Robertson is named OHL’s most sportsmanlike player
The Peterborough Petes’ Nick Robertson has been named the Ontario Hockey League’s most sportsmanlike player.
The winner of the William Hanley Trophy, presented by Ashley HomeStore, was announced Thursday.
Robertson, a Toronto Maple Leafs prospect, led the OHL with 55 goals in 46 games while adding 31 assists during the pandemic shortened 2019-2020 season.
The five-foot-nine, 164-pound left-winger registered a plus-29 rating along with 40 penalty minutes in his third OHL season and went on a 14-game goal-scoring streak from Jan. 9 to Feb. 8.
“I really appreciate being recognized as the OHL’s most sportsmanlike player of the year,” stated Robertson. “I’d like to thank my general manager Mike Oke, head coach Rob Wilson, the Petes’ staff and my teammates.”
“This is a proud moment for Nick and the Peterborough Petes,” stated Oke. “He is one of the top players in the OHL and plays within the rules. Leading not only the OHL, but the CHL in goals is a special accomplishment. From the moment he joined the Petes, Nick has approached and played the game the right way and is more than deserving of this award.”
Robertson, 18, from Northfield,
Mich., also gave the team’s fans a nod. “I’d also like to thank Petes fans — you all made the PMC an electrifying building, got us excited and motivated to win and, win or loss, you were always there to support us,” he stated.
Robertson was within striking distance of a Petes single-season goal-scoring record of 63, held by Scott Tottle (1983-84).
He ended the season three goals shy of 100 on his OHL career, and his 77 assists gave him 174 points over 162 career regular-season games in a Petes uniform after being the club’s first-round pick (16th overall) in the 2017 OHL Priority Selection.
The William Hanley Trophy is based on a selection by the 20 OHL general managers.
Robertson joins other Petes who have won the award, including Ryan Spooner (2009-10), Mike Ricci (’89-90), Scott Tottle (’8485), Doug Jarvis (’74-75), Mickey Redmond (’66-67) and Andre Lacroix (’65-66).
Robertson will be the OHL’s nominee for Canadian Hockey League Sportsman of the Year, which will be announced in the coming weeks.
Robertson was held without a goal just nine times over the course of the season, scoring a pair of hat tricks while recording two different five-point performances along the way.