Part 3 of this series: 1/3 of the way through the OHL regular season, here is the top rookie for each team in the Midwest Division thus far, and a deeper look into their early contributions.
In the early days of December, we are roughly one third of the way through the OHL season.
Here is a look at each Midwest Division team's rookie standout thus far:
Erie Otters: Matthew Schaefer
The 2023 1st overall pick in the OHL Priority Selection has had an on-par start to his junior career in Erie. Matthew Schaefer hasn't knocked it out of the park, but he has transitioned smoothly to the OHL.
The smooth-skating, highly aware defender has been noticeable for all of the right reasons. Schaefer looks dominant and confident every time he touches the puck, and his hockey sense is evidently advanced at this level. He has been taking care of both ends of the ice, but offensively his vision is evident.
These tools haven't been popping out in the stats column, but visually it is clear that Schaefer belongs at this level of play. With the lack of defensive depth in Erie, Schaefer has had to come in and fill a big role. He hasn't had the opportunity to strictly focus on his offensive and transition game, which is holding him back in the production category.
The offence will surely come for Schaefer, and he has a great role model ahead of him in the lineup — Spencer Sova.
Guelph Storm: Leo Serlin
The 2006-born forward has almost come out of nowhere this season, making the Storm as a 2022 5th round pick. Serlin played for the Haliburton County Huskies in the OJHL last season, where he dominated as a rookie.
Serlin is an effective two-way forward who plays with a lot of energy and compete at both ends of the ice. He can be dangerous in transition, but he is also never leaving his defence out to dry.
He has 13 points through 26 games this season for Guelph, playing in the bottom-six for the majority of the season thus far.
Kitchener Rangers: Tanner Lam
For the Kitchener Rangers offensively, Tanner Lam is undoubtedly the standout player. Defensively and terms of all-round game, it has been Luke Ellinas. For the purposes of this piece, and his ability to create and produce in the OHL out of the gates, Tanner Lam has been Kitchener's rookie standout.
Despite Lam's high-risk game, he has been able to create efficiently at the junior level and drive using his hands and quickness. He often drives through traffic, which is something that he will need to work on to make it to the next level, but it has been working so far.
Lam has been one of the top producers among rookies in the OHL, with 17 points in 27 games. He has played one of the biggest roles among players in the 2007 draft class so far, providing lots of secondary offence for the Rangers.
London Knights: Sam O'Reilly
Sam O'Reilly is just one of the most recent success stories of the London Knights development plan, as he spent all of last season playing in the GOJHL (Junior B). This is similar to 1st round picks Oliver Bonk and Easton Cowan, as they both played their entire rookie seasons in Junior B before breaking into the OHL.
O'Reilly has proven himself to be a high-end playmaker at the junior level, especially with his vision low in the offensive zone. His hockey sense and mature play style is admirable for his age.
He is tied for the rookie scoring lead with 18 points through 28 games, along with a 50.4% faceoff percentage. He has been playing in the Knights' middle-six, and it is just a matter of time before he gets his opportunity with the top guns on the first line.
The draft eligible centre has separated himself as one of the higher-end forwards from the OHL in this draft class, and should hear his name called at the draft in June.
Owen Sound Attack: Carter George
Carter George has not only been one of the best rookie goaltenders, but he has been one of the best goaltenders in the entire OHL. Owen Sound has relied on George as their starter, and he has not disappointed.
The draft eligible netminder has been a large piece in Owen Sound's success this year, and his calmness in the net gives his team confidence.
George is a solid goaltender who isn't super active in the net, but he is stable and disciplined positionally. He will never let in a goal due to poor positioning, and pucks usually go through him instead of around him. Considering the amount of shots he is facing game-to-game, he has not let many pucks through him this season.
He has faced the third-most amount of shots among all OHL goalies, and as a rookie, he has been very impressive under this immense pressure.