BUCKLES NAMED OJHL TOP PROSPECT

Press Release

The Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL) today announced that Matt Buckles (photo credit - Shawn Muir/OJHL Images) of the St. Michael's Buzzers has been named the OJHL Top Prospect Award recipient as selected by NHL Central Scouting.

The 17-year old, who recently completed his second season in the OJHL, was not only the top scorer on the Buzzers, but also one of the top scorers in the entire league having recorded 71 points in 50 games played during the regular season.  Buckles continued to show a deft scoring touch that earned him accolades throughout the season in the scouting community.

“Matt Buckles plays a power forward game,” stated Director of NHL Central Scouting Dan Marr.  “He's a very effective offensive player when utilizing a size/strength game to the net and is a proven scorer.  Matt has an NHL calibre shot and great finishing ability.”

The 6’2”, 210 lbs. native of Toronto, Ontario joined the Buzzers this season after helping lead the Toronto Lakeshore Patriots to the South-East Conference Championship series as a 16-year old rookie.  After being selected by the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds in the 4th round, 75th overall, of the 2011 OHL Priority Selection, Buckles chose to join the Patriots and would commit to the Cornell University Big Red program beginning in 2013-14.

Buckles was one of the dominant offensive forces in the OJHL this past season, finishing eighth overall in the scoring race and fourth among all scorers with 40 goals, accounting for almost 18% of the club's fifth best 224 goals for.  He accomplished all this while providing a physical presence that included 107 penalty minutes, tied for 17th among all players.  A key member of the Buzzers power play unit that would finish sixth in the OJHL with 20.08% efficiency, Buckles would record 13 power player goals, tied for second best in the league, and 24 power play points, factoring in on almost half of the club's 53 power play goals.

Other highlights of Buckle’s impressive sophomore campaign included being named a member of Team Canada East and competing at the 2012 World Junior 'A' Challenge held in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia.  He was also a member of the OJHL South Division All-Stars for the second consecutive year, competing at the Central Canada Cup All-Star Challenge that was held in Wellington, Ontario, and following the season was named an OJHL 1st Team All-Prospect.  Buckles, who was been in scouts sightlines since last season, was closely followed all year and was ranked 134th among North American skaters in NHL Central Scouting's mid-season rankings for the 2013 NHL Draft.

The OJHL Top Prospect Award is awarded annually to the player selected by NHL Central Scouting as the top-ranked draft eligible prospect for the upcoming NHL Draft.

Troy Josephs of the St. Michael's Buzzers has been named runner-up to Buckles as OJHL Top Prospect.

The 18-year old forward has worked his way up everyone's rankings with a blend of power and talent, finishing the season with 17 goals and 37 points in 42 regular season games played.  Josephs was ranked 166th among North American skaters in NHL Central Scouting's mid-season rankings and is committed to join the Clarkson University Golden Knights.

The OJHL Most Valuable Player Award recipient will be announced later this week.

 (Nathan can be reached at nathanfournier@mainehockeyjournal.com)