OHL Top Performers of the Month for April

Toronto, Ont. – The Ontario Hockey League today announced the Top OHL Performers of the Month for regular season games played in April 2022, including Soo Greyhounds teammates Rory Kerins and Jack Thompson, Peterborough Petes netminder Michael Simpson and Kingston Frontenacs rookie Paul Ludwinski.

OHL Player of the Month – Rory Kerins (Soo Greyhounds):
Calgary Flames prospect Rory Kerins of the Soo Greyhounds is the OHL Player of the Month for April, leading the League with 16 points including four goals and 12 assists over six games along with a plus/minus rating of plus-9. Kerins helped the Hounds finish out the regular season in fourth place in the Western Conference, registering multi-point outputs in five of his six April outings. He started the month with a goal and three assists as the Greyhounds defeated the Saginaw Spirit 9-3 on April 1st. He’d tack on four helpers in an 8-4 win over the Sudbury Wolves on April 8th. Kerins wrapped up the season by crossing the 200 career point threshold on April 15th in Flint, scoring while adding two assists as the Greyhounds defeated the Firebirds 6-3. Kerins is the first Greyhounds player to earn OHL Player of the Month honours since Morgan Frost in February 2019.

A 20-year-old from Caledon, Ont., Kerins finishes the season second in OHL scoring with 118 points including 43 goals and 75 assists over 67 games. Kerins’ 118 points are the most by a Hounds player since Joe Thornton (122) in 1996-97. He is among the League’s top faceoff performers, winning 56.8 percent of his draws throughout the season. He’s amassed 200 points (82-118–200) over 188 career regular season games with the Greyhounds. Kerins was a sixth round (174th overall) pick by the Calgary Flames in the 2020 NHL Draft and made his pro debut with the organization last season, appearing in four games with the AHL’s Stockton Heat. He signed a three-year entry level contract with the Flames on March 1st. The Greyhounds selected him with their fourth round (71st overall) pick in the 2018 OHL Priority Selection from the Mississauga Rebels U16 program.

OHL Defenceman of the Month – Jack Thompson (Soo Greyhounds)
For the second time this season, Tampa Bay Lightning prospect Jack Thompson of the Soo Greyhounds is the OHL Defenceman of the Month. Thompson, who first earned the honour as a member of the Sudbury Wolves in October, led OHL defenders with 12 points including five goals and seven assists over seven April contests, pairing that with a plus/minus rating of plus-9. Thompson recorded a point in six of his seven matchups, starting with a goal and three assists in a 9-3 win over the Saginaw Spirit on April 1st. Thompson found the back of the net twice on April 9th, helping the Hounds beat the Sudbury Wolves 5-1. Thompson is the first Greyhounds blueliner to be named OHL Defenceman of the Month since Mac Hollowell in October 2018.

A 20-year-old native of Courtice, Ont., Thompson finished the season tied for the League lead in goals by a defenceman, equalling teammate Robert Calisti’s mark of 21. He and Calisti finished tied for sixth in scoring among OHL defencemen, putting up 57 points (21-36–57), 34 of which came as a member of the Greyhounds. In three OHL seasons, the 6-foot-1 rearguard has collected 40 goals, 65 assists and 105 points in 180 games. Thompson made his pro debut with the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch last season, recording an assist in his lone contest. He has signed an entry-level NHL contract with the Lightning, who selected him in the third round of the 2020 NHL Draft. The right-shot rearguard was originally Sudbury’s second round (30th overall) pick in the 2018 OHL Priority Selection from the Clarington Toros U16 program.

OHL Goaltender of the Month – Michael Simpson (Peterborough Petes)
Michael Simpson of the Peterborough Petes is the OHL Goaltender of the Month, helping his team qualify for the OHL Playoffs as he played to a 4-0-0-1 record with a 2.16 goals-against average, .928 save percentage and one shutout. Simpson won his final four starts of the season, turning aside all 37 shots for his first career OHL shutout on April 5th as the Petes defeated the Barrie Colts 1-0 in overtime. He stopped 20 of 21 on April 9th as the Petes beat the Niagara IceDogs 5-1, and rounded-out the season with a 28-save performance on April 17th as Peterborough defeated Kingston 6-3. Simpson is the first Petes netminder to earn OHL Goaltender of the Month honours since Hunter Jones in October 2019.

A 19-year-old from London, Ont., Simpson played to a record of 20-18-3-1 with a 3.56 goals-against average and .891 save percentage in his first OHL season. The 6-foot, 188Ib. netminder was Peterborough’s 10th round (193rd overall) pick in the 2019 OHL Priority Selection from the London Jr. Knights U16 program.

OHL Rookie of the Month – Paul Ludwinski (Kingston Frontenacs)
2022 NHL Draft prospect Paul Ludwinski of the Kingston Frontenacs is the OHL Rookie of the Month for April, collecting five goals, five assists and 10 points in eight games. Ludwinski’s month was headlined by a hat trick and season-high four points on April 10th as the Frontenacs defeated the Niagara IceDogs 10-5. He’d chip in with a goal and an assist in Kingston’s final regular season game on April 17th, a 6-3 loss to the Peterborough Petes.

A soon-to-be 18-year-old from Pickering, Ont., Ludwinski recorded 43 points including 16 goals and 27 assists over 67 games in his first OHL season. The 5-foot-11, 172Ib. centreman competed in March’s Kubota CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game in Kitchener, and was the 29th ranked North American skater on NHL Central Scouting’s Midterm Rankings. Ludwinski was Kingston’s first round (5th overall) pick in the 2020 OHL Priority Selection from the Toronto Marlboros U16 program.

2021-22 OHL Performers of the Month:

Player of the Month:
April – Rory Kerins (Soo Greyhounds)
March – Wyatt Johnston (Windsor Spitfires)
February – Logan Morrison (Hamilton Bulldogs)
January – Wyatt Johnston (Windsor Spitfires)
December – Wyatt Johnston (Windsor Spitfires)
November – Kyle Jackson (North Bay Battalion)
October – Sasha Pastujov (Guelph Storm)

Defenceman of the Month:
April – Jack Thompson (Soo Greyhounds)
March – Pavel Mintyukov (Saginaw Spirit)
February – Michael Buchinger (Guelph Storm)
January – Brandt Clarke (Barrie Colts)
December – Ethan Del Mastro (Mississauga Steelheads)
November – Nathan Staios (Hamilton Bulldogs)
October – Jack Thompson (Sudbury Wolves)

Rookie of the Month:
April – Paul Ludwinski (Kingston Frontenacs)
March – Cedrick Guindon (Owen Sound Attack)
February – Michael Buchinger (Guelph Storm)
January – David Goyette (Sudbury Wolves)
December – Coulson Pitre (Flint Firebirds)
November – Owen Beck (Mississauga Steelheads)
October – Calum Ritchie (Oshawa Generals)

Goaltender of the Month:
April – Michael Simpson (Peterborough Petes)
March – Marco Costantini (Hamilton Bulldogs)
February – Luke Cavallin (Flint Firebirds)
January – Mack Guzda (Barrie Colts)
December – Mack Guzda (Barrie Colts)
November – Joe Vrbetic (North Bay Battalion)
October – Brett Brochu (London Knights)