Toronto, Ont. – The Ontario Hockey League today announced that Montreal Canadiens prospect Joe Vrbetic of the North Bay Battalion is the OHL Goaltender of the Week with a 0.96 goals-against average, .956 save percentage, one shutout and a record of 1-0-0-1.
The 6-foot-6, 186Ib. Vrbetic stood tall in a 3-2 shootout loss to the Sudbury Wolves on Friday, stopping 29 of 31 shots to help the Troops earn a point on the road. He was back in the crease on Sunday, stopping all 14 shots he faced for his first shutout of the season as the Battalion blanked the visiting Wolves 4-0.
A 19-year-old native of Dunvegan, Ont., Vrbetic owns an 8-2-0-1 record, 2.82 goals-against average, .901 save percentage and one shutout through 11 games this season, helping the Battalion hold down first place in the Central Division. Now in his second full season with the Battalion, Vrbetic has played to an overall record of 22-27-1-1 with a 3.93 goals-against average, .885 save percentage and three shutouts over 54 career regular season games. North Bay’s second round (31st overall) pick in the 2018 OHL Priority Selection, Vrbetic was a seventh round (214th overall) choice of the Montreal Canadiens this past summer.
Also receiving consideration for this week’s award, New York Islanders prospect Tristan Lennox of the Saginaw Spirit went 1-1-0-0 with a 2.03 goals-against average and .922 save percentage. Sudbury Wolves netminder Mitchell Weeks was also steady, stopping 74 of the 80 shots he faced, going 1-1-0-0 with a 2.88 goals-against average and .925 save percentage.
2021-22 OHL Goaltenders of the Week – Regular Season:
Nov. 8 – Nov. 14: Joe Vrbetic (North Bay Battalion
Nov. 1 – Nov. 7: Roman Basran (Mississauga Steelheads)
Oct. 25 – Oct. 31: Patrick Leaver (Oshawa Generals)
Oct. 18 – Oct. 24: Jacob Oster (Guelph Storm)
Oct. 11 – Oct. 17: Brett Brochu (London Knights)
Oct. 4 – Oct. 10: Tucker Tynan (Niagara IceDogs)
