Barrie native Jacob Ingham was a big part of the conversation for the Ontario Hockey League's player-of-the-week honour, but the nod eventually went to one of his Mississauga Steelheads teammates.
The OHL announced Monday that Florida Panthers prospect and Steelheads forward Owen Tippett would receive the honour, for the regular-season week ending Nov. 18, after scoring five goals and three assists for eight points in three games with a plus-minus rating of plus-5.
Tippett’s week featured three game-winning goals and three first-star performances, helping the Steelheads extend their winning streak to four as they stay locked atop the Central Division standings.
On Wednesday morning, he scored a power-play marker in a 4-1 victory on School Day over the Guelph Storm, then scored twice with an assist on Friday as part of a 5-1 road win against the Kingston Frontenacs.
Tippett's week wrapped up Sunday where he matched a season-high with four points, including two goals and two assists, in a 5-3 triumph over the Sudbury Wolves.
The Steelheads hold a 14-6-2-0 record, which is second behind the Ottawa 67’s in the Eastern Conference.
The Barrie Colts (11-10-1), who sit seventh in the east, host the Steelheads on Thursday, Nov. 29 at the Barrie Molson Centre.
A 19-year-old from Peterborough, Tippett is playing in his fourth season with the Steelheads, who chose him fourth overall in the 2015 OHL Priority Selection. So far this season, he has averaged exactly a goal-per-game, with 16, while adding 10 assists for 26 points, ranking him 25th in overall league scoring.
The first-round pick by the Panthers in 2017 has produced back-to-back 75-point campaigns and just represented Team OHL in the CIBC Canada Russia Series for the third straight season, serving as an alternate captain in games played in Sarnia and Oshawa.
Also considered for the award this week was Dallas Stars prospect and Kitchener Rangers forward Riley Damiani, who scored four goals and five assists for nine points in three games, and new OHL top scorer Kevin Hancock of the Owen Sound Attack, who scored four goals and four assists for eight points in three games.
Ingham, a Los Angeles Kings prospect, was between the pipes for all three Steelhead wins, turning aside 75 shots with a 1.67 goals-against average (GAA) and .938 save percentage (SV%).
Ingham, 18, is in his third season with the Steelheads. He was selected in the sixth round (175th overall) of the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. Following a disappointing 2017-18 season where he had a 16-22-2 record, Ingham has a 13-6 record this year, with a .909 SV% and a 2.72 GAA.
