Klepov Named Rookie of the Year Finalist
OHL Saginaw Spirit

Klepov Named Rookie of the Year Finalist

Published on April 6, 2026 under Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Saginaw Spirit News Release


TORONTO - The Ontario Hockey League (OHL) today announced finalists for the Emms Family Award, presented annually to the OHL Rookie of the Year as voted by the League's General Managers.

Team nominees were required to receive 20% of the vote from General Managers within their own conference to advance to the final ballot as award finalists.

This year's Emms Family Award finalists include:

Caleb Malhotra (C, Brantford Bulldogs) - 67 GP, 29 G, 55 A, 84 PTS.

Everyone expected contributions from Caleb Malhotra in his first OHL season, but did we think he'd end up being this dominant as a 17-year-old? The 6-foot-2 pivot emerged as one of the best centremen in the OHL, diving right in with points in 10 of his first 11 games, including a five-point effort on Sept. 27th vs. Sudbury. When all was said and done, Malhotra had set a new single season mark for most points by a Bulldogs rookie while posting impressive peripherals like a plus-33 rating, eight game-winning goals and 30 points on the power play. The top NHL Draft eligible demonstrated that he could thrive playing between older, skilled players on a deep Bulldogs roster. Malhotra was a finalist in the best stickhandler category on the OHL Coaches Poll.

Nikita Klepov (RW, Saginaw Spirit) - 67 GP, 37 G, 60 A, 97 PTS.

Perhaps lesser known in Canadian circles than Malhotra entering the season, Nikita Klepov burst onto the scene in Saginaw and immediately provided the Spirit with front line scoring, potting three points in his OHL debut on Sept. 19th at Sault Ste. Marie before netting five points of his own on Oct. 4th at Owen Sound. Klepov would go on to lead the entire OHL in scoring, tying a Spirit rookie record held by Cole Perfetti with 37 goals. He finished the year with 38 points on the power play, and even scored three shorthanded goals. The NHL Draft eligible 6-foot, 180Ib. winger from Deerfield Beach, Florida, thrived alongside other Spirit forwards of Russian descent in Egor Barabanov and Dimian Zhilkin as Saginaw, despite finishing eighth in the Western Conference, managed to score 228 goals and owned the OHL's fifth-best power play. Klepov was voted as the Western Conference's most dangerous player in the goal area, as well as the best shootout shooter in the OHL Coaches Poll.

The OHL will announce the winner of the Emms Family Award as Rookie of the Year on Tuesday, April 14th.

Check out the Saginaw Spirit Statistics

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