BURLINGTON’S MATT ZEBEDEE VOTED OJHL’S MOST IMPROVED PLAYER
April 21, 2022, Mississauga, ON – …. The Ontario Junior Hockey League has named Matt Zebedee of the Burlington Cougars the OJHL’s Most Improved Player for 2021-22, the league announced today. The award was voted on by OJHL general managers and a panel of media members.
Zebedee was also voted to the OJHL’s 2021-22 Second All-Star team, as announced last week.
Zebedee could easily be the OJHL’s poster boy for hard work and perseverance. He began his career in the league in 2017-18, playing eight games for the Stouffville Spirit as an affiliate from the Richmond Hill Coyotes U18 team. Zebedee was selected by the Kingston Frontenacs in the first round (13th overall) of the 2018 Ontario Hockey League U18 draft.
He spent the next season with the Toronto Jr. Canadiens followed by 2019-20 with the Collingwood Colts (now Blues) where he had 24 points, his previous best season in the league.
Until this year. Zebedee had 73 points (28 goals/45 assists) with Burlington, which tied him for seventh best in the 21-team league this season. The 20-year-old from Innisfil will play at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo next year.
“Matt is an ultra competitive player with elite skills,” said Burlington Head Coach and General Manager Mark Jooris. “His leadership and drive were critical to the team's success. He has really worked hard on becoming a complete player.”
Asked about his improvement this season, Zebedee thanked the Cougars and his off-season routine.
“It was a good year in Burlington. It was a tough ending to the season but my teammates and coaches really contributed to my success greatly,” he told the OJHL. “I couldn't appreciate them more.”
“Last summer, I was staying on the ice and making sure I was in the gym; staying ready for the hockey season. You know, it was tough with the COVID year (2020-21). We really didn't get to play. So I was just trying to stay on the ice and stay in that hockey mindset to play my final junior season.”
The Cougars – 39-12-2-1 during the regular season – were eliminated by Milton in the West Division championship series Tuesday.
Zebedee also had high praise for the Ontario Junior Hockey League.
“These were probably some of the best years of my life,” he said. “Made some great memories and met some of my best friends playing in this league. The OJ has done a lot for my career. It’s helped me further my education and my hockey career. I couldn’t thank the league enough for everything it's done for me and for all the bonds I’ve made with teammates, coaches, trainers and friends.”
Any advice for the younger players in the league, Matt?
“Stay focused and stay determined,” he said. “You’re not always going to be in the position you want to be right away. So you have to adapt and play a role. You’re going to get your chances and you just have to make the most of them.”
Brad Somers of the St. Michael’s Buzzers was runner-up in voting for Most Improved Player. Somers and fellow OJHL 1st-team All-Star Dalton Bancroft of the Trenton Golden Hawks tallied 92 points to share the league’s 2021-22 scoring title.
Somers scored 27 goals and assisted on 65 others while playing in all of the Buzzers’ 54 games. He scored three game-winning goals and another three while shorthanded.
Somers was named the Warrior South-East Conference Player-of-the-Month for December after he tallied 18 points during nine games. His seven goals included one on the power play and another shorthanded. The 20-year-old was playing in his fourth season with Buzzers after signing with the storied Toronto franchise from his hometown Oakville Rangers U18 team.
Zebedee and the other OJHL award recipients will be honoured during a ceremony before Game 1 of the OJHL Nutrafarms Championship Series in early May. The OJHL is announcing its 2021-22 award winners throughout the first three rounds of the playoffs.
About the OJHL – “League of Choice”
The Ontario Junior Hockey League is the largest Junior ‘A’ league operating under the auspices of the Canadian Junior Hockey League with 22 member clubs. A proud member of the CJHL and Ontario Hockey Association, the OJHL was originally named the Ontario Provincial Junior ‘A’ Hockey League and it was formed out of the Central Junior ‘B’ Hockey League in 1993-94. With a long and storied history of developing players for the next level, including U SPORTS, the NCAA, CHL, minor pro ranks and the NHL, the OJHL had more than 125 commitments in 2019-20– including more than 45 NCAA Division I scholarships.
