A trio of Kitchener Rangers earned honours on Wednesday as the Ontario Hockey League announced selections for its all-star and all-rookie teams.
Defenceman Hunter Brzustewicz was selected for the second all-star team, while fellow blueliner Cameron Reid was selected for the first all-rookie team and Tanner Lam made the second rookie squad.
Brzustewicz, who was the OHL’s 10th leading scorer, finished the season with 13 goals and 79 assists.
He signed on with the Calgary Flames after the season came to a close. He was a second-round pick of the Vancouver Canucks but was dealt to Calgary in a mid-season trade.
Reid, who was Kitchener’s top choice in last year’s OHL draft, finished his first season with two goals and 21 assists in 49 games.
Lam, who was drafted in the second round, ended his initial campaign with 13 goals and 18 assists in 61 games.
Notable for their absences were Kitchener’s top scorer Carson Rehkopf and rookie coach Jussi Ahokas.
Rehkopf finished the season in ninth place on the OHL scoring list despite missing a few weeks while playing for the Canadian squad at the world junior hockey championship.
Ahokas, who came over last summer from Finland, led a young Rangers squad to an unexpected fourth-place finish in the Western Conference.
The league’s GMs are the ones who get to cast a ballot for the OHL all-star and all-rookie teams.
Easton Cowan of the London Knights was voted the OHL’s Most Outstanding Player, while Zayne Parekh of the Saginaw Spirit got the nod as top defenceman and Jacob Oster was named the top goalie.
The three were named to the league’s first team along with Dalibor Dvorský and Quentin Musty of the Sudbury Wolves and Knights defenceman Oliver Bonk.
Derek Laxdal of the Oshawa Generals was Coach of the Year ahead of the Knights’ Dale Hunter and Ryan Oulahen of the North Bay Battalion.
What follows are the OHL’s 2023-24 all-star and all-rookie teams:
First all-star team
Centre – Dalibor Dvorský (Sudbury)
Left wing – Quentin Musty (Sudbury)
Right wing – Easton Cowan (London) (Most Outstanding Player) – voted second all-rookie team in 2022-23
Defence – Zayne Parekh (Saginaw) (Defenceman of the Year) – voted first all-rookie team in 2022-23
Defence – Oliver Bonk (London) – voted second all-rookie team in 2022-23
Goaltender – Jacob Oster (Oshawa) (Goaltender of the Year)
Coach – Derek Laxdal (Oshawa) (Coach of the Year)
Second all-star team
Centre – Calum Ritchie (Oshawa)
Left wing – Denver Barkey (London)
Right wing – Anthony Romani (North Bay)
Defence – Hunter Brzustewicz (Kitchener)
Defence – Sam Dickinson (London) – voted first all-rookie team in 2022-23
Goaltender – Michael Simpson (London) Coach – Dale Hunter (London)
Third all-star team
Centre – Owen Beck (Saginaw)
Left wing – Liam Greentree (Windsor)
Right wing – David Goyette (Sudbury)
Defence – Ty Nelson (North Bay)
Defence – Michael Buchinger (Guelph)
Goaltender – Carter George (Owen Sound)
Coach – Ryan Oulahen (North Bay)
First all-rookie team
Centre – Jake O’Brien (Brantford) (Rookie of the Year)
Left wing – Ryan Roobroeck (Niagara)
Right wing – Travis Hayes (Sault Ste. Marie)
Defence – Matthew Schaefer (Erie)
Defence – Cameron Reid (Kitchener)
Goaltender – Carter George (Owen Sound)
Second all-rookie team
Centre – Sam O’Reilly (London)
Left wing – Cole Davis (Windsor)
Right wing – Tanner Lam (Kitchener)
Defence – Jakub Fibigr (Mississauga)
Defence – Carson Cameron (Peterborough)
Goaltender – Jack Ivankovic (Mississauga)
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