OHL Announces Top Performers of the Month for January
Toronto, ON – The Ontario Hockey League today announced Top Performers of the Month for January.
Player of the Month – Tuomas Uronen (Kingston Frontenacs)
Vegas Golden Knights prospect Tuomas Uronen has been red hot since returning from the World Juniors, where he won a silver medal while representing Finland. The 19-year-old scored in all nine of his January matchups, finishing with 10 goals, 13 assists and 23 points along with a plus/minus rating of plus-6. Uronen had multi-point finishes in eight of his nine outings, entering the month of February on a run of eight straight as part of an active 11-game point streak dating back to December 14. He posted back-to-back four-point efforts on January 19th and 22nd as the Frontenacs defeated Erie and Ottawa on home ice.
A product of Kerava, Finland, Uronen has come back strong from an injury-shortened 2023-24 season with the Ottawa 67’s. Acquired by Kingston over the summer, Uronen has produced 62 points (26-36–62) over 40 contests with a plus/minus rating of plus-18 while collecting eight power play goals and four game winners. He was Vegas’ sixth round (192nd overall) pick in 2023 and was chosen by Ottawa 57th overall in the 2023 CHL Import Draft.
Also considered for the award this month, Frontenacs teammate and Calgary Flames prospect Jacob Battaglia recorded 23 points (9-14–23) over 11 games. Washington Capitals prospect Ilya Protas of the Windsor Spitfires was also excellent, registering 22 points (11-11–22) over nine outings.
Defenceman of the Month – Zayne Parekh (Saginaw Spirit)
Nobody was matching the offensive output of Calgary Flames first round pick Zayne Parekh on the back end in January. The Saginaw Spirit rearguard finished the month with 11 goals, including a pair of hat-tricks, 10 assists and 21 points over 10 games along with a plus/minus rating of plus-14. Parekh produced points in all but one January matchup, with a five-point effort that included a hat-trick on January 18 against the Guelph Storm headlining his resume. Parekh added another hat-trick as part of a four-point effort on January 26 in Ottawa. This marks the third time in Parekh’s career that he’s received OHL Defenceman of the Month honours, following previous recognition in March 2024 and November 2023.
An 18-year-old from Nobleton, Ont., Parekh sits tied for the OHL lead in points by a defenceman with 61 (22-39–61) through 40 games in his third OHL season. The ninth overall pick of the 2024 NHL Draft by Calgary, Parekh became the Spirit’s all-time leading scorer among defencemen this past month as he enters February with career totals that include 76 goals, 118 assists and 194 points over 156 regular season games. Last year’s OHL Defenceman of the Year and Memorial Cup champion, Parekh was selected by Saginaw with the 19th overall pick of the 2022 OHL Priority Selection.
Goaltender of the Month – Aleksei Medvedev (London Knights)
Draft eligible London Knights netminder Aleksei Medvedev continued his strong rookie performance in the month of January, going 4-1-1-0 with a 1.99 goals-against average and .937 save percentage with one shutout. Medvedev made 177 saves in January, helping the Knights maintain their position at the top of the OHL standings. He registered a season-high 40-save performance on January 10 as the Knights beat the visiting Windsor Spitfires 5-1 and followed-up that performance with a 32-save shutout on January 17 as the Knights blanked the Guelph Storm 6-0. Medvedev enters February on the heels of back-to-back wins, including a 27-save effort on Friday as London beat Erie 4-2. Medvedev was also the OHL’s Rookie of the Month this past November.
A 17-year-old originally from St. Petersburg, Russia, Medvedev owns a record of 17-5-1-0 with a 2.46 goals-against average, .923 save percentage and two shutouts through 25 games this season. London’s second round (38th overall) pick in the 2023 OHL Priority Selection, Medvedev competed for the Western Conference in last month’s Connor McDavid OHL Top Prospects Game, and is the second-ranked North American goaltender on NHL Central Scouting’s mid-term list. Medvedev spent the 2023-24 season with the GOJHL’s St. Thomas Stars, going 11-15-0 in 28 regular season appearances.
Also considered for the award this month, Kitchener Rangers goaltender Jackson Parsons played to a mark of 7-2-0-1 with a 2.35 goals-against average and .915 save percentage while Buffalo Sabres prospect Ryerson Leenders of the Brantford Bulldogs went 7-1-0-1 with a 2.73 goals-against average and .912 save percentage.
Rookie of the Month – Chase Reid (Soo Greyhounds)
Chase Reid‘s first full month in the Ontario Hockey League was nothing short of outstanding as the 17-year-old defender put up a goal and 18 assists for 19 points over 12 games. Reid’s January featured a plus/minus rating of plus-10, and was headlined by a pair of three-assist showings against the Peterborough Petes, contributing to a total of six multi-point performances. Reid is the first defenceman to earn Rookie of the Month recognition since Zayne Parekh in December 2022.
A 17-year-old from Chesterfield, Michigan, Reid joined the Greyhounds from the NAHL’s Bismarck Bobcats in December, and has collected 24 points (2-22–24) over 19 games in his first season. The former seventh round (125th overall) pick by the Greyhounds in 2023 is a December 30, 2007 birthday, and won’t be eligible for the NHL Draft until 2026.
2024-25 OHL Performers of the Month:
Player of the Month:
December – Beckett Sennecke (Oshawa Generals) November – Sam Dickinson (London Knights) October – Michael Misa (Saginaw Spirit)
Defenceman of the Month:
December – Henry Mews (Ottawa 67’s) November – Sam Dickinson (London Knights) October – Luca Marrelli (Oshawa Generals)
Goaltender of the Month:
December – Ben Hrebik (Barrie Colts) November – Jackson Parsons (Kitchener Rangers) October – Joey Costanzo (Windsor Spitfires)
Rookie of the Month:
December – Lev Katzin (Guelph Storm) November – Aleksei Medvedev (London Knights) October – Ethan Belchetz (Windsor Spitfires)