Hat trick: Clarke named OHL defenceman of the month for 3rd time

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 February 2023, including Windsor Spitfires forward Matthew Maggio, Barrie Colts defenceman Brandt Clarke, Ottawa 67’s goaltender Collin MacKenzie and Sudbury Wolves rookie netminder Nate Krawchuk.

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 the second straight month, recording two goals, 17 assists and 19 points in 13 games along with a plus/minus rating of plus-12.

Clarke helped the Colts play to a February record of 9-2-2-0, finishing the month with four consecutive victories. His month included points in 10 of his 13 contests, including eight multi-point showings.

Clarke recorded a pair of assists, including the overtime winner on Feb. 5 as the Colts defeated the Sudbury Wolves 2-1. The 6-foot-2, 188-pound blueliner went on to register three assists on Feb. 20 against Kingston, as the Colts blanked the Frontenacs 4-0. Clarke made Colts franchise history to close out the month, surpassing Luch Nasato as the club’s all-time top-scoring defenceman with a goal and an assist in a 9-4 win over the Niagara IceDogs on Feb. 26. He wrapped up February on a seven-game point streak.

This mark’s Clarke’s third career OHL Defenceman of the Month honour after he was previously recognized in January.

A 20-year-old from Nepean, Ont., Clarke has produced career totals that include 29 goals, 107 assists and a franchise record 136 points by a blue-liner in 134 regular-season games. Now in his third season with the Colts, Clarke was voted to the league’s second all-star team in 2021-22, recording 59 points (11-48-59) in 55 games.

The blue-liner was Barrie’s first-round (fourth overall) pick in the 2019 OHL Priority Selection from the Don Mills Flyers U16 program. He was a first-round (eighth overall) pick of the Los Angeles Kings in the 2021 NHL Draft, and signed a three-year entry-level NHL contract with the club on Aug. 10, 2021. He played in nine games with Los Angeles earlier this season, recording two assists in the process, and was a Canadian World Junior gold medallist this past January.

OHL Player of the Month — Matthew Maggio (Windsor Spitfires)

New York Islanders prospect Matthew Maggio of the Windsor Spitfires is the OHL Player of the Month for February, producing 11 goals, 15 assists and 26 points in 12 games along with a plus/minus rating of plus-12.

Maggio guided his team to a February mark of 9-2-1-0, registering points in nine of his 12 outings, seven of those yielding multiple points. The six-foot, 185-pound forward started the month with back-to-back two-goal, three-point outings in home victories over Sault Ste. Marie and Hamilton. He then logged a goal and four assists (1-4--5) on Feb. 5 as the Spitfires defeated the Owen Sound Attack 8-1.

Maggio’s scoring ways continued on Feb. 16 with another multi-point showing, recording a goal and three helpers (1-3--4) in a 6-5 overtime win over the Flint Firebirds. He closed out the month with another four-point night on Feb. 26 with a pair of goals and assists (2-2--4) to earn first star honours while recording his 200th career point as the Spitfires defeated the Kingston Frontenacs in an 8-4 road win.

A 20-year-old from nearby Tecumseh, Ont., Maggio leads the OHL with 46 goals and 94 points (46--48-94) on the season. Of Maggio’s 46 goals, just three have come on the power play. He helped the Spitfires win a Western Conference title last spring, following up a 38-goal regular season with 17 points (7-10--17) in 25 playoff contests before being selected by the New York Islanders in the fifth round (142nd overall) of the 2022 NHL Draft.

Maggio was originally Ottawa’s fifth-round (86th overall) pick in the 2018 OHL Priority Selection from the Sun County Panthers U16 program.

OHL Goaltender of the Month — Collin MacKenzie (Ottawa 67’s)

Draft-eligible Ottawa 67’s netminder Collin MacKenzie is the OHL Goaltender of the Month for February, playing to a record of 4-0-1-0 with a 1.45 goals-against average and .950 save percentage over six appearances. MacKenzie opened the month of February by stopping 30 of 31 shots on the road in Saginaw as the 67’s defeated the Spirit 5-1 on Feb. 4.

MacKenzie entered a game on Feb. 9 against the Gatineau Olympiques, stopping all six shots he faced before turning aside 14 of 15 in a win over the Niagara IceDogs on Feb. 10. Other highlights in February included a 40-save, first-star performance on Feb. 16 in Peterborough as the 67’s defeated the Petes 3-2. MacKenzie helped the 67’s defeat the West Division-leading Windsor Spitfires on Feb. 24, making 28 saves in a 6-1 outcome.

He becomes the first 67’s netminder to earn OHL Goaltender of the Month honours since Cedrick Andree, who last did so in January 2019.

An 18-year-old from Elora, Ont., MacKenzie is 14-2-3-0 on the season with a 1.90 goals-against average, .928 save percentage and one shutout over 22 games. MacKenzie won his first 10 consecutive OHL decisions after going 4-0-0-0 in an abbreviated campaign with Ottawa last season. He pencilled himself into the OHL record books on Oct. 21 in Sault Ste. Marie, making 15 consecutive shootout saves in a 2-1 victory over the Greyhounds.

Ottawa’s eighth-round (160th overall) pick in the 2020 OHL Priority Selection, MacKenzie is a graduate of the Waterloo Wolves U16 and U18 programs.

OHL Rookie of the Month — Nate Krawchuk (Sudbury Wolves)

Sudbury Wolves netminder Nate Krawchuk is the OHL Rookie of the Month for February, playing to a 5-1-1-0 record with a 2.50 goals-against average and .912 save percentage with one shutout.

Krawchuk made 197 saves in February, winning five of his eight outings for the Wolves. He stopped all 21 shots that came his way on Feb. 3 to earn his first OHL career shutout as the Wolves blanked the Mississauga Steelheads 4-0. He turned aside 28 of the 30 shots he faced on Feb. 5 to earn first-star honours as the Wolves came up short in overtime against the Barrie Colts.

Krawchuk closed out February with back-to-back road wins, making 26 saves in a 5-2 triumph over the Niagara IceDogs on Feb. 24 before blocking 38 of the 42 shots he faced in a 5-4 win over the Erie Otters on Feb. 25.

A 17-year-old from Thunder Bay, Ont., Krawchuk owns a 10-6-1-0 record with a 3.13 goals-against average and .897 save percentage in his first 20 games with the Wolves this season. The 6-foot-1, 153-pound netminder was Sudbury’s first-round (third overall) pick in the 2022 OHL Under-18 Priority Selection from the Thunder Bay Kings U18 program.