Toronto, Ont. – The Ontario Hockey League today announced that draft eligible Mississauga Steelheads goaltender Ryerson Leenders is the OHL Goaltender of the Week for a second straight week. He played to a 2-0 record with a 0.50 goals-against average, .981 save percentage and one shutout as the Steelheads climbed to the top of the Eastern Conference standings last week.
After earning top honours last week, Leenders returned to the crease on Thursday in Niagara, stopping all 29 shots he faced for his second shutout of the young season as the Steelheads beat the IceDogs 2-0. He got the start on Sunday at home against Brantford, turning aside 24-of-25 shots in a 6-1 win over the Bulldogs.
A 17-year-old from Nanticoke, Ont., Leenders leads the league through two weeks of action, going 4-0 with a 1.00 goals-against-average and .967 save percentage. The 6-foot-1, 176Ib. sophomore played to a mark of 12-15-3-0 with a 3.48 goals-against average and .879 save percentage over 35 games as a rookie in Mississauga last year. Leenders was the first goaltender selected in the 2022 OHL Priority Selection, being taken by the Steelheads in the second round (32nd overall) out of the Toronto Nationals U16 program. He won a gold medal with Canada’s men’s national under-18 team this past summer at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup in Czechia and Slovakia.
Also considered for the award this week, Brayden Gillespie of the Guelph Storm went 1-1 with a shutout and .951 save percentage over two outings. Carolina Hurricanes prospect Jakub Vondras of the Sudbury Wolves earned his first OHL shutout, going 1-1 with a 2.50 goals-against average and .921 save percentage.
2023-24 OHL Goaltenders of the Week – Regular Season:
Oct. 2 – Oct. 8: Ryerson Leenders (Mississauga Steelheads)
Sep. 28 – Oct. 1: Ryerson Leenders (Mississauga Steelheads)
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