Messier is OHL's unknown star

Related Stories

Jesse Messier is hardly a household name.
In fact, some casual Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors hockey fans might not have heard of him.
Which is why Messier qualified for, and placed first in, the Most Underrated Player category when the Ontario Hockey League announced the results of its 2007-08 Coaches Poll yesterday.
Messier beat out Belleville Bulls’ Jan Mursak and Peterborough Petes’ Pat Daley for Eastern Conference honours in the eyes of the league’s best critics, the coaches.
Messier also placed third in the Best Defensive Forward category to Cory Tanaka of the Bulls and Thomas Kiriakou of the Ottawa 67’s.
In 64 games this season, Messier, 20, scored 21 goals and 22 assists.
Also earning special mention from the league’s coaches was Mississauga’s Shawn Matthias of the Belleville Bulls, who was considered Best on Face-offs and third among the Most Dangerous in the Goal Area.
Other players earning consideration in the Eastern Conference were the Majors’ Kaspars Daugavins, who was second to Belleville’s Matt Beleskey for the Hardest Shot, the Majors’ Zac Rinaldo, who was third for Best Body Checker, and Mississauga’s Thomas Stajan of the Brampton Battalion, who was deemed the third-best Penalty Killer.
The Kitchener Rangers’ Matt Halischuk, who along with fellow Mississaugan Matthias were heroes for Canada at the World Junior Nationals, was named the Western Conference’s Hardest Worker and Best Penalty Killer.
Coaches vote for each category within their conference and are not permitted to vote for players on their team. Players receive five points for a first-place vote, three points for a second-place vote and one point for a third-place vote.
dwiner@mississauga.net

More Stories

Shirley hot as Canada rolls

Mississauga's Samantha Shirley scored a pair of goals this afternoon to lead Canada to a 6-0 drubbing of host Italy and a berth in the semi-finals at the women's inline hockey world championships.

Grid stars in world final

A pair of high school football players from Mississauga and their Canadian teammates have advanced to the final at an international tournament after the team won a thrilling game against Japan on Canada Day.

Chris Clay | Jul 02

Porsche gets new driver

Mississauga-based Porsche Cars Canada Ltd. has a new man behind the wheel.