NOVEMBER PLAYER-OF-THE-MONTH
After taking over the starting role due to an injury to teammate Jimmy Sargeant in mid-October, Matthew Wintjes (Photo Credit - Craig Campbell/HHOF) of the Newmarket Hurricanes went on a tear, racking up victories in his first nine starts of the season. Wintjes would continue that pace through the month of November, backstopping his way to a 9-1-1 record to earn OJHL Player-of-the-Month honours.
During his 11 starts throughout the month, the 17-year old allowed 17 goals for a 1.57 goals against average and a .940 save percentage. His totals included a pair of shutouts, as well as a pair of victories over the Hurricanes division rival the Markham Waxers; headlined by a 44-save, 2-1 victory on November 12. Entering the month ranked 2nd in the North Division, Wintjes’ remarkable play moved the ‘Canes into 1st place overall in the OJHL, as well as moving up to 2nd overall in the weekly CJHL Top 20 rankings for the entire country.
“Being named the OJHL Player-of-the-Month is a major accomplishment and I am very proud to accept the award.” said Wintjes. Continuing he would say, “The past month has been a challenge to fill in full-time for Jimmy Sargeant who went down with an injury, but I’ve worked extremely hard to improve my play and give my team the best chance to win each and every game.”
Born on June 7, 1993 in Holland Landing, Ontario, Matthew Wintjes started playing Triple ‘AAA’ hockey as a member of the prestigious Markham Waxers organization at the age of 10. Over the next six years, the netminder would bounce between organizations, playing in Markham and Richmond Hill, before finally making his hometown ‘AAA’ club, the York-Simcoe Express, in 2008-09.
Playing on the powerful Minor Midget ‘AAA’ Express allowed Wintjes the opportunity to play in front of an endless supply of scouts throughout his draft year. After losing to perennial contender, the Toronto Marlies, in the semi-final of the 2009 OHL Cup, 11 members of the York-Simcoe Express club would be selected in that summer’s OHL Priority Selection Draft. That list included Wintjes, who would be selected in the 13th round, 253rd overall by the Kingston Frontenacs. The successful season also saw him earn a spot at the OMHA’s Under-17 Final Camp.
Facing a cross-road in his career, Wintjes went through the decision-making process every young, aspiring hockey player must make during his teen years, the OHL or NCAA. When asked recently about where he saw his future in hockey taking him, Wintjes responded, “I see hockey assisting me to earn an excellent education. I will continue to work to the best of my abilities and play at the highest level of hockey that I am capable of.” Choosing to remain NCAA eligible, the 5’11” 170 lbs goalie accepted an invitation from head coach Brian Perrin and entered the junior ranks as a member of the Newmarket Hurricanes.
Wintjes had spent the large majority of his hockey career as the starter on any team he played for, but now entered Junior ‘A’ as number two on the ‘Canes depth chart; which can often be a difficult transition for any young netminder to make. The rookie would impress both teammates and coaches alike by posting a 11-5-1-1 record in 19 games played, including one shutout, with a 2.62 goals against average and a .899 save percentage. Although only filling-in for Sargeant sporadically during the club’s CCHL championship and Buckland Cup Final playoff run, Wintjes basked in the excitement of the playoff atmosphere and gained considerable experience along the way.
Thus far in 2010-11, Wintjes’ numbers have been astounding, posting an 18-1-0-2 record in 22 games. His 18 wins is tied for the first in the OJHL, while his 2.16 goals against average and .923 save percentage, both sit 2nd among all netminders. The grade 12 student at Sacred Heart Catholic High School in Newmarket attributed much of the success to everyone but himself, “I attribute my success thus far this season to a great organization to play for. The Newmarket Hurricanes have a great coaching staff that has shown confidence and support in my ability to play. My team has played hard for me every game and gave me the support needed for us to be successful.”
While no one can be certain what the future holds for Wintjes, one can be sure that success will never be too far behind him.
Congratulations to Matthew on his well-deserved award!
