Tuesday May 13, 2014

Toronto, ON – The Ontario Hockey League today announced that Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Matt Finn is the 2014-14 recipient of the Mickey Renaud Captain’s Trophy.

Finn was chosen for the award by a media selection committee as the OHL team captain that best exemplifies leadership on and off the ice, with a passion and dedication to the game of hockey and his community that Mickey demonstrated.

“It’s a huge honour to win this award,” Finn said. “From what I’ve heard, Mickey Renaud was not only a great hockey player but an even better person and leader on and off the ice. To win an award in his name is very humbling.”

A four-year member of the Storm, Finn served as team captain the past two seasons and was an alternate captain in 2011-12. The 20-year-old Toronto native led the Storm to their fourth Hamilton Spectator Trophy as regular season champions with their best season in franchise history with 52 wins and 108 points before capturing their third Robertson Cup title as 2013-14 OHL Champions.

“It’s a great achievement for me as a person individually but I wouldn’t be in this position without my teammates,” Finn added. “They made my job as captain very easy and I owe a lot of this to them. They were a great bunch and I was very fortunate to have the pleasure of being their captain.”

Finn began his OHL career as the Storm’s first round pick in the 2010 OHL Priority Selection. In 228 career regular season games he recorded 161 points posting career-highs during the 2013-14 campaign including 14 goals and 47 assists for 61 points in 66 games. One of the Storm’s community leaders, Finn regularly leads by example off the ice attending minor hockey practices along with school and hospital visits throughout the season also taking time to visit a young cancer patient at home. He was selected by the Maple Leafs in the second round of the 2012 NHL Draft.

“Matt is mature beyond his years with the uncanny ability to see the big picture as it relates to all his teammates and virtually all segments of the Guelph community where he handles himself almost like he is a member of the coaching or management staff,” said Storm General Manager Mike Kelly. “Having drafted Mickey Renaud during my tenure as President/GM in Windsor, of all my captains over the past years Matt most exemplifies the values of Mickey.”

Finn becomes the sixth recipient of the award following Colin Miller of the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds who received the award last season, Andrew Agozzino (Niagara IceDogs 2012), Ryan Ellis (Windsor Spitfires 2011), John Kurtz (Sudbury Wolves 2010), and Chris Terry of the Plymouth Whalers who won the inaugural award for the 2008-09 season.

Nomination forms are submitted annually by OHL General Managers on behalf of their individual team captains. The selection committee consisted of a panel of four, representing media from each OHL division.

The Mickey Renaud Captain’s Trophy will be formally presented to Finn at the OHL Awards Ceremony on Tuesday June 3 at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto.

2013-14 OHL Award Winners:

Connor Brown, Erie Otters (Player of the Year)

Matt Finn, Guelph Storm (Captain of the Year)

Scott Simmonds, Belleville Bulls (Humanitarian of the Year)

Aaron Ekblad, Barrie Colts (Defenceman of the Year)

Connor McDavid, Erie Otters (Scholastic Player of the Year)

Adam Craievich, Guelph Storm (Top Academic High School Player)

Patrick Watling, Soo Greyhounds (Top Academic Post-Secondary Player)

Alex Nedeljkovic, Plymouth Whalers (Goaltender of the Year)

DJ Smith, Oshawa Generals (Coach of the Year)

Connor McDavid, Erie Otters (Most Sportsmanlike Player of the Year)

Dane Fox, Erie Otters (Overage Player of the Year)

Travis Konecny, Ottawa 67’s (OHL Rookie of the Year)