario Hockey League today announced that rookie defenceman Olli Maatta of the London Knights is the OHL Player of the Week for the playoff week ending April 29 after scoring three goals and two assists for five points in two games.

Maatta helped the Knights win the final two games of the Rogers Western Conference Championship Series over the Kitchener Rangers to capture their fourth Wayne Gretzky Trophy and first Western Conference title since 2006.  In Game 3 of the series on Tuesday night, Maatta scored two goals in the second period just 22 seconds apart including the game-winner as first star of a 5-2 win over the Rangers.  On Wednesday night in Game 4, Maatta opened the scoring with a shorthanded marker and added two assists on the power play for a three-point night as second star of the 4-2 series-clinching win.

Maatta, a 17-year-old native of Finland, recorded five goals and 27 assists for 32 points in 58 games this season with the Knights.  Eligible for the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, Maatta was listed at eighth overall by NHL Central Scouting in their final North American Rankings.  So far in 14 playoff games he has scored five goals and 14 assists for 19 points which ties him for the club lead in scoring and also has him tied for first in playoff scoring among defencemen.

Also considered for the award this week was Freddie Hamilton and David Pacan of the Niagara IceDogs.  In the final three games of the Rogers Eastern Conference Championship Series against the Ottawa 67’s, both Hamilton and Pacan scored two goals and four assists for six points helping the IceDogs capture their first Bobby Orr Trophy as Eastern Conference Champions.  In goal, the IceDogs’ Mark Visentin went 3-0-0-0 with a goals-against-average of 2.00 and save percentage of .934.

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

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