NEWS

The Ontario Junior Hockey League announced today that John McDonald (photo credit - Amy Deroche/OJHL Images) of the Trenton Golden Hawks has been named the recipient of the 2015-16 OJHL Executive-of-the-Year Award.

Named the 2014-15 OJHL Volunteer-of-the-Year Award recipient, John McDonald's six year tenure with the Golden Hawks has seen him evolve into the franchise's leader, spearheading the business operations that consistently rank among the league's elite, while also helping build a club that captured its second OJHL regular season title in the past four years.

Building the 'Golden Hawks' brand within the Quinte West community has become a passion for the 73-year old, who is the club's Director of Hockey Operations, Community Liaison and Media Coordinator, or basically, 'Mr. Everything.'  With a brand that is extremely well-regarded around the region, sponsorship sales are an integral part of Trenton's program, which has translated into one of the OJHL's best attendance marks, leading the league with 16,042 fans this season for an average of 594/game.  During McDonald's time in Trenton, the Hawks have never ranked lower than eighth in overall attendance numbers.

The club's incredible fan support and leadership has allowed the team to also become one of the leading locations for hosting events.  McDonald and his team were the first to step to the plate and offer to host the new Conference Showcases this season, successfully running the North-East Conference Showcase from January 15-17, 2016.  Prior to the showcase, Trenton hosted a sold-out exhibition game in preparation for the 2015 World Junior 'A' Challenge and later, with McDonald leading the charge, the Golden Hawks were awarded the 2017 Central Canadian Junior 'A' Championship, Dudley-Hewitt Cup.

With more than 40 years of experience in the game, the long-standing volunteer understands the importance of involvement in the community and has more than nurtured it throughout the Quinte West region.  His vision sees the club take part in numerous events and fundraisers each year, raising thousands of dollars for charitable endeavours such as the Canadian Cancer Society, Canadian Armed Forces, Kinsman Club, Salvation Army, Trenton Youth Centre, Highland Shores Children's AID and local school reading programs, to name a few.

The OJHL Executive-of-the-Year Award is awarded annually to the Executive that is adjudged to have exceeded expectations in his role with the club throughout the course of the regular season, including, but not limited to, President, Vice-President, General Manager, Assistant General Manager and Marketing Executives.

Mark Jooris of the Burlington Cougars was named runner-up in the OJHL award balloting to McDonald.  

The Burlington Cougars General Manager and Head Coach rejoined to the club after a four-year absence and led a resurgence that saw them return to OJHL post-season play for the first time since the 2012-13 season.  After finishing second last in the league last season and recording just 50 points combined over the past two years, the Cougars improved to 34-17-3 for 71 points, finishing second in the West Division standings and third in the South-West Conference.

The Volunteer-of-the-Year Award and the Trainer-of-the-Year Award recipients will be announced later this week.

2015-16 OJHL Award Winners
Award            Winner                Runner-Up                
Top Scorer        Luc Brown (WEL)        Zach Evancho (BUF)
Top Goaltender    Daniel Urbani (TRE)        Andrew Masters (GEO)
Executive        John McDonald (TRE)    Mark Jooris (BUR)

Previous OJHL Executive-of-the-Year Recipients:
Award            Winner                Runner-Up                
2014-15        Rob Campbell (OAK)        James Richmond (AUR)
2013-14        Mike Tarantino (TLP)        James Richmond (AUR)
2012-13        Michael Peca (BUF)        Greg Walters (GEO)
2011-12        Ken Burrows (STO)        Kelly Martin (COB)