Monday, February 24, 2014

OJHL All-Prospects teams

Press Release

The Ontario Junior Hockey League today announced the OJHL First and Second All-Prospect Teams.

1st Team All-Prospect
G – Michael McNiven (Georgetown Raiders)
D – Michael Prapavessis (Toronto Lakeshore Patriots)
D – Jake Walman (Toronto Jr. Canadiens)
F – Jake Evans (St. Michael’s Buzzers)
F – Brett Seney (Kingston Voyageurs)
F – Alex Riche (Milton Icehawks)

2nd Team All-Prospect
G – Ben Blacker (Milton Icehawks)
D – Marcus Crawford (Whitby Fury)
D – TJ Fergus (Milton Icehawks)
F – Jacob Hayhurst (Toronto Lakeshore Patriots)
F – Michael Ederer (Buffalo Jr. Sabres)
F – Matt Alvaro (St. Michael’s Buzzers)

Goaltender – Michael McNiven (Georgetown Raiders)

The 16-year old native of Georgetown, Ontario was assigned to his hometown Raiders early in the season by the Ontario Hockey League’s Owen Sound Attack, after being selected by the club in the 4th round, 66th overall, of the 2013 OHL Priority Selection.  McNiven would post a 21-10-0 record, the league’s sixth best win total, with five shutouts, tied for the most in the OJHL with two-time Gongshow Gear Goaltender-of-the-Month Kevin Entmaa from Aurora.  In 35 games played, the 6’1”, 170 lbs. netminder posted a 2.60 goals against average, sixth best in the league, and a .916 save percentage, which was seventh best.

Defence – Michael Prapavessis (Toronto Lakeshore Patriots)

Not only was Michael Prapavessis one of the league’s top prospects, but he was also one of the league’s best defenceman overall.  The Oakville, Ontario native posted 5 goals, 49 assists and 54 points in 47 games played to finish second on the Patriots in scoring, while only recording a single minor penalty all season.  Prapavessis not only led all OJHL rearguards in assists and points, but his 49 assists tied for second best among all players, including 25 power play assists, also second best in the league.  He was a member of Team Canada East the 2013 World Junior ‘A’ Challenge in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia and the OJHL South-West Conference All-Star Team at the 2013 Central Canada Cup All-Star Challenge held in Terrebonne, Quebec.  Previously drafted by the OHL’s Saginaw Spirit, Prapavessis chose to commit to RPI and was ranked 137th among North American skaters in NHL Central Scouting’s Mid-Term Rankings for the 2014 NHL Draft in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Defence – Jake Walman (Toronto Jr. Canadiens)

One of the biggest surprises in the OJHL this season, Jake Walman steadily progressed up scout’s watch lists, ultimately finding himself the top-ranked OJHL player at #60 among North American skaters in NHL Central Scouting’s Mid-Term Rankings for the 2014 NHL Draft.  The 6’1”, 175 lbs. native of Toronto, Ontario joined the Jr. Canadiens this season and would record 7 goals, 26 assists and 33 points in 43 games played to finish second on the club among blueliners, which ranked him 16th, 13th and 14th respectively among all OJHL defencemen.  The 18-year old joined Prapavessis on the blue line with both Team Canada East at the World Junior ‘A’ Challenge and the South-West Conference All-Stars at the Central Canada Cup All-Star Challenge, and he is committed to join Providence College next season.

Forward – Jake Evans (St. Michael’s Buzzers)

For the second consecutive year, Jake Evans of the St. Michael’s Buzzers has been named 1st Team All-Prospect.  Coming off a championship 2012-13 season, the 6’, 179 lbs. native of Toronto, Ontario improved his offensive output in year two, leading the Buzzers with 47 assists, while finishing second on the club with 63 points in 49 games played.  The playmakers totals tied him for 4th and 19th best in the OJHL overall.  Evans would also be named a member of Team Canada East at the World Junior ‘A’ Challenge for the second consecutive year, while also competing at the Central Canada Cup All-Star Challenge as a member of the South-West Conference All-Star Team.  The 17-year old is committed to the University of Notre Dame for next season and was ranked 104th among North American skaters in NHL Central Scouting’s Mid-Term Rankings for the 2014 NHL Draft.

Forward – Brett Seney (Kingston Voyageurs)

The second year native of London, Ontario finished second on the Vees in scoring, posting 26 goals, 43 assists and 69 points in 49 games played this season.  With his assist and point totals ranking 10th and 9th best in the entire league respectively, Seney would be named the OJHL Gongshow Gear North-East Conference Player-of-the-Month for December after recording 14 points in 8 games played.  Standing at 5’9”, 159 lbs., the 17-year old would be named Team East’s Player of the Game in game one of the CJHL Prospect Game series, helping the East capture the President’s Cup, and was one of the North-East Conference All-Star Team’s best players, recording four points in five games played to lead the team in scoring at the 2013 Central Canada Cup All-Star Challenge.  Drafted by the Oshawa Generals in 2012, Seney is committed to join Merrimack College in 2015.

Forward – Alex Riche (Milton Icehawks)
(pictured bottom right - photo credit: Shawn Muir/OJHL Images)
Another top rookie in the OJHL this season, Alex Riche would surprise many as one of the offensive leaders of the Icehawks attack.  The Oakville, Ontario native finished second on the club with 36 assists and fourth with 56 points, while also notching 20 goals in 52 games played this season.  Also a key member of the club’s power play unit, Riche would factor-in on just under half of the club’s 46 power play goals, recording 15 assists with the man advantage to lead the club, which also ranked top 20 in the OJHL.

2nd Team All-Prospects
Milton Icehawks goaltender Ben Blacker is a native of Oakville, Ontario.  Committed to Western Michigan University for 2015, Blacker finished the season with a 16-13-1 record including a .911 save percentage while competing at the World Junior ‘A’ Challenge for Team Canada East and the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge for Team Ontario.

Whitby Fury defenceman Marcus Crawford is a native of Whitby, Ontario.  He led all Fury blueliners with eight goals on the season, which also tied for the 11th best total among all OJHL defenders, while recording 21 points in 52 games played.

Milton Icehawks defenceman TJ Fergus is a native of Oakville, Ontario.  The rookie finished second among Icehawks rearguards with 14 assists and 17 points in 52 games played.

Toronto Lakeshore Patriots forward Jacob Hayhurst is a native of Mississauga, Ontario.  He recorded 13 goals and 32 points in 48 regular season games played and recently committed to join Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in 2015.

Buffalo Jr. Sabres forward Michael Ederer is a native of Lancaster, New York.  He recorded 30 goals, second on the club and tied for 11th among all OJHL players, and 53 points, fourth on the Jr. Sabres, in 53 games played.  Ederer is committed to St. Lawrence University for the 2015 season.

St. Michael’s Buzzers forward Matt Alvaro is a native of Toronto, Ontario.  Named 2nd Team All-Prospect for the second consecutive season, he recorded 16 goals and 40 points in 51 games played and was member of Team East at the CJHL Prospects Game series.

The Ontario Junior Hockey League’s All-Star Teams will be announced later this week.

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

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