The OHL has announced their Player of the Month, Defenceman of the Month, Goalie of the Month, and Rookie of the Month for October.
The OHL has officially announced their player awards for the month of October. There aren't many surprises on this list, but it precisely highlights the players that have had outstanding starts to this season.
Player of the Month: Carson Rehkopf
The Seattle Kraken prospect has been lighting up the score sheet for the red-hot Kitchener Rangers in October. Rehkopf has accumulated 14 goals and 23 points in just 13 games this month, registering over a goal-per-game.
The 6-foot-2 centreman was drafted by Seattle in the 2nd round of the 2023 NHL Draft. Last season, he scored 30 goals and 59 points, less than a point-per-game. So far this season, he is on pace to crush these point totals. It will be difficult for Rehkopf to keep up his goal-per-game statistic, but there is no end in sight for his goal scoring pace.
Rehkopf possesses an elite shot release, and he has the ability to score goals from distance. A lot of his goals will come from the top of the circles. He has the ability to consistently find lanes from distance, and get the puck to the net with tremendous power and accuracy.
Away from his shot, Rehkopf is a difficult player to track in general. He possesses a lot of deceptiveness in his hands and in the way he attacks defenders. It is rare for a player his size to have such finesse in the offensive zone. He's also a smooth skater for his size, and possesses precise foot and edge work. The one issue for Rehkopf last year was his inconsistency, and so far this season, that hasn't been a problem.
Defenceman of the Month: Hunter Brzustewicz
Teammate of Carson Rehkopf, Hunter Brzustewicz has been getting it done for Kitchener from the blue line. Brzustewicz leads the league in points, and trailing him are three other Rangers' players, including Carson Rehkopf. 25 points in just 13 games is phenomenal for a defender, and it shows just how effective Brzustewicz has been from the back-end.
What makes Hunter Brzustewicz effective is his play in transition. He consistently leads his team in transition, whether it is with a pass, or by carrying it himself. His vision of passing & skating lanes through all three zones is elite. Brzustewicz is a breakout catalyst and he rarely misses a breakout pass. From the point, he has begun to shoot more this season. Last season, he didn't have much of a shooting mentality and he often over-passed the puck. With 5 goals thus far, he has been trusting himself to shoot more often.
Kitchener is in great hands with Brzustewicz on the back-end, he can quarterback the power play, play the penalty kill, and be trusted with the puck consistently. The Rangers have given him freedom and the ability to play his game, as he has been playing alongside defensive defender Matthew Andonovski.
Goaltender of the Month: Brayden Gillespie
The Guelph Storm have had a much better start this season, compared to last season. Their goaltender Brayden Gillespie has played a huge part in that, guiding them to seven wins individually.
He is first in the league among goaltenders who have played 10 games, in save percentage (.932%), and goals against average (2.02).
In terms of defensive ability, the Storm's blue line is considerably weak. Michael Buchinger and Quinn Beauchesne are more offensively talented, while Cam Allen is still injured. Brayden Hislop and Chandler Romeo — both overage players — are the only two experienced defenders.
Brayden Gillespie has had to step in and take over the goal crease, with Damian Slavik backing him up. He played in 25 games with Guelph last season, but didn't perform well along with the rest of their team.
This season, it is like a switch has been flipped, Guelph has been one of the more dominant teams in the OHL. Gillespie is a huge reason for this because no one has been stepping up offensively either, it has been a group contribution. He has held his team in several games early-on, which has earned him the goaltender of the month.
Rookie of the Month: Carter George
Not only has Carter George been the best rookie goaltender this season so far, but he is not far off from Gillespie's numbers either. George's save percentage (.929%) and goals against average (2.18) each rank fourth in the league among all goaltenders.
George is undoubtedly a goaltender to watch for at the 2024 NHL Draft, and he should be among the top eligible goaltenders in the entire CHL. He has been a huge reason for the Attack's early success, and has five of six of his teams wins this season.
Owen Sound is still struggling to begin the year, but George has been a consistent bright spot in the crease.