OHL award crystal ball
Aaron Luchuk will be hoisting hardware.
At least, he would be if I was in charge of the Ontario Hockey League year-end awards.
The Barrie Colts forward gets the nod, in this space, as the league’s most outstanding player and top overager.
The 20-year-old has 47 goals and 63 assists through 65 games, and leads the OHL scoring race with three games to go in the season.
His transition from Windsor to Barrie has been seamless and he has helped keep the Colts in contention for an East crown.
The double dip in awards is well deserved. But there are more finalists and winners to name.
Most will point to Sault Ste. Marie’s Drew Bannister for coach of the year, but my choice is Barrie’s Dale Hawerchuk. The Colts finished last in the OHL last season and are now battling for top spot in the East. You don’t see that kind of turnaround often.
The accolades don’t stop there for the Colts. Winger Andrei Svechnikov is my pick for rookie of the year. The Russian leads all freshmen with 37 goals and 66 points. He has been clutch down the stretch — which is rare for rookies — with 45 points since Jan. 4.
Guelph sure doesn’t look like a team that is ready to be a contender next season, but one nice story has been the emergence of forward Cam Hillis. He’s just shy of a point per game in his first go-round in the league and makes my rookie of the year list as a finalist.
Hamilton’s Arthur Kaliyev also gets consideration for rookie of the year, thanks to his amazing 31 goals. If the award was restricted to 16-year-olds (Barrie’s Svechnikov is 17), he might just have it wrapped up. Still, it has been a fine season for the winger.
Kingston goalie Jeremy Helvig is right there in all the big categories — wins, goals-against average and save percentage. He has also played a key part in helping Kingston go from potential seller leading up to the trade deadline to potential East champion. That makes him a finalist for goalie of the year.
6. The race for executive of the year is close, but Kitchener Rangers’ GM Mike McKenzie edges out the Soo’s Kyle Raftis in my books. McKenzie added six players (four NHL prospects) via trade and signed prized rookie Michael Vukojevic, who was committed to the University of Michigan. And when the dust settled, the team only lost one prospect and a kept its draft pick cupboard full.
7. Kitchener goalie Mario Culina went from backup with the Ryerson Rams to the starting gig with the Rangers in three months. He’s top five in goals-against average (2.81) and save percentage (. 916) among OHL keepers with at least 25 starts, and hands down the comeback player of the year.
8. I can hear the homer calls already, but I’m going back to the Rangers well for the best overager discussion. Luchuk wins, but Kitchener’s Kole Sherwood is one of the finalists. He’s a power forward personified and has been a real difference-maker for the Blueshirts.
9. London haters are gonna hate. But
I’m putting Dale Hunter among my finalists for coach of the year. You have to appreciate how the Knights unloaded most of their stars at the trade deadline yet still may finish fourth in the West.
10. We’re not done with London yet. Evan Bouchard is my OHL defenceman of the year. He’s ninth in league scoring, plays a responsible two-way game and is only 18. If he keeps it up, the Knights may lose another stud to the pros earlier than
expected.
11. If not for Bouchard, Mississauga’s Nic Hague would claim best blueliner. He became the first OHL rearguard in 18 years to score 30 goals and is currently at 33 and counting with three games to go. It has been a breakout year for the Kitchener native.
12. When we’re talking comeback player of the year, you have to include Steelheads forward Albert Michnac as a finalist. The Czech forward was tossed aside by the Guelph Storm only to latch on with Missy where he has put up 21 goals and 38 assists. That’s showing them.
13. I still think the price was too much
for Sam Miletic (four high draft picks), but the 20-year-old has delivered for the ‘Dogs since coming over in a deal with London. He’s almost averaged a goal per game in Niagara and is currently fifth in OHL scoring. That makes him an overager of the year finalist.
14. There are more worthy candidates than Stan Butler for coach of the year, but the North Bay skipper deserves to at least be in the conversation. The Battalion are 16-8-2-3 since the calendar flipped, and are off to the playoffs in a season where many thought they’d be battling for the first overall draft pick.
15. While we’re talking Troops, the move north has certainly resurrected Luke Burghardt’s career. He went from 20 points with Guelph last season to 69 this time around in North Bay, making him a finalist for comeback player of the year.
16. If only Owen Sound defenceman Sean Durzi had played a full season. He was crushing it before suffering an ankle injury in mid January. But it’s hard to include a guy that has played half a season, so Sarnia’s Cam Dineen takes his place as a finalist for blueliner of the year.
17. Sarnia’s Jordan Kyrou will get a lot of attention for most outstanding player — and he should. But many expected him to be vying for an OHL scoring title. Luchuk kind of came out of nowhere and that’s why he wins over the Sting star. While we’re at it, add Derian Hatcher in the mix for top coach.
18. It’s a Soo-nami for the Greyhounds in my awards, where GM Kyle Raftis, coach Drew Bannister, rookie Rasmus Sandin, goalie Matthew Villalta and forward Morgan Frost all make the podium, but fall short of the win in the respective categories.
19. It has been another hard year in Nickel City, but rookie Blake Murray gives fans a reason to believe. More than half of his 40 points have been collected in the second half of the season. That doesn’t make him a finalist for rookie of the year, but he’s not far off.
20. Choosing the league’s best goalie is a no-brainer, to me. Windsor’s Michael DiPietro leads the league with seven shutouts and is the main reason the Spits are in the playoffs in a down year. And he’s done it without his entire starting defence from last season. Think about that.