Draft-eligible Saginaw Spirit forward Nikita Klepov (16th-ranked North American skater) is this year’s winner of the Eddie Powers Memorial Trophy, given annually to the OHL’s top points producer. Klepov finished the regular season with 97 points (37G 60A). In the WHL, that honor goes to draft-eligible player Markus Ruck (#31), whose 108 points (21G 87A) earned him the Bob Clarke Trophy. In the QMJHL, Maxim Masse (ANA) won the Mario Lemieux Trophy with his 102 points (51G 51A).
While Klepov’s points total is impressive, especially for a 17-year-old player, it represents the first time since the 1962-63 season that the OHL hasn’t had a 100-point scorer. Also, the league’s leading goal-scorer was Brantford’s Marek Vanaker (CHI 2024 first round, 27th overall) with 47 tallies, leaving the league without a 50-goal scorer for the first time since 2004-05.
To explain this scoring dip, most point to numerous high-end players making a stop in the NCAA on their way to a professional career. As if to prove this point, Klepov himself will attend Michigan State University this fall. While this surely is met with varying opinions both positive and negative, this new path is creating more opportunities for Canadian and American players to compete at higher levels, as players formerly occupying roster spots in the junior ranks are instead playing college hockey.