Earlier today, the OHL announced that San Jose Sharks prospect Sam Dickinson is the 2024-25 winner of the Max Kaminsky Trophy, which is awarded to the OHL Defenseman of the Year. 

The 6-foot-3 defender is in his third season playing for the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League. In 55 games this season, he scored 29 goals and added 62 assists to lead London with 91 points. 

In the first half of the season, Dickinson acquired points like a man possessed, scoring seemingly at will. At one point, he was one of the top-three scorers in the league. 

At Christmas, he was selected to represent Canada at the World Junior Championship in Ottawa. While the team did not find the success it was looking for, Dickinson picked up three assists in five games. It should be remembered that just making the team is an impressive feat for an 18-year-old.

By the end of the year, Dickinson outscored every defender in major juniors save for Calgary Flames prospect Zayne Parekh, who led all CHL defenders with 107 points. 

Some will see Dickinson winning the trophy as controversial, given that he was outscored by Parekh, who won the award last season and led OHL defenders in goals, assists, and points. While this is a valid argument, Dickinson outpaced Parekh in several key metrics.

Firstly, he finished the year with a stunning plus-64, which led the entire OHL. Comparatively, Parekh posted a plus-42 despite outscoring Dickinson. While plus-minus is a flawed stat, no player leads the OHL in that category by accident.

Knights Sweep Otters To Advance To Western Conference Finals The seemingly unstoppable London Knights defeated the Erie Otters in overtime to sweep their second-round series and advance to the Western Conference Finals.

Secondly, Dickinson finished the year with 39 penalty minutes compared to Parekh's 96. 

The two stats combined suggest Dickinson allowed fewer goals to be scored while he was on the ice, and took fewer penalties doing so than Parekh. 

It looks like the San Jose Sharks picked a winner when they drafted Dickinson with the eleventh-overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft. Sharks fans should be eagerly anticipating the day they get to see him put on the teal Sharks jersey for his first NHL game. 

At the OHL level, he is a two-way defender capable of shutting down opponents while making elite offensive plays.  His ability to join the rush is one of his greatest attributes, and it's significant that he has been entrusted with quarterbacking London's top powerplay over players like Cam Allen and Oliver Bonk, who are stars in their own right. 

London is gearing up for a return to the Western Conference Finals, which get started tomorrow night. They are undefeated in the playoffs this season and will enjoy having home ice advantage going into the series against Kitchener.