Toronto, Ont. – The Ontario Hockey League today announced Top Performers of the Month for games played in February 2024.
Player of the Month – David Goyette (Sudbury Wolves)
Seattle Kraken prospect David Goyette of the Sudbury Wolves is the OHL Player of the Month, leading the League with 25 points including eight goals and 17 assists over 13 games played in February. Increasing his point streak to 15 consecutive games, Goyette registered points in all 13 showings this month including a trio of three-point performances on Feb. 9 against the Niagara IceDogs, Feb. 19 against the Guelph Storm, and Feb. 25 against the Mississauga Steelheads. Goyette tallied his sixth four-point showing of the season on Feb. 11, tallying a goal and three assists in an 8-7 overtime win against the Steelheads. He helped the Wolves climb to second in the Eastern Conference standings with a February record of 8-4-0-1, clinching a spot in the OHL Playoffs. He’s the first Wolves player to earn OHL Player of the Month honours since Michael Sgarbossa in February 2012.
A soon-to-be 20-year-old, Goyette leads all OHL point-getters with 95 points (36-59-95) through 57 games played this season. The Hawkesbury, Ont. native ranks fifth in goal-scoring and second in assists, registering a plus/minus rating of plus-15. A 5-foot-11, 181Ib. right-winger, Goyette is in his third season with the Wolves, having recorded 110 goals, 150 assists and 260 points over 186 career regular season games since being selected by Sudbury with the 11th overall pick of the 2020 OHL Priority Selection. Goyette was drafted by the Seattle Kraken with their second round (61st overall) pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, signing a three-year entry-level contract with the club on Apr. 10, 2023. Goyette won a gold medal with Canada at the 2022 Hlinka Gretzky Cup.
Defenceman of the Month – Sam Dickinson (London Knights)
Top 2024 NHL Draft-eligible prospect Sam Dickinson of the London Knights is the OHL Defenceman of the Month, recording 20 points including four goals and 16 assists along with a plus/minus rating of plus-9 over 12 games. Dickinson helped the League-leading Knights play to a February mark of 10-2 as they clinched a spot in the OHL Playoffs for a 23rd straight season. Recording points in 11 of his 12 outings, Dickinson recorded a three-point showing on Feb. 7, registering three assists in a 9-2 win over Flint. He helped lead the Knights to an overtime victory over the Generals on Feb.11, tallying a pair of assists including one on the game-winner. Dickinson registered a goal and an assist on Feb. 24, helping the Knights earn a 4-3 shootout win over the Ottawa 67’s. Dickinson follows teammate Oliver Bonk in being named OHL Defenceman of the Month. They’re the first set of teammates to claim the honour in the same season since Knights rearguards Evan Bouchard and Adam Boqvist last did so in 2018-19.
A 17-year-old from Toronto, Ont., Dickinson sits third among OHL defencemen with 63 points (17-46–63) over 58 games while his plus/minus rating of plus-45 ranks second among all OHL skaters. Selected fourth overall by the Niagara IceDogs in the 2022 OHL Priority Selection, the 6-foot-3, 195Ib. defenceman has registered 26 goals, 60 assists, and 86 points in 120 played over two seasons with the Knights. He helped the Knights reach the OHL Championship Series last spring after being voted to the OHL’s first all-rookie team, recording four goals and four assists during their 21-game playoff run. Dickinson won gold with Canada at the 2023 Hlinka Gretzky Cup last summer and was the seventh ranked North American skater on NHL Central Scouting’s Midseason NHL Draft Rankings released on Jan. 12.
Goaltender of the Month – Dom DiVincentiis (North Bay Battalion)
Winnipeg Jets prospect Dom DiVincentiis of the North Bay Battalion is the OHL Goaltender of the Month for February, playing to a 7-1 record with a 2.39 goals-against average and .916 save percentage along with a shutout. Helping the Battalion clinch a spot in the OHL Playoffs, DiVincentiis opened the month with his first shutout of the season on Feb. 1 with a 22-save performance against the Mississauga Steelheads. DiVincentiis had a pair of 30+ save performances, earning wins on Feb. 16 against Ottawa and Feb. 23 against Saginaw as the Battalion now sit third in the Eastern Conference standings. This marks DiVincentiis’ third OHL Goaltender of the Month honour, following previous recognition in January and March 2023.
A soon-to-be 20-year-old from Bolton, Ont., DiVincentiis has played to a season record of 21-9-3-1 including a shutout, along with a 3.22 goals-against average and .891 save percentage. Selected in the sixth round (116th overall) by North Bay in the 2020 OHL Priority Selection, the 6-foot-3, 200lb. netminder has appeared in 110 career regular season contests, recording a 71-26-5-2 record, 2.68 goals-against average and .907 save percentage over three seasons. Backstopping the Battalion to back-to-back Eastern Conference Championship Series appearances, the reigning OHL Goaltender of the Year has had great success in the playoffs, making 26 appearances while accruing a record of 13-9-4-0 with a 2.76 goals-against average and .914 save percentage. A former seventh round pick of the Winnipeg Jets in the 2022 NHL Draft, DiVincentiis signed a three-year entry-level contract with the club on July 5, 2023.
Rookie of the Month – Riley Patterson (Barrie Colts)
Barrie Colts forward Riley Patterson is the OHL Rookie of the Month for the second month in a row, leading all first-year talents with 18 points including 10 goals and eight assists over 12 games. Patterson put together six multi-point performances in the month of February, including a a three-point effort with a pair of goals and an assist on Feb. 17. Patterson tallied five points in his final two games of the month, closing out February with a second three-point performance on Feb. 28, scoring two goals and an assist to help the Colts defeat the Sudbury Wolves. Patterson becomes the first player to earn two OHL Rookie of the Month honours in the same season since Shane Wright (Kingston) and Mason McTavish (Peterborough) did so in 2019-20.
A soon-to-be 18-year-old from Burlington, Ont., Patterson currently leads OHL rookies with 26 goals, adding 30 assists for 56 points over 56 games. The 6-foot, 194Ib. centreman joined the Colts last summer, coming over in a trade from the Flint Firebirds who selected him in the third round (57th overall) of the 2022 OHL Priority Selection. A former OHL Cup champion with the Mississauga Senators U16 program, Patterson was the OJHL Rookie of the Year in 2022-23, recording 73 points (30-43–73) over 52 games with the North York Rangers Jr. A program. Patterson was the 116th ranked North American skater on NHL Central Scouting’s Midseason NHL Draft Rankings released on Jan. 12.
2023-24 OHL Performers of the Month:
Player of the Month:February – David Goyette (Sudbury Wolves)
January – Calum Ritchie (Oshawa Generals)
December – Ruslan Gazizov (London Knights)November – Filip Mesar (Kitchener Rangers)October – Carson Rehkopf (Kitchener Rangers)
Defenceman of the Month:February – Sam Dickinson (London Knights)
January – Oliver Bonk (London Knights)
December – Nick DeAngelis (Sudbury Wolves)November – Zayne Parekh (Saginaw Spirit)October – Hunter Brzustewicz (Kitchener Rangers)
Goaltender of the Month:February – Dom DiVincentiis (North Bay Battalion)
January – Michael Simpson (London Knights)
December – Marcus Vandenberg (Sudbury Wolves)November – Jackson Parsons (Kitchener Rangers)October – Brayden Gillespie (Guelph Storm)
Rookie of the Month:February – Riley Patterson (Barrie Colts)
January – Riley Patterson (Barrie Colts)
December – Jake O’Brien (Brantford Bulldogs)November – Cole Davis (Windsor Spitfires)October – Carter George (Owen Sound Attack)
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