Jeff Brown Nominated as Finalist for OHL Coach of the Year

By: Ottawa67s.com Staff
Photo: OHL Images

OTTAWA — Ottawa 67’s rookie head coach Jeff Brown has been nominated as one of six finalists for the Matt Leyden Trophy for OHL coach of the year, the Ontario Hockey League announced on Wednesday.

Brown, an Ottawa native, guided the Barber Poles to the team’s first appearance in the OHL playoffs in three seasons. The team clinched the fourth seed and home-ice advantage in the opening round last Sunday with a 6-0 win over the Sudbury Wolves, ending the regular season with a 38-25-4-1 record, including one of the best home-ice records in the league (25-6-3-0).

The 67’s were by far the most disciplined team in the circuit in 2014-15, the only team to complete the season with under 700 penalty minutes (699). The league average for penalty minutes per team was 916 this season.

The other Leyden trophy nominees are: Stan Butler (North Bay), Greg Gilbert (Saginaw), Sheldon Keefe (Sault Ste. Marie), Kris Knoblauch (Erie) and D.J. Smith (Oshawa).

Dante Salituro, who led the 67’s in scoring with 37 goals and 78 points, was named Ottawa’s finalist for the Tilson trophy.

The 67’s play the franchise’s first playoff game since 2012 on Thursday night at TD Place against the Niagara IceDogs. Face-off for the opening game of the best-of-seven OHL Eastern Conference quarter-final is at 7 p.m.

Tickets are available at the 67’s website or by calling 613-232-6767.