NEWS

The Ontario Junior Hockey League today announced that Matt Neal of the Stouffville Spirit has been named the 2010-11 winner of the Most Improved Player.

Third year Stouffville Spirit forward and alternate captain Matt Neal has seen a steady improvement throughout his stint with the club. As a 17-year old rookie in 2008-09, he would record 31 points to finish fifth in scoring on the club and would follow that up as a sophomore by leading the Spirit in scoring with 21 goals and 47 points during the 2009-10 season.

Neal entered the 2010-11 season as one of the Spirit’s undisputed leaders and did not disappoint, recording a 53 point statistical improvement, more than doubling his point total of the previous season to hit the magical 100 point plateau on the strength of 40 goals and 60 assists. Not only did Neal’s totals lead his club, but he would finish fourth overall in OJHL scoring, while finishing fifth overall in goal scoring and tied for second overall in assists. A force on special teams, Neal would notch 10 power play goals, while also recording the league’s second-best total of 25 power play assists for the league’s fourth best club with the man advantage. Of his goal total, eight would be game-winners, tied for the third best total in the league, helping the club to a .720 winning percentage and third place in the West Division.

The OJHL’s January Player-of-the-Month after averaging 3.27 points/game throughout the month, Neal was named to the North-West Conference 1st All-Star Team. Earlier in the season, he would accept a full four-year NCAA Division I scholarship and will attend Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), playing for the Engineers beginning with the 2011-12 ECAC season.

Khalid Alli of the Pickering Panthers was runner-up in the OJHL award balloting to Neal. The 17-year old forward in his second season with the club, recorded a 20 point improvement in 2010-11, finishing second on the club with 18 goals and 35 points.