Toronto, Ont. – The Ontario Hockey League today announced Academic Players of the Month for December including Callum Cheynowski of the Hamilton Bulldogs, Grayson Tiller of the Barrie Colts, Nathan Sauder of the Erie Otters and Tristan Bertucci of the Flint Firebirds.
East Division: Hamilton Bulldogs rookie defenceman Callum Cheynowski is the OHL East Division Academic Player of the Month for December.
Cheynowski is achieving a 93 percent average in grade 12 university-level French, a 98 percent average in Accounting and a 96 percent average in university-level Functions at Ancaster High School.
“Callum has demonstrated impressive academic achievement across a breadth of specialties,” said Bulldogs academic advisor Sean Nicholson. “Callum’s teachers regularly note the diligent attention he pays to his studies, and how he’s always on time with his assignments, even after a long road trip. Callum is a role model for other students and has managed to achieve the perfect balance between academic and on-ice commitments.”
The 16-year-old from Welland, Ont. has played nine games this season, recording one assist for the Bulldogs. He’s recorded an additional six points (4-2–6) in 10 games with the Thorold Blackhawks of the GOJHL. The 6-foot, 187Ib. blueliner was selected in the third round (63rd overall) by Hamilton in the 2022 OHL Priority Selection.
Central Division: Barrie Colts defenceman Grayson Tiller is the OHL Central Division Academic Player of the Month for December.
Tiller is currently achieving academic excellence in grade 12 university-level Chemistry, university-level Advanced Functions and is currently enrolled in the High Performance Athlete Co-op Program at Innisdale Secondary School.
“Grayson is a straight-A student,” said Colts academic advisor Chris Cudmore. “Just like his on-ice preparation, he his very dedicated, responsible and teachable in the classroom.”
The 17-year-old from St. Catharines, Ont. has played 28 games this season, recording five assists for the Colts. The 5-foot-10, 189Ib. blueliner was selected in the third round (44th overall) by Barrie in the 2021 OHL Priority Selection.
Midwest Division: Erie Otters defenceman Nathan Sauder is the OHL Midwest Division Academic Player of the Month for December.
Sauder has recently completed Kinesiology with a 93 percent average at Blyth Academy and is currently achieving a 96 percent average in Art History, a 74 percent average in Functions and an 87 percent average in English at Fairview High School.
“All his current and former teachers, both in person and online report that Nathan is an excellent student dedicated to his studies,” said Otters academic advisor Leigh Kostis. “He works well independently and maintains high academic standards with a very demanding on and off-ice schedule.”
The Mississauga, Ont. native has played 30 games this season, recording one goal and four assists for the Otters. Erie selected Sauder in the third round (54th overall) of the 2021 OHL Priority Selection.
West Division: Flint Firebirds blueliner Tristan Bertucci is the OHL West Division Academic Player of the Month for December.
Bertucci is currently achieving academic excellence in grade 12 Nutrition, Leadership, Modern Business, Physical Education, English and Chemistry.
“Tristan works hard on and off the ice and is a valuable player,” said Firebirds academic advisor Elizabeth Hoffman. “He has been working with the Business team at Dort Financial to help organize activities in his Leadership course. On top of managing his own academic and on-ice balance, Tristan also helps get players to school daily as well as to the rink for practice.”
The 17-year-old from Vaughan, Ont. has appeared in 30 games this season, recording three goals and 16 assists. Bertucci was selected in the first round (7th overall) by the Firebirds in the 2021 OHL Priority Selection. NHL Central Scouting listed Bertucci as a ‘C’ rated skater for the 2023 NHL Draft on their Players to Watch List issued earlier this season.
2022-23 OHL Academic Players of the Month:
East Division:
December – Callum Cheynowski (Hamilton Bulldogs)
November – James Guo (Peterborough Petes)
October – Brad Gardiner (Ottawa 67’s)
Central Division:
December – Grayson Tiller (Barrie Colts)
November – Finn Harding (Mississauga Steelheads)
October – Kieron Walton (Sudbury Wolves)
Midwest Division:
December – Nathan Sauder (Erie Otters)
November – Braedyn Rogers (Owen Sound Attack)
October – Denver Barkey (London Knights)
West Division:
December – Tristan Bertucci (Flint Firebirds)
November – Bronson Ride (Windsor Spitfires)
October – Alex Kostov (Soo Greyhounds)
The OHL continues to produce student-athletes that move on to both professional and U SPORTS men’s hockey endeavours.
A total of 349 graduates utilized their OHL Scholarship at post-secondary institutions across North America during the 2021-22 academic year, with a total contribution by teams of over $3.5 million. Over the past 10 seasons, OHL Scholarship payments have totalled more than $25 million.
A total of 217 OHL Alumni were included on U SPORTS men’s hockey rosters to open the 2022-23 season.
Click here for more information about ‘OHL Players First’ programs.
