OHL Announces Top Performers of the Month for March
Toronto, Ont. – The Ontario Hockey League today announced Top Performers of the Month for games played in March 2024.
Player of the Month – Quentin Musty (Sudbury Wolves)
San Jose Sharks prospect Quentin Musty of the Sudbury Wolves is the OHL Player of the Month, tallying an impressive 30 points including 15 goals and 15 assists over 11 games played in March. Registering multi-point showings in seven outings, Musty opened the month with a five-point performance on Mar. 1, recording a hat trick and a pair of helpers in a 10-3 win over Sarnia. Musty continued his scoring ways, registering a pair of season-high six-point performances on Mar. 8, (4-2-6) and Mar. 22 (2-4-6). Helping the Wolves play to a 38-23-4-3 record, he’s the second Wolves player to earn OHL Player of the Month honours this season.
An 18-year-old from Hamburg, NY., Musty ranked fourth among all OHL point-getters with 102 points (43-59-102) through 53 games played this season. Musty finished fifth in goal-scoring, registering a plus/minus rating of plus-19. A 6-foot-2, 202Ib. left-winger, Musty is in his third season with the Wolves, having recorded 81 goals, 130 assists and 211 points over just 156 career regular season games since being selected by Sudbury with the first overall pick of the 2021 OHL Priority Selection. Musty was drafted by the San Jose Sharks with their first round (26th overall) pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, signing a three-year entry-level contract with the club on Oct. 4, 2023.
Defenceman of the Month – Zayne Parekh (Saginaw Spirit)
2024 NHL Draft eligible defenceman Zayne Parekh of the Saginaw Spirit is the OHL Defenceman of the Month for the second time this season, registering five goals, 10 assists, and 15 points over 11 March outings, including 11 points in his last seven games. Helping Saginaw win nine of a possible 11 games in March, Parekh closed out the regular season atop all defensive point-getters, recording a Spirit franchise record 96 points (33-63-96) by a blueliner over 66 games played. Tallying four multi-point showings last month, he opened the month with a three-point performance on Mar. 1., registering two goals and an assist, including the overtime winner. He registered three assists on Mar. 23, helping the Spirit best the Windsor Spitfires 8-5. Parekh closed out the month with a goal and an assist on Mar. 24, as the Spirit concluded regular season action with a 50-16-1-1 record, good for second in the Western Conference standings.
An 18-year-old from Nobleton, Ont., Parekh is in his second OHL season after registering 37 points (21-16–37) over 50 games last season, setting a new OHL record for goals by a 16-year-old blueliner with 21. Parekh’s 33 goals this season are the most by a first-time NHL Draft eligible defender in the OHL since Cornwall’s John Slaney scored 38 during the 1989-90 campaign. The 6-foot, 180Ib. right-shot defender earned a gold medal for Canada at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup this past summer, and was recently awarded an A-rating on NHL Central Scouting’s ‘Players to Watch’ List for the 2024 NHL Draft. Parekh was Saginaw’s first round (19th overall) pick in the 2022 OHL Priority Selection from the Markham Majors U16 program.
Goaltender of the Month – Jacob Oster (Oshawa Generals)
Jacob Oster of the Oshawa Generals is the OHL Goaltender of the Month for March, playing to a 9-0 record with a 2.33 goals-against average and .914 save percentage. Helping the Generals clinch first place in the Eastern Conference, Oster registered a 28-save performance on Mar. 12, defeating the Mississauga Steelheads 2-1 in overtime. He continued his consistency in the crease, recording a second 28-save performance on Mar. 17 in a 7-2 win over the Sarnia Sting. Oster closed out the regular season turning aside 26 of the 27 shots that came his way against Sudbury on Mar. 24, extending the Generals winnings to 12 consecutive games.
A 20-year-old from Ottawa, Ont., Oster ranked first among all netminders in wins this year, playing to a regular season mark of 35-16-7-1 including three shutouts, along with a 2.82 goals-against average and .905 save percentage. Selected in the fifth round (92nd overall) by the Guelph Storm in the 2020 OHL Priority Selection, the 6-foot-3, 190lb. netminder has appeared in 143 career regular season contests between Oshawa and Guelph, recording a 68-47-12-4 record, 3.29 goals-against average and .891 save percentage over three seasons.
Rookie of the Month – Jack Ivankovic (Mississauga Steelheads)
Mississauga Steelheads goaltender Jack Ivankovic is the OHL Rookie of the Month, playing to a 5-1 record, along with a 2.14 goals-against average and .927 save percentage. Making 166 saves in March, Ivankovic opened the month with a 30-save performance in a 6-1 win over the Windsor Spitfires on Mar. 3. Ivankovic recorded his second 30+ save performance of the month on Mar. 10., turning aside 33 of the 35 shots he faced. Ivankovic registered another standout performance on Mar. 17, blocking 28 of the 30 shots that came his way to lead the Steelheads to victory.
A 16-year-old from Mississauga, Ont., Ivankovic played to a regular season mark of 14-5-4-0, along with a 2.72 goals-against average, .915 save percentage and a shutout. His 2.72 G.A.A. was the lowest by an OHL rookie, earning him the F.W. “Dinty” Moore Trophy for his efforts. The 5-foot-11, 170lb. rookie was the Steelheads’ first round (seventh overall) pick in the 2023 OHL Priority Selection from the Mississauga Senators U16 program. Ivankovic excelled for Team Canada White at the 2023 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge in November, returning from Prince Edward Island with a gold medal.
2023-24 OHL Performers of the Month:
Player of the Month:
February – David Goyette (Sudbury Wolves)
January – Calum Ritchie (Oshawa Generals)
December – Ruslan Gazizov (London Knights) November – Filip Mesar (Kitchener Rangers) October – Carson Rehkopf (Kitchener Rangers)
Defenceman of the Month:
February – Sam Dickinson (London Knights)
January – Oliver Bonk (London Knights)
December – Nick DeAngelis (Sudbury Wolves) November – Zayne Parekh (Saginaw Spirit) October – Hunter Brzustewicz (Kitchener Rangers)
Goaltender of the Month:
February – Dom DiVincentiis (North Bay Battalion)
January – Michael Simpson (London Knights)
December – Marcus Vandenberg (Sudbury Wolves) November – Jackson Parsons (Kitchener Rangers) October – Brayden Gillespie (Guelph Storm)
Rookie of the Month:
February – Riley Patterson (Barrie Colts)
January – Riley Patterson (Barrie Colts)
December – Jake O’Brien (Brantford Bulldogs) November – Cole Davis (Windsor Spitfires) October – Carter George (Owen Sound Attack)