Wolski wins Tilson as OHL’s best

BRAMPTON, Ont. – Centre Wojtek Wolski of the Brampton Battalion has won the Red Tilson Trophy as the Ontario Hockey League’s most outstanding player in 2005-06, it was announced Thursday.rrI’m very honoured to have received this award,” Wolski said via telephone conference call from the Denver offices of the National Hockey League’s Colorado Avalanche, which he joined for the Stanley Cup playoffs after the Battalion’s season ended. rrTo claim this award in a league with so many talented players is a real accomplishment,” said Stan Butler, the Battalion’s director of hockey operations and head coach, who chose Wolski with the third pick in the 2002 OHL Priority Selection.rrHis first three seasons here were good but not great, and there’s no doubt that the last three-quarters of this season he really turned it up and became a player that the fans in Brampton could appreciate and enjoy watching. It’s a credit to our organization that he could make the adjustment to the next level right away.rrHe’s a great role model, and that’s what a captain needs to be. He was a good student, he was one of our hardest-working guys off the ice and he worked hard on the ice. You can’t just be good in one area. You need to be good in all areas.”rrSaid Wolski: Stan has definitely helped me through the tough times, and he’s been there to help me celebrate the good times. I’m happy I had that time to play for him, and I definitely think this year he helped me play my best and allowed me to come out every night and compete.”rrSaid Battalion owner Scott Abbott: This award, the OHL’s premier individual honour, is richly deserved. If he wasn’t seen as such already, it stamps Wojtek as the preeminent player in Battalion history. We’re all very proud of what he’s accomplished and congratulate him.”rrThe Tilson is the second major award for Wolski this season. He earlier received the William Hanley Trophy as the OHL’s most sportsmanlike player, the first major individual league award won by a Battalion player in the club’s eight-year history.rrCorey Perry of the London Knights, now with the Anaheim Mighty Ducks, Colorado’s next playoff opponent, won the Tilson last season.rrOther recent winners include Doug Gilmour of the Cornwall Royals in 1982-83, Andrew Cassels of the Ottawa 67’s in 1987-88, Eric Lindros of the Oshawa Generals in 1990-91, Ottawa’s Alyn McCauley in 1995-96 and 1996-97, Brad Boyes of the Erie Otters in 2000-01 and 2001-02 and Corey Locke of Ottawa in 2002-03 and 2003-04. rrWinners of older vintage include Tod Sloan, George Armstrong, Glenn Hall, Frank Mahovlich, Stan Mikita, Rod Gilbert, Yvan Cournoyer, Mickey Redmond, Rejean Houle, Gilbert Perreault, Rick Middleton and Dennis Maruk.rrThe trophy is named in honour of Albert (Red) Tilson, who was killed in action in Europe in the Second World War. Tilson, playing for Oshawa, won the Ontario Hockey Association’s 1942-43 scoring title.rrThe winner is chosen in a vote by writers and broadcasters, who select three players on a 5-3-1 points basis. Wolski received 111 points, while centre Rob Schremp of London finished second with 100.rrWolski is the OHL nominee for the Canadian Hockey League’s Player of the Year Award, which will be presented May 27 during the Memorial Cup tournament at Moncton, N.B.rrA first-round choice, 21st overall, in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft, Wolski started the season with Colorado, scoring two goals and adding four assists for six points in nine games before rejoining the Battalion on Oct. 26.rrI was disappointed because it was my dream to play in the NHL,” said Wolski. But it turned out to be the best decision for the Avalanche, and coming back definitely helped me on the ice and with my confidence with the puck.rrIn your own mind, you always think you’re ready for the NHL, but after a while I realized it was best for me to be back in the OHL.”rrWolski, a Mississauga resident who turned 20 on Feb. 24, set numerous Battalion season, playoff and career records.rrWolski’s club season records include 47 goals, 81 assists and 128 points this year, when he finished third in OHL scoring despite playing just 56 games. He also set club marks with 30 power-play goals and six shorthanded goals.rrWolski earned seven points, a Battalion single-game record, on four goals and three assists in a 9-4 home win Jan. 22 over Erie. He finished the regular season on an 18-game points streak, equaling the club record set by defenceman Rostislav Klesla in 2000-01.rrWolski set club career records with 130 goals, 198 assists and 328 points. His 59 career power-play goals, nine career shorthanded scores and 18 game-winning goals are team marks.rrWolski has 19 goals, 19 assists and 38 points in 40 playoff games, all club career records. He’s the only Battalion player to score three goals in a playoff game, on April 4, 2003, against the visiting Toronto St. Michael’s Majors.rrHe was the first player in OHL history to be named Player of the Month four times in a season, accomplishing the feat from December through March, and was named Player of the Week three times, for the periods ended Jan. 22, Feb. 19 and March 19.rrHe was named to the OHL’s first All-Rookie team in 2002-03 and to the first All-Star team the next season. He played in three OHL All-Star Classics and was named the most valuable player of the 2006 game Feb. 1 at Belleville.r