BRAMPTON — In just his third season in the Ontario Hockey League, Brampton native Sheldon Keefe has been named the winner of the Matt Leyden Trophy as the league’s Coach of the Year.

The OHL made the announcement today (April 17). Keefe guided the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds to the OHL best record of 54-12-0, earning a second consecutive West division crown, earning the club’s first Hamilton Spectator Trophy since the 1984-1985 season with a franchise record of 110 points. The team’s .809 winning percentage and 342 goals scored were also the top marks in the OHL and across the Canadian Hockey League.

“Winning this award is a tremendous honour and one that would not be possible without the talented and committed players we have as well as the excellent people that I have the privilege of working with every day in Sault Ste. Marie,” said Keefe in a statement from the league.

“(Assistant coaches) Joe Cirella, AJ MacLean and (athletic therapist) Rich Rotenberg are some of the best in the business at what they do and this accomplishment should reflect equally on them and our entire staff. I am grateful that the program as a whole has earned the respect of our peers around the league.”

Keefe becomes the first Greyhounds head coach to win the award since Craig Hartsburg during the 2001-2002 season.

Prior to joining the Greyhounds in December of 2012, the 34-year-old Keefe served as head coach and general manger of the Central Canadian Hockey League’s Pembroke Lumber Kings, winning five consecutive league titles and the 2011 Royal Bank Cup national title.

Keefe also had an outstanding playing career. He won the OHL Rookie of the Year title in 1999 with the Barrie Colts, and led the league in scoring in 2000, collecting 121 points in 66 games, helping the Colts win the OHL championship.

He was selected in the second round of the 1999 NHL Entry Draft and played five seasons of professional hockey, including 125 games in the NHL. The Matt Leyden Trophy is voted on by OHL teams, with teams not allowed to vote for a candidate from its own team.

Keefe finished first with 55 points. Jeff Brown of the Ottawa 67’s was next with 46 while D.J. Smith of the Oshawa Generals was third with 38.

“I owe an incredible amount of gratitude to our former general manager Kyle Dubas, our president Dr. Lou Lukenda, our board of directors and our general manager Kyle Raftis for believing in me and providing the opportunity to coach in the best junior hockey league in the world,” added Keefe. “Coaching in general wound not be possible for me without the continued support and understanding of my wife, Jackie, and our two sons, Landon and Wyatt.”