London Knights goaltender Brett Brochu is one of two finalists for Ontario Hockey League goaltender of the year.
The OHL announced its award nominees on April 27 and Brochu and Marco Costantini of the Hamilton Bulldogs both received nods for their work between the pipes in the 2021-22 season.
An injury kept Brochu out of the Knights’ crease for almost exactly six weeks but he had built up such a brilliant stack of stats and overall resume for the season that the missed time didn’t end up hurting the 19-year-old from Tilbury, Ont., one bit.
When Brochu suffered an ankle injury on March 8 in Kitchener, Ont., he was the league leader in wins. He was eventually passed by Luke Cavallin of the Flint Firebirds and then in the final two weeks of the season by Costantini and Leevi Merilainen of the Kingston Frontenacs but it took that long.
Brochu ended the year with 29 victories and the third-best save percentage at .911, behind only Costantini and Barrie Colts overager Mack Guzda.
After being cleared to play again, Brochu made his return to the London net at the start of the playoffs against the Kitchener Rangers and is 2-2 through the first four games with a save percentage of .908.
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Brochu spent 2020-21 with the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins of the American Hockey League and performed well enough for the Penguins to give Brochu his first professional start in the final game of the season. He became the youngest player to appear in a game for Wilkes-Barre.
The other finalists for OHL awards are as follows:
Most Outstanding Player
Wyatt Johnston – Windsor Spitfires
Brandon Coe – North Bay Battalion
Defenceman of the Year
Ryan O’Rourke – Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds
Nathan Staios – Hamilton Bulldogs
Rookie of the Year
Cam Allen – Guelph Storm
David Goyette – Sudbury Wolves
Overage Player of the Year
Tye Kartye – Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds
Brandon Coe – North Bay Battalion
Most Sportsmanlike
Wyatt Johnston – Windsor Spitfires
Shane Wright – Kingston Frontenacs
Coach of the Year
Ted Dent – Flint Firebirds
James Richmond – Mississauga Steelheads
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