Toronto, ON – The
Ontario Hockey
League today
announced the top
OHL Performers of
the Month for
October, 2011,
including Sarnia
Sting forward Nail
Yakupov and
goaltender Brandon
Maxwell, defenceman
Dougie Hamilton of
the Niagara IceDogs,
and rookie Artur
Gavrus of the Owen
Sound Attack.
OHL
Player of the Month
– Nail Yakupov,
Sarnia Sting
Nail Yakupov led the
league in scoring
with 29 points in 13
games for the Sarnia
Sting producing 11
goals and a
league-high 18
assists. He
recorded a point in
12 of his 13 games
with an impressive
nine multi-point
games along with the
league’s second
highest plus-minus
rating of plus-13.
He claimed OHL and
CHL Player of the
Week honours for the
week ending October
16 where he matched
a career-high with
four assists October
14 as third star of
a 7-2 win over the
Saginaw Spirit.
Yakupov was
recognized as a star
of the game seven
times in October
with four first-star
performances
including a stretch
of three straight
games from October
22-29 where he
scored seven points
in three games. He
was also named first
star of a 7-2 win
over the Sudbury
Wolves with two
goals and two
assists to open the
month on October 1.
Yakupov, an
18-year-old Russian
native of
Nizhnekamsk, is
playing in his
second OHL season
with the Sting and
was named the OHL
and CHL Rookie of
the Year last
season. The 2012
NHL Entry Draft
prospect currently
leads the OHL in
scoring with 34
points in 16 games
with 12 goals and a
league-high 22
assists. Yakupov
will also compete
for Team Russia in
the 2011 SUBWAY
Super Series on
November 10 in
Ottawa, ON.
OHL Defenceman of
the Month – Dougie
Hamilton, Niagara
IceDogs
Dougie Hamilton led
all OHL defencemen
in scoring with 20
points in 12 games
including seven
goals and 13 assists
for the Niagara
IceDogs in October.
He put together a
career-high nine
game point streak
that began on
October 6 and
included seven
multi-point games
including one
contest on October 8
where he matched a
career-high with
four assists despite
an 8-6 loss to the
Barrie Colts. His
point streak ended
with a first star
performance on
October 26 with a
goal and two assists
as part of a 6-4 win
over the Erie
Otters.
Hamilton, an
18-year-old from
Toronto, ON, is
playing in his third
OHL season with the
IceDogs. Last
season Hamilton
finished third in
voting for the OHL
Defenceman of the
Year Award but
claimed both OHL and
CHL Scholastic
Player of the Year
honours. Selected
ninth overall by the
Boston Bruins in the
2011 NHL Entry
Draft, Hamilton has
23 points in 14
games this season
and will compete for
Team OHL in the 2011
SUBWAY Super Series
November 10 in
Ottawa, ON, and
November 14 in Sault
Ste. Marie, ON.
OHL Rookie of
the Month –
Artur Gavrus,
Owen Sound
Attack
Artur Gavrus led
all OHL rookies
in scoring with
13 points in 11
October games
for the Owen
Sound Attack
scoring eight
goals and five
assists. He
recorded three
multi-point
games including
his first career
hat-trick on
October 10 in a
6-3 win over the
Saginaw Spirit
where he was
named first star
of the game.
Gavrus finished
October with a
six-game point
streak.
Gavrus, a
17-year-old from
Belarus was
selected by the
Attack in the
first round of
the 2011 CHL
Import Draft 55th
overall. The
2012 NHL Entry
Draft prospect
has eight goals
and seven
assists for 15
points in 16
games so far
this season.
