January's Player of the Month awards are in, and Colorado Avalanche prospect Calum Ritchie takes home the top honours.
Another month has come and gone in the OHL, and January's Players of the Month have been released. As we draw nearer to the postseason, every performance is crucial, and all four of these players have stepped up to the plate as of late.
Player of the Month: Calum Ritchie (Oshawa Generals
Calum Ritchie had an outstanding month in January, helping guide the Oshawa Generals up to fourth place in the Eastern Conference. Ritchie has been injured most of the season, and this was his first full month in games for the Generals. He put up a league-leading 26 points in January.
Ritchie was selected by the Colorado Avalanche in the 2023 NHL Draft. He has been known for his two-way game and high hockey sense. So far this season, Ritchie has shown a significant improvement in his offensive game and ability to create and drive himself. He's been shooting the puck more and taking more risks to attack on offence — something that scouts wanted to see more last season.
Defenceman of the Month: Oliver Bonk (London Knights)
Since returning from the World Juniors for Canada, Oliver Bonk has been unstoppable for the London Knights in both ends of the ice. He's been doing his typical job defensively, but he has been firing on all cylinders offensively.
He's become "Bumper Bonk" in London because he plays the bumper position on the Knights' powerplay, a rare position for a defender to play. He's been scoring quite a few goals from the front of the net on the man advantage, totally 10 goals in the month of January.
Bonk also moves the puck well in the offensive zone, he's smart with the puck, and he picks his spots well to jump down low and create plays. He projects as a minute-eating, reliable defender at the next level, but lately he has been improving his offensive potential too.
Goaltender of the Month: Michael Simpson (London Knights)
Along with the success of the London Knights, goaltender Michael Simpson has found a lot of success of his own. The overage goaltender won an OHL Championship with Peterborough last season, and has now taken his expertise to London.
Simpson's numbers were outstanding in the month of January, with a 1.32 GAA and a .950% save percentage.
Rookie of the Month: Riley Patterson (Barrie Colts)
Rookie and draft eligible forward Riley Patterson has certainly put himself on the map this month with his performance. He had some struggles adapting to the OHL level, but he seems to have found his groove.
Patterson's been able to find himself more room inside the slot, something he wasn't able to find in the first few months of the season. His timing of plays and shots has improved a lot, and he has found his finishing touch.
Patterson will be a name to watch come draft day. He has all the offensive tools and a wide skill set, but he is just now just finding his groove production-wise at the major junior level.