OHL Top Performers of the Month for February
Toronto, Ont. – The Ontario Hockey League today announced the Top OHL Performers of the Month for regular season games played in February 2022.
OHL Player of the Month – Logan Morrison (Hamilton Bulldogs):
With an impressive 29 points in the month of February, Hamilton Bulldogs forward Logan Morrison is the OHL Player of the Month. Morrison recorded seven goals, 22 assists and a plus/minus rating of plus-21 over 10 games as the Bulldogs played to an 11-1-0-0 record in February, ascending to first place in the OHL standings. The third-year centreman earned star of the game recognition in five of his 10 outings, racking up nine different multi-point outputs. Morrison put up four points four different times including Feb. 11th against Barrie (1-3–4), Feb. 19th against Kingston (1-3–4), Feb. 25th against North Bay (2-2–4) and Feb. 27th in Niagara (1-3–4). He won 100 of his 188 faceoffs (53.2%) over the course of the month and found the back of the net in six of his 10 contests. Morrison becomes the first Bulldog to win OHL Player of the Month honours since Jan Jenik last did so in November 2019.
A 19-year-old native of Guelph, Ont., Morrison sits sixth in OHL scoring, leading the Bulldogs with 75 points (23-52–75) over 41 games this season. Named OHL Player of the Week twice in February, Morrison has recorded 154 points (60-94–154) over 147 career regular season games since being Hamilton’s first round (18th overall) pick in the 2018 OHL Priority Selection. He attended training camp with the Los Angeles Kings last fall.
OHL Defenceman & Rookie of the Month – Michael Buchinger (Guelph Storm):
Draft eligible blueliner Michael Buchinger of the Guelph Storm is a dual award winner, claiming both OHL Defenceman and Rookie of the Month honours for February. The first-year rearguard led all OHL blueliners and rookies with 17 points including two goals and 15 assists over 12 games, helping the Storm play to a record of 6-4-2-0. Buchinger had points in 10 of his 12 contests, recording back-to-back three point performances on Feb. 21 against Owen Sound (2-1–3) and Feb. 25 against Windsor (0-3–3). He finished the month with a season-high four assists as Guelph defeated Kitchener 7-3 on Feb. 27th. Buchinger is the first Storm player to earn OHL Defenceman of the Month recognition since Sean Durzi in January 2019. He is the first Guelph player to be named Rookie of the Month since goaltender Thomas McCollum in January 2007.
A 17-year-old native of Markham, Ont., Buchinger sits second among OHL rookie defencemen with 37 points (4-33–37) along with a plus/minus rating of plus-15 in 46 games this season. The 6-foot, 185Ib. left-shot rearguard was selected by the Storm in the second round (24th overall) of the 2020 OHL Priority Selection. Buchinger was the 36th-ranked North American skater on NHL Central Scouting’s Midterm Draft Rankings. He was recently selected to compete in the upcoming 2022 Kubota CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game on March 23 in Kitchener.
OHL Goaltender of the Month – Luke Cavallin (Flint Firebirds):
Flint Firebirds netminder Luke Cavallin is the OHL Goaltender of the Month for February, going undefeated in regulation with an 8-0-1-1 record, 2.65 goals-against average and .927 save percentage in 11 games. Cavallin backstopped the Firebirds to the top of the Western Conference standings, making 358 saves over the course of the month. He opened February with a 35-save performance in Saginaw as the Firebirds prevailed 7-1 on Feb. 2nd. He was brilliant on Feb. 12th in Erie, turning aside 38 shots in a 5-1 Flint victory. Cavallin backstopped the Firebirds to a point in Sault Ste. Marie on Feb. 16th, stopping 43 of 44 in a 2-1 shootout loss. He turned aside a career-high 51 shots on Feb. 19th at home to Windsor, helping the Firebirds beat the Spitfires 3-2 in a shootout. Cavallin stopped all 34 shots he faced on Feb. 25th in Sarnia as the Firebirds won by a score of 6-0. He’s the first Firebirds netminder to ever win OHL Goaltender of the Month honours, and the first in franchise history to do so since Alex Nedeljkovic of the Plymouth Whalers in February 2013.
A 20-year-old from Greely, Ont., Cavallin has played to a 25-9-1-3 record with a 3.19 goals-against average, .909 save percentage and two shutouts in 40 games this season. His 2,331 minutes played and 1,236 saves are both second in the OHL and he hasn’t lost in regulation since Jan. 16th, a run of 16 appearances. Flint’s career leader in games played (127), wins (51) and shutouts (2), Cavallin is in his fourth season with the franchise after being selected in the second round (28th overall) of the 2017 OHL Priority Selection.
