Troops' Amadio Named Most Sportsmanlike
April 22, 2016 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
North Bay Battalion News Release
NORTH BAY, Ont. - Centre Mike Amadio of the North Bay Battalion is the winner of the William Hanley Trophy as the Ontario Hockey League's most sportsmanlike player for 2015-16, it was announced Friday.
Amadio finished ninth in league scoring with 98 points from a franchise-record 50 goals and 48 assists while drawing 40 penalty minutes in 68 games. The Sault Ste. Marie native is the third member of the Battalion to win the award, after Wojtek Wolski in 2005-06 and Cody Hodgson in 2008-09.
"I'm very happy to be named the most sportsmanlike player of the year," said Amadio, 19, who has joined the American Hockey League's Ontario Reign. "It's an honour and a great feeling."
Amadio, who played four seasons with the Battalion, was a second-round pick in the 2012 OHL Priority Selection. His 50 goals eclipsed Wolski's record of 47 in 2005-06. Amadio's eight shorthanded goals, which tied for the league lead, also are a franchise record, surpassing Barclay Goodrow's seven in 2013-14.
Captain Amadio, who had a career-high six points, on two goals and four assists, Nov. 15 against the visiting Barrie Colts, set a franchise record with five goals in a 6-5 road loss Feb. 13 to the Kingston Frontenacs. His 226 career points are fourth in franchise history.
"I'm happy for Mike," said Stan Butler, Battalion director of hockey operations and head coach. "He's a player that plays by the rules and also plays hard. He shows that you can be a good offensive player and compete and still play in a way that you can win an award like that."
Amadio was selected by the Los Angeles Kings in the third round of the 2014 National Hockey League Draft and signed a three-year entry-level contract in March.
He dominated voting in the Eastern Conference Coaches Poll, appearing in the top two in seven categories and winning four: smartest player, hardest worker, best shot and best defensive forward. He was second in most dangerous in the goal area, best on faceoffs and best penalty killer.
OHL general managers vote on the Hanley on a 5-3-1 points basis but may not vote for their own candidate. The trophy commemorates William Hanley, former secretary-manager of the Ontario Hockey Association for more than 25 years.
Amadio received 65 points. Christian Dvorak of the London Knights finished second for the second straight season, with 45 points, while Kingston's Spencer Watson, a teammate of Amadio with the California-based Reign, was third with 41.
Former winners of the trophy, first presented in 1961, include Wayne Gretzky of the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds in 1977-78, Jeff Carter of Sault Ste. Marie in 2004-05, Connor McDavid of the Erie Otters in 2013-14 and Erie's Dylan Strome in 2014-15. Two members of the North Bay Centennials won the award, John Spoltore in 1991-92 and Vitali Yachmenev in 1994-95.
Amadio is to receive the trophy at the OHL awards ceremony June 7 at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto. He is the OHL nominee for sportsman of the year at the Canadian Hockey League awards, to be presented May 28 at Red Deer, Alta., during the Memorial Cup tournament.
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Ontario Hockey League Stories from April 22, 2016
- Pavel Gogolev and Semyon Der-Arguchintsev Introduced at Press Conference - Peterborough Petes
- Troops' Amadio Named Most Sportsmanlike - North Bay Battalion
- Battalion's Mike Amadio Named OHL's Most Sportsmanlike Player - OHL
- Raise Your Hands Raises $13,000 for Area Schools - Windsor Spitfires
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