Toronto, Ont. – The Ontario Hockey League today announced that New York Islanders prospect Matthew Maggio of the Windsor Spitfires is the 2022-23 recipient of the Red Tilson Trophy, an award presented annually to the OHL’s Most Outstanding Player during the regular season as voted by the writers and broadcasters that cover the league. The OHL’s Most Outstanding Player Award is presented by Kia.
“As proud partner of the CHL and presenting sponsor of the Memorial Cup, Kia Canada is thrilled to congratulate Matthew Maggio of the Windsor Spitfires, recognized as the OHL’s Most Outstanding Player for the 2022-23 season,” said Michael Kopke, Director of Marketing for Kia Canada. “Matthew’s performance this season has been remarkable and we look forward to seeing where it takes him next.”
Maggio led the OHL with 54 goals and 111 points in 66 games, and gives the Spitfires back-to-back Red Tilson Trophy recipients after current Dallas Stars forward Wyatt Johnston claimed the honour in 2021-22. Maggio helped the Spitfires win their second of back-to-back West Division titles and becomes the first player in OHL history to receive both the Red Tilson Trophy as Most Outstanding Player, while also being voted the league’s Overage Player of the Year.
“I am incredibly honoured and humbled to receive the Red Tilson Trophy,” said Maggio. “I would like to acknowledge the support and contributions of my family, friends, teammates, coaches, management, and ownership with the Windsor Spitfires. I am grateful for their guidance, motivation, and unwavering support throughout the season. I am also honoured to join the esteemed group of past winners and their legacy of excellence in the OHL and the sport of hockey. This award is not only a personal achievement, but a reflection of the team’s success. I would like to thank the OHL and its fans for this recognition, and I am excited to continue working hard to achieve even greater success in the future.”
“Matt was a consistent performer all year,” noted Spitfires General Manager Bill Bowler. “He was valuable to our organization both on and off the ice. This award is a credit to Matt and all his hard work.”
Maggio’s 111 points were 35 more than the next-highest scorer on his team. He was a plus-41 performer, scoring just four of his 54 goals on the power play to become one of four players in the past decade to score at least 45 even strength goals in a season. He led the league with 311 shots on goal and was held pointless in just nine of his 66 games.
“Matt was the hardest worker on the Spitfires this season and played the right way night in night out and got rewarded for it,” said Spitfires Head Coach Marc Savard. “He is a great human being, and it’s great to see. Well deserved.”
A 20-year-old native of Tecumseh, Ont., Maggio wraps-up his OHL career with 99 goals, 118 assists and 217 points over 212 regular season contests spent between Windsor and the Ottawa 67’s, who selected him in the fifth-round (86th overall) of the 2018 OHL Priority Selection. He tied a Spitfires single game franchise record with his five goals on Dec. 15th in a 6-3 win over the Erie Otters, joining Daniel D’Amico, Paul Gagne and Gerry Leroux as the fourth Spitfire to accomplish the feat. The 6-foot, 185Ib. right-winger recorded 17 points (7-10–17) in 25 games last spring as the Spits won a Western Conference title and reached Game 7 of the OHL Championship Series. He was a fifth-round (142nd overall) pick of the New York Islanders in the 2022 NHL Draft, and signed a three-year entry-level NHL contract with the club on May 1, 2023.
Maggio follows Johnston (2021-22) as well as blueliner Ryan Ellis (2010-11), forward Ernie Godden (1980-81) and goaltender Glenn Hall (1950-51) as the fifth Spitfire to earn the Red Tilson Trophy. Recent winners have included Marco Rossi (Ottawa 2020), Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (Sudbury 2019), Jordan Kyrou (Sarnia 2018) and Alex DeBrincat (Erie 2017).
The Red Tilson Trophy is the most prestigious individual award presented by the Ontario Hockey League. First presented in 1945, the trophy is named in honour of Albert “Red” Tilson, who was killed in action in Europe during World War II. Tilson was the OHA scoring champion for the 1942-43 season after scoring 19 goals and 38 assists for 57 points in 22 games with the Oshawa Generals.
Accredited media were asked to select their top choice from a ballot consisting of 20 team-nominated representatives. Maggio emerged as the front-runner, receiving 45 percent of the vote ahead of Barrie Colts defenceman Brandt Clarke, who received 23 percent. Sarnia Sting forward Ty Voit placed third, earning 11 percent of the vote.
The Red Tilson Trophy winner is the OHL’s nominee for the Canadian Hockey League Player of the Year Award, presented at the CHL Awards Ceremony on Saturday, June 3 during the 2023 Memorial Cup presented by Kia which takes place in Kamloops, British Columbia. Maggio will be formally presented with the Red Tilson Trophy at the OHL’s Awards Ceremony on Wednesday, June 14 at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto.
For a complete list of award winners, click here.
