

Boyes bronzed Rookie All-Star



Wednesday, April 29, 1999



Keefe is Rookie of the Year The ERIE OTTERS of the Ontario Hockey League are proud to announce that 17 year-old Mississauga, Ontario, native Brad Boyes finished third in the Emms Family Award voting for the OHL Rookie of the Year and earned rookie all-star accolades as the second team center.



ERIE OTTERS General Manager Sherry Bassin was pleased with the selection. "It is a testament to Brad's work ethic that he be named to the rookie team. The combination of his dedication and natural talent should earn him a bright furture in the OHL and eventually in the NHL."



The OTTERS first round choice (12th pick overall) in the 1998 OHL Priority Selection made the jump from Bantam level to the OHL and finished the 1998-99 season with 24 goals and 36 assists for a total of 60 points in 59 games, good enough for sixth place among rookie scorers and fourth on the OTTERS scoring list.



ERIE OTTERS Assistant Coach, Steve Harrison, said "Its a credit to him. He had a great season and played a lot of important minutes for a young kid. He did a fabulous job both on and off the ice."



Boyes garnered 34 votes to finish third behind OHL Rookie of the Year, Sheldon Keefe of the Barrie Colts (69 votes) and 15-year old Brampton Battalion Rookie of the Year runner-up, Jason Spezza (58 votes).



Said Boyes, upon hearing the news, "I am happy they recognized me. I give a lot of credit, though, to the veterans on the team and to Coach Theriault. Keefe had a great year. He deserves the award. I played against Spezza a lot. He has great hands and a good head on his shoulders."



Asked whether or not it was difficult to make a direct leap from Bantams to the OHL, Boyes responded, "I was nervous at first, but after a week or two I felt normal. You have to keep your head up all the time in the OHL. Honestly, I did not think I would produce right away, but I like the pressure and I got a lot of ice time because we had some veterans out to injury."



His goal for the future is not to look too far ahead. "I want to concentrate on next year and always be able to say I am proud of the way I played every night and I did not let anybody down. I want to be able to help the team with consistent scoring next season and maybe we can achieve the ultimate goal and win the Memorial Cup (Canadian Hockey League championship). As long as I am in juniors, that will be my goal."



Emms Family Award



Keefe led all OHL rookies with 51 goals and 65 assists for 116 points in 66 games this season. The 18-year-old native of Brampton was third among all OHL scorers, and led the league with 22 power-play goals. Keefe, who was traded to Barrie from Toronto in January, was the OHL Player and Rookie of the Month in December.



The Emms Family Award is presented annually to the top first year player as selected by OHL coaches and general managers. Teams were not permitted to vote for a player from their own hockey club. Players received five points for a first place vote, three points for a second place vote and one point for a third place vote.



Keefe received 69 points in the voting, while runner-up Jason Spezza of the Brampton Battalion received 58 points and Brad Boyes of the Erie Otters finished third with 34 points.



Keefe is the Ontario Hockey League nominee for the Midas Rookie of the Year award at the Canadian Hockey League awards ceremony in June.



1998-99 OHL ROOKIE OF THE YEAR VOTING POINTS PLAYER TEAM VOTING POINTS Sheldon Keefe BAR 69 Jason Spezza BRA 58 Brad Boyes ER 34 Jason Jaspers SBY 9 Darryl Bootland TOR 7



OHL All-Rookie Teams



The first OHL all-rookie team consists of goaltender Cory Campbell of the Belleville Bulls, defencemen Luke Sellars of the Ottawa 67's and Jay Harrison of the Brampton Battalion, centre Jason Spezza of the Brampton Battalion, right winger Sheldon Keefe of the Barrie Colts and left wing Denis Shvidki of the Barrie Colts.



Campbell, 17, backstopped the Bulls to second place in the East Division, posting a 28-13-4 record, along with a 3.49 goals against average and .888 save percentage. The Stratford native was Belleville's fifth round selection in the 1998 OHL Priority Selection.



Sellars, Ottawa's first round selection in 1998, scored four goals, along with 19 assists for 23 points in 56 games with the East Division champion 67's. The 17-year-old Pickering native is a highly rated prospect for the 1999 NHL Entry Draft.



Harrison, 16, was the first player selected in the 1998 OHL Priority Selection. The Whitby native posted one goal and 14 assists for 15 points in 63 games with the expansion Battalion.



Spezza, 15, played with the Battalion as an underage, and is expected to be the first overall selection in the 1999 OHL Priority Selection. The Brampton native scored 22 goals and 49 assists for 71 points in 67 games.



Keefe, the OHL Rookie of the Year, led the Colts with 51 goals and 65 assists for 116 points in 66 games. Keefe is eligible for the 1999 NHL Entry Draft.



Shvidki scored 35 goals and 59 assists for 94 points in 61 games, the second highest total among rookies, behind Keefe. His +57 rating was second in the league, behind teammate Denis Shvidki. The 18-year-old native of Kharkov, Ukraine is a rated in the first round of the 1999 NHL Entry Draft.



