OHL: Syvret named Defenceman of the Year

The Ontario Hockey League today announced that London Knights' captain Danny Syvret is the winner of the Max Kaminsky Trophy as the OHL's most outstanding defenceman for the 2004-05 season.

Syvret was second in scoring among all OHL blueliners this season with 23 goals and 46 assists for 69 points in 62 games. He also led the OHL with a plus-70 plus-minus rating. The 19-year-old from Millgrove, Ontario enjoyed a 13-game scoring streak that stretched from January 16 through February 13. He had 15 multiple-point games, including four point efforts against the Windsor Spitfires on October 8 and the Belleville Bulls on November 12.

Syvret was one of five Ontario Hockey League stars that helped Team Canada win the gold medal at the World Junior Championships in Grand Forks, North Dakota last January. Syvret was the OHL defenceman of the month in November and was selected to the OHL's First All-Star Team.

The Max Kaminsky Trophy is awarded each year to the Most Outstanding Defenceman as selected by OHL general managers. Teams were not permitted to vote for their own nominee. Players received five points for a first place vote, three points for a second place vote and one point for a third place vote.

Syvret received 81 points in the voting, while runner-up Andre Benoit of the Kitchener Rangers received 48 points and Kyle Quincey of the Mississauga IceDogs was third with 22 points.

Previous winners of the Max Kaminsky Trophy include Denis Potvin (Ottawa 1971-72 and 1972-73), Al MacInnis (Kitchener 1982-83), Chris Pronger (Peterborough 1992-93) and Bryan Berard (Detroit 1994-95 and 1995-96). James Wisniewski of the Plymouth Whalers won the trophy last year. The award is named in honour of Kaminsky, who played 10 years in the National Hockey League before coaching the St. Catharines TeePees to the Memorial Cup in 1960.