Saturday, February 2, 2013

OHL Top Performers for January

Press Release

Toronto, ON – The Ontario Hockey League today announced the Top OHL Performers of the Month for January, 2013, including forward Nick Cousins of the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, defenceman Anthony DeAngelo of the Sarnia Sting, rookie Justin Bailey of the Kitchener Rangers, and goaltender Garret Sparks of the Guelph Storm.

OHL Player of the Month – Nick Cousins (Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds):
Nick Cousins of the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds tied for the OHL lead in January scoring with 20 points in 11 games including three goals with a league-high 17 assists along with a plus-minus rating of plus-9.  He collected points in nine games with an impressive eight multi-point games helping the Hounds pick up seven wins last month.  Three of those wins were recorded when Cousins picked up three assists including back-to-back games January 12 in a 3-1 win over the Mississauga Steelheads, and January 13 as second star of a 4-2 win over the London Knights.  He also picked up three helpers when the Hounds closed out the month with a 6-4 victory over the Oshawa Generals.
Cousins, a 19-year-old from Belleville, ON, is playing in his fourth OHL season with the Greyhounds.  Selected by the Philadelphia Flyers in the third round of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, Cousins is currently second in OHL scoring with 76 points in 49 games and leads the league with 57 assists.

OHL Defenceman of the Month – Anthony DeAngelo (Sarnia Sting):
Anthony DeAngelo of the Sarnia Sting led all OHL defencemen in scoring with 15 points in 11 January games scoring twice with 13 assists.  He started the month by matching his career-high of three assists on New Year’s Day as part of a 6-5 overtime win over the London Knights, then set a new personal best with four points his next game scoring once with three assists January 4 in an 8-5 win over the Windsor Spitfires.  On January 18 he tallied another four points with a goal and three helpers as third star of a 7-6 win over the Erie Otters.
DeAngelo, a 17-year-old from Sewell, New Jersey, is playing in his second OHL season with the Sting.  Eligible for the 2014 NHL Draft, DeAngelo is currently tied for sixth in scoring among defencemen with 34 points in 44 games played.

OHL Rookie of the Month – Justin Bailey (Kitchener Rangers):
Justin Bailey claims top rookie honours for January after scoring six goals and five assists for 11 points in 12 games while contributing a plus-minus rating of plus-10 for the Kitchener Rangers who picked up 10 wins last month.  Bailey had points in eight of his 12 games played highlighted by two straight multi-point games including January 11 with a goal and an assist in a 5-1 win over the Sarnia Sting, and January 13 as first star of a 5-3 win over the Niagara IceDogs where he picked up another goal and an assist.  Bailey then competed in the 2013 Home Hardware CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game January 16 in Halifax helping Team Orr to a 3-0 victory.
Bailey, a 17-year-old from Williamsville, New York, is currently tied for 12th in OHL rookie scoring with 13 goals and 11 assists for 24 points in 38 games.  Eligible for the 2013 NHL Draft, Bailey is ranked 37th among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting.

Vaughn OHL Goaltender of the Month – Garret Sparks (Guelph Storm):
Garret Sparks of the Guelph Storm posted a 7-1-0-0 record in January which included two shutout victories with a league-low goals-against-average of 1.63 along with a save percentage of .940.  Sparks returned from Ufa, Russia, and won seven straight games between the pipes for the Storm highlighted by a 24-save shutout on January 18 in a 6-0 win over the Ottawa 67’s, and a 38-save performance as third star on January 26 to blank the Owen Sound Attack 5-0.  That shutout was his sixth of the season which not only ties him for the OHL lead, but set a new Storm single season record.
Sparks, a 19-year-old from Elmhurst, Illinois, is playing in his third season with the Storm.  Selected by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the seventh round of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, Sparks was a member of the gold medal winning Team USA at the 2013 World Junior Championship and carries a 25-9-0-4 record for the Storm with a goals-against-average of 2.52 and save percentage of .921.


 (Nathan can be reached at nathanfournier@mainehockeyjournal.com)

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