1998-99 ONTARIO HOCKEY LEAGUE ALL-ROOKIE TEAMS First Team G Cory Campbell Belv 61 D Luke Sellars Ott 71 D Jay Harrison Bra 48 C Jason Spezza Bra 91 RW Sheldon Keefe Bar 93 LW Denis Shvidki Bar 93 Second Team G Alex Auld NB 39 D Kelly Paddon Belv 46 D Mark Popovic Tor 42 C Brad Boyes Er 51 RW Darryl Bootland Tor 50 LW Raffi Torres Bra 38







Wednesday, April 29, 1999The ERIE OTTERS of the Ontario Hockey League are proud to announce that 17 year-old Mississauga, Ontario, native Brad Boyes finished third in the Emms Family Award voting for the OHL Rookie of the Year and earned rookie all-star accolades as the second team center.ERIE OTTERS General Manager Sherry Bassin was pleased with the selection. "It is a testament to Brad's work ethic that he be named to the rookie team. The combination of his dedication and natural talent should earn him a bright furture in the OHL and eventually in the NHL."The OTTERS first round choice (12th pick overall) in the 1998 OHL Priority Selection made the jump from Bantam level to the OHL and finished the 1998-99 season with 24 goals and 36 assists for a total of 60 points in 59 games, good enough for sixth place among rookie scorers and fourth on the OTTERS scoring list.ERIE OTTERS Assistant Coach, Steve Harrison, said "Its a credit to him. He had a great season and played a lot of important minutes for a young kid. He did a fabulous job both on and off the ice."Boyes garnered 34 votes to finish third behind OHL Rookie of the Year, Sheldon Keefe of the Barrie Colts (69 votes) and 15-year old Brampton Battalion Rookie of the Year runner-up, Jason Spezza (58 votes).Said Boyes, upon hearing the news, "I am happy they recognized me. I give a lot of credit, though, to the veterans on the team and to Coach Theriault. Keefe had a great year. He deserves the award. I played against Spezza a lot. He has great hands and a good head on his shoulders."Asked whether or not it was difficult to make a direct leap from Bantams to the OHL, Boyes responded, "I was nervous at first, but after a week or two I felt normal. You have to keep your head up all the time in the OHL. Honestly, I did not think I would produce right away, but I like the pressure and I got a lot of ice time because we had some veterans out to injury."His goal for the future is not to look too far ahead. "I want to concentrate on next year and always be able to say I am proud of the way I played every night and I did not let anybody down. I want to be able to help the team with consistent scoring next season and maybe we can achieve the ultimate goal and win the Memorial Cup (Canadian Hockey League championship). As long as I am in juniors, that will be my goal."Keefe led all OHL rookies with 51 goals and 65 assists for 116 points in 66 games this season. The 18-year-old native of Brampton was third among all OHL scorers, and led the league with 22 power-play goals. Keefe, who was traded to Barrie from Toronto in January, was the OHL Player and Rookie of the Month in December.The Emms Family Award is presented annually to the top first year player as selected by OHL coaches and general managers. Teams were not permitted to vote for a player from their own hockey club. Players received five points for a first place vote, three points for a second place vote and one point for a third place vote.Keefe received 69 points in the voting, while runner-up Jason Spezza of the Brampton Battalion received 58 points and Brad Boyes of the Erie Otters finished third with 34 points.Keefe is the Ontario Hockey League nominee for the Midas Rookie of the Year award at the Canadian Hockey League awards ceremony in June.The first OHL all-rookie team consists of goaltender Cory Campbell of the Belleville Bulls, defencemen Luke Sellars of the Ottawa 67's and Jay Harrison of the Brampton Battalion, centre Jason Spezza of the Brampton Battalion, right winger Sheldon Keefe of the Barrie Colts and left wing Denis Shvidki of the Barrie Colts.Campbell, 17, backstopped the Bulls to second place in the East Division, posting a 28-13-4 record, along with a 3.49 goals against average and .888 save percentage. The Stratford native was Belleville's fifth round selection in the 1998 OHL Priority Selection.Sellars, Ottawa's first round selection in 1998, scored four goals, along with 19 assists for 23 points in 56 games with the East Division champion 67's. The 17-year-old Pickering native is a highly rated prospect for the 1999 NHL Entry Draft.Harrison, 16, was the first player selected in the 1998 OHL Priority Selection. The Whitby native posted one goal and 14 assists for 15 points in 63 games with the expansion Battalion.Spezza, 15, played with the Battalion as an underage, and is expected to be the first overall selection in the 1999 OHL Priority Selection. The Brampton native scored 22 goals and 49 assists for 71 points in 67 games.Keefe, the OHL Rookie of the Year, led the Colts with 51 goals and 65 assists for 116 points in 66 games. Keefe is eligible for the 1999 NHL Entry Draft.Shvidki scored 35 goals and 59 assists for 94 points in 61 games, the second highest total among rookies, behind Keefe. His +57 rating was second in the league, behind teammate Denis Shvidki. The 18-year-old native of Kharkov, Ukraine is a rated in the first round of the 1999 NHL Entry Draft.















































