Whalers' Beau Schmitz Named OHL Player of the Week

Audio courtesy of Pete Krupsky and www.plymouthwhalers.com.

From the Ontario Hockey League:

Toronto, ON – The Ontario Hockey League today announced that defenceman Beau Schmitz of the Plymouth Whalers is the OHL Player of the Week for the week ending January 1 after scoring four goals and one assist for five points in three games with a league-high plus-minus rating of plus-8.

Schmitz helped the Whalers win three straight games coming off the winter break and becomes the first defenceman in the OHL to claim the award this season.  He also became the first defenceman this season to record a hat-trick when he netted three including the game-winner as first star of a 7-4 win over the Windsor Spitfires on New Year’s Eve.  Earlier in the week Schmitz scored a goal in a 7-3 win over the Saginaw Spirit on Friday night, and recorded an assist as part of a 6-1 win over the London Knights on Wednesday.

Audio:  Schmitz's first goal on Saturday in a 7-4 win in Windsor. 

Second goal, in third period to cut the Windsor lead to 4-3.   

Game winning goal at 14:18 of the third period.

 Schmitz, a 20-year-old from Howell, is playing in his fourth OHL season.  The Whalers’ captain is currently fourth in scoring among OHL defenseman with 31 points in 37 games which includes a career-high 11 goals.  He is also tied for fifth overall with a plus-minus rating of plus-21.

Also considered for the award this week was Andy Andreoff of the Oshawa Generals and Riley Brace of the Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors.  Both players picked up seven points in three games with Andreoff scoring once with six assists, and Brace scoring twice with five assists.  In goal, Franky Palazzese of the Kitchener Rangers went 3-0-0-0 with a goals-against-average of 2.00 with a save percentage of .944.

2011-12 OHL Players of the Week:

Dec. 26 – Jan. 1: Beau Schmitz, Plymouth Whalers

Dec. 12 – Dec. 18: Andrew Agozzino, Niagara IceDogs

Dec. 5 – Dec. 11: Philip Lane, Brampton Battalion

Nov. 28 – Dec. 4: Christian Thomas, Oshawa Generals

Nov. 21 – Nov. 27: Brendan Gaunce, Belleville Bulls

Nov. 14 – Nov. 20: Tanner Pearson, Barrie Colts

Nov. 7 – Nov. 13: Ryan Spooner, Kingston Frontenacs

Oct. 31 – Nov. 6: Matt Puempel, Peterborough Petes

Oct. 24 – Oct. 30: Shane Prince, Ottawa 67’s

Oct. 17 – Oct. 23: Brandon Saad, Saginaw Spirit

Oct. 10 – Oct. 16: Nail Yakupov, Sarnia Sting

Oct. 3 – Oct. 9: Greg McKegg, Erie Otters

Sept. 26 – Oct. 2: Seth Griffith, London Knights

Sept. 21 – Sept. 25: Tanner Pearson, Barrie Colts

Additional content:  OHL defensemen have scored two goals in a game 10 different times this season:

9/30/11 - Stuart Percy, Mississauga.

10/7/11 and 12/10/11 - Derek Holden, Erie.

11/18/11 - Cody Sol, Kitchener.

10/10/11 - Dylan Blujus, Brampton.

12/9/11 - Travis Wood, Erie.

10/15/11 - Doug Hamilton, Niagara.

12/17/11 - Ryan Sproul, Sault Ste. Marie. 

12/30/11 - Kyle Hope, Oshawa.

11/19/11 - Beau Schmitz, Plymouth