Steelheads’ Ryerson Leenders named OHL Goaltender of the Week

Toronto, Ont. – The Ontario Hockey League today announced that Ryerson Leenders of the Mississauga Steelheads is the OHL Goaltender of the Week, going 2-0 with a shutout, a 1.50 goals-against average and .957 save percentage.

Stopping 66 of the 69 shots he faced, Leenders defended the crease in a pair of victories against the Erie Otters last week. He turned aside all 34 shots that came his way on Friday, earning his first career OHL shutout along with first star honours as Mississauga defeated the Otters 5-0 at home. The 6-foot-1, 176lb. netminder was back in the crease on Saturday, blocking 32 of the 35 shots he faced as the Steelheads closed out the weekend with a 5-3 victory.

A 17-year-old from Nanticoke, Ont., Leenders was Mississauga’s second round (32nd overall) pick in the 2022 OHL Priority Selection from the Toronto Nationals U16 program. He won a gold medal as a member of Canada’s National Men’s Under-18 Team this past summer at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup in Czechia and Slovakia. Leenders is eligible for the 2024 NHL Draft.

Also considered or the award this week, Jackson Parsons of the Kitchener Rangers went 2-0 with his first career OHL shutout coming Saturday in Flint. Parsons missed most of the 2022-23 season with an injury and was tremendous in his return. Newly-acquired London Knights netminder Michael Simpson also merits consideration after going 2-0 with a 1.50 goals-against average and .950 save percentage in his first week in green and gold.

2023-24 OHL Goaltenders of the Week – Regular Season:
Sep. 28 – Oct. 1: Ryerson Leenders (Mississauga Steelheads)