NEWS RELEASE
ONTARIO HOCKEY LEAGUE
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The Ontario Hockey League today announced the Top OHL Performers of the Month for regular season games played in January 2022, including Windsor Spitfires forward Wyatt Johnston, Barrie Colts defenceman Brandt Clarke, Barrie Colts goaltender Mack Guzda and Sudbury Wolves forward David Goyette.
OHL Defenceman of the Month - Brandt Clarke (Barrie Colts):
Los Angeles Kings prospect Brandt Clarke of the Barrie Colts is the OHL Defenceman of the Month for January, leading all blueliners with 17 points including three goals and 14 assists over 11 games along with a plus/minus rating of plus-10. Clarke strung together six different multi-point performances for the Colts, who played to a January record of 6-3-2-0. He put up three assists in Barrie's 7-3 road win over Owen Sound on Jan. 9 before a season-high four point performance (1-3--4) on Jan. 16 as Barrie defeated North Bay 8-2.
Clarke ended the month on a five-game point streak, notably scoring the last second game-tying goal in Sault Ste. Marie on Jan. 29th as the Colts earned a point in an overtime loss. He racked up three assists on Sunday in Sudbury, securing OHL Player of the Week honours with nine points (2-7--9) over four contests last week. Clarke is the first Colts defender to earn Defenceman of the Month recognition since Rasmus Andersson in January 2016.
An 18-year-old product of Nepean, Ont., Clarke leads OHL defenders with 42 points including eight goals, 34 assists and a plus-19 rating across 32 games. The 6-foot-2 rearguard leads the Colts in scoring this season and is riding a current five-game point streak. Clarke was a first round (8th overall) pick of the Los Angeles Kings last summer, and signed an entry-level NHL contract with the club in August. Clarke won a gold medal as a member of Canada’s National Under-18 Team in May 2021 and is a former 2019 OHL Cup champion as a member of the Don Mills Flyers. The Colts selected Clarke fourth overall in the 2019 OHL Priority Selection.
OHL Goaltender of the Month - Mack Guzda (Barrie Colts):
For the second straight month, overage netminder Mack Guzda of the Barrie Colts is the OHL Goaltender of the Month. Guzda played to a 5-1-1-0 record with a 1.86 goals-against average, .939 save percentage and one shutout over seven contests, helping the Colts climb to within two points of North Bay for second place in the Central Division with seven games in hand. His top performances included a 31-save effort on Jan. 18th as the Colts defeated the Sudbury Wolves 4-1. He followed that up with 34 saves on Jan. 22nd as Barrie toppled North Bay 3-2 in overtime. He registered his second shutout of the season on Jan. 27th, making 24 saves as the Colts bested Owen Sound 8-0. Guzda joins London's Brett Brochu (January and February 2020) as an active netminder to have earned back-to-back OHL Goaltender of the Month honours.
A 21-year-old native of Knoxville, Tenn., Guzda's .924 save percentage is the second-highest in the OHL as he's played to an overall record of 16-6-1-1 with a 2.50 goals-against average over 24 games between Barrie and Owen Sound. Now 11-2-1-0 since joining the Colts in mid-November, Guzda was originally Owen Sound’s second round (31st overall) pick in the 2017 OHL Priority Selection, and has played to career mark of 74-51-11-7.
OHL Player of the Month - Wyatt Johnston (Windsor Spitfires):
For the second straight month, Dallas Stars prospect Wyatt Johnston of the Windsor Spitfires is the OHL Player of the Month. Johnston equalled his December output of 19 points in eight games, recording five goals, 14 assists as the Spitfires played to a 6-2-0-0 record. Johnston strung together four consecutive performances of at least three points to begin the month, finding the scoresheet in seven of his eight outings. He posted eight points across back-to-back games in Sault Ste. Marie on Jan. 8th and 9th before consecutive three-assist efforts on Jan. 14th in Sarnia and Jan. 16th against Flint. Johnston closed out the month by lighting the lamp twice in Windsor's 3-2 win over the Guelph Storm on Jan. 28th. He earned Three Star honours on four separate occasions, contributing to his League-leading total of 16 for the 2021-22 season. Johnston is the first OHL player to earn back-to-back Player of the Month honours since Sarnia's Jordan Kyrou last did so in October and November 2017.
An 18-year-old native of Toronto, Ont., Johnston sits third in OHL scoring with 65 points (23-42--65) in 35 games along with a plus/minus rating of plus-19. He was a first round (23rd overall) pick of the Dallas Stars in the 2021 NHL Draft, and signed a three-year entry level NHL contract with the club on Sept. 28, 2021. A former World Under-18 Hockey Championship gold medalist with Team Canada, Johnston was Windsor’s first round (6th overall) pick in the 2019 OHL Priority Selection.
OHL Rookie of the Month - David Goyette (Sudbury Wolves):
Draft eligible Sudbury Wolves forward David Goyette is the OHL Rookie of the Month for January, registering 16 points including a League-leading 10 goals and six assists over 15 games. Goyette joined rookie linemate Kocha Delic with 16 points in January as the Wolves played to a record of 5-8-1-1 to find themselves in the Eastern Conference playoff picture. Goyette recorded points in 10 of his 15 contests, scoring in three consecutive matchups on Jan. 7th against Mississauga, Jan. 8th in Niagara and Jan. 9th in Oshawa. He produced the OHL's first four-goal performance of the season before a national audience on TSN on Jan. 14th in Kingston as the Wolves won 8-4. Goyette put up three points (1-2--3) on Jan. 23rd in North Bay, going 16-for-21 in the faceoff circle as the Wolves defeated the Battalion 6-4. He's the first Wolves player to earn OHL Rookie of the Month honours since John McFarland back in October 2008.
A 17-year-old from Hawkesbury, Ont., Goyette sits second in OHL rookie scoring with 34 points including 14 goals and 20 assists over 38 games. The 5-foot-11, 174Ib. centreman was Sudbury’s first round (11th overall) pick in the 2020 OHL Priority Selection. He was listed as the 35th-ranked North American skater on NHL Central Scouting’s Midterm Rankings for the 2022 NHL Draft.
2021-22 OHL Performers of the Month:
Player of the Month:
January - Wyatt Johnston (Windsor Spitfires)
December – Wyatt Johnston (Windsor Spitfires)
November – Kyle Jackson (North Bay Battalion)
October – Sasha Pastujov (Guelph Storm)
Defenceman of the Month:
January - Brandt Clarke (Barrie Colts)
December – Ethan Del Mastro (Mississauga Steelheads)
November – Nathan Staios (Hamilton Bulldogs)
October – Jack Thompson (Sudbury Wolves)
Rookie of the Month:
January - David Goyette (Sudbury Wolves)
December – Coulson Pitre (Flint Firebirds)
November – Owen Beck (Mississauga Steelheads)
October – Calum Ritchie (Oshawa Generals)
Goaltender of the Month:
January - Mack Guzda (Barrie Colts)
December – Mack Guzda (Barrie Colts)
November – Joe Vrbetic (North Bay Battalion)
October – Brett Brochu (London Knights)
About the Ontario Hockey League
The Ontario Hockey League is a proud member of the Canadian Hockey League which is the world’s largest development hockey league with 60 teams in nine Canadian provinces and four American states. In addition to the OHL, the CHL is made up of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League and the Western Hockey League. The CHL supplies more players to the National Hockey League and U SPORTS than any other league.
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