OHL continues to hand out the hardware

NEWS RELEASES

ONTARIO HOCKEY LEAGUE

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Staal Wins Max Kaminsky Trophy as OHL's Top Defenceman of the Year

The Ontario Hockey League today announced that Sudbury Wolves Defenceman Marc Staal is the recipient of the Max Kaminsky Trophy as the OHL's Most Outstanding Defenceman for the 2006-07 season.

Staal finished the regular season with five goals and 29 assists for 34 points in 53 games. Staal represented the Eastern Conference All-Stars at this year’s All-Star Classic, in (Saginaw).

A 1st round draft choice of the New York Rangers, Staal captured the Gold Medal with Team Canada at the 2007 World Junior Championships, in Sweden. The 20-year-old native of Thunder Bay, Ontario won his first Gold Medal the previous year representing Team Canada at the 2006 World Junior Championship, in Vancouver where he was named the Top Defenceman of the tournament.

Staal represented the OHL at the 2004, 2005 and 2006 Canada Russia Challenges. Staal was named to the 2003-04 OHL First All-Rookie Team and participated at the 2005 Home Hardware CHL Top Prospects Game. Staal was also named to the OHL First All-Star Team for the 2005-06 season.

The Max Kaminsky Trophy is awarded each year to the Most Outstanding Defenceman as selected by OHL general managers. Teams were not permitted to vote for their own nominee. Players received five points for a first place vote, three points for a second place vote and one point for a third place vote.

Staal received 64 points in the voting process, while runner-up Jakub Kindl of the Kitchener Rangers received 47 points. Drew Doughty of the Guelph storm finished third with 37 points.

Last year’s winner of the Max Kaminsky Trophy as the OHL’s Most Outstanding Defenceman was Andrej Sekera of the Owen Sound Attack. Other previous winners of the Max Kaminsky Trophy include Denis Potvin (Ottawa 1971-72 and 1972-73), Al MacInnis (Kitchener 1982-83), Chris Pronger (Peterborough 1992-93) and Bryan Berard (Detroit 1994-95 and 1995-96).

The award is named in recognition of Max Kaminsky, who enjoyed a 10-year professional playing career that included four years in the NHL with Ottawa, Boston, and Montreal. After he retired from playing, Kaminsky enjoyed a 15-year coaching career that was capped by winning the Memorial Cup with the St. Catherine’s Teepees in 1960.

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Tavares wins Red Tilson Trophy as OHL's Most Outstanding Player

Toronto - The Ontario Hockey League announced today that John Tavares of the Oshawa Generals is the 2006-07 recipient of the Red Tilson Trophy as the OHL’s Most Outstanding Player, as selected by the media.

Tavares who led the Oshawa Generals in scoring with 72 goals and 62 assists for 134 points in 67 games this season, becomes the youngest ever recipient of the Red Tilson Trophy. Tavares’ 72 goals also broke Wayne Gretzky’s 29 year old record of 70 goals scored by a 16-year-old, which was set during the 1977-78 season.

The native of Oakville, Ontario recorded at least one point in 57 games this season and had 39 multiple-point games. He was also named the OHL Player of the Month for January and March of this season and represented the Eastern Conference All-Stars at this year’s OHL All-Star Classic, in Saginaw. At this stage in his OHL career, Tavares has accumulated 117 goals and 94 assists for 211 points during his two seasons with Oshawa.

The Red Tilson Trophy, the most prestigious individual award presented by the Ontario Hockey League, is awarded each year to the player that is voted the most outstanding during the regular season by OHL writers and broadcasters. Players received five points for a first place selection, three points for second place and one point for a third place selection.

Tavares received 74 points in the voting process, while runner-up Patrick Kane of the London Knights received 66 points. Bryan Little of the Barrie Colts finished third with 21 points. Tavares is now the Ontario Hockey League nominee for the CHL Player of the Year at the Canadian Hockey League awards.

Tavares becomes the fifth Oshawa General to win the Red Tilson Trophy, following Bob Attersley (1953), Rick Middleton (1973), Scott McCrory (1987) and Eric Lindros (1991). Other former winners of the Red Tilson Trophy include last year’s winner Wojtek Wolski of the Brampton Battalion, Frank Mahovlich (Toronto 1957), Stan Mikita (St. Catharines 1959), Mike Foligno (Sudbury, 1979), Doug Gilmour (Cornwall 1983), Jason Allison (1994) and Brad Boyes (2001 & 2002).

The trophy is named in honour of Albert "Red" Tilson, who was killed in action in Europe during World War II. Tilson was the OHA scoring champion for the 1942-43 season after scoring 19 goals and 38 assists for 57 points in 22 games with the Oshawa Generals.

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