NEWS

The Ontario Junior Hockey League today announced that Joe Aiello of the Cobourg Cougars has been named the 2015-16 recipient of the OJHL Trainer-of-the-Year Award.

Wrapping up his fifth season with the Cougars organization, Joe Aiello had one of the busiest seasons of his 15-year career as a junior hockey trainer.  The club lost more than 130 man games to injury, putting the consummate professional to the test with the task of often dealing with multiple injuries at the same time.

Aiello started his career as a trainer in 2001-02 with his hometown Port Hope Predators (now Trenton Golden Hawks) organization.  Having never been in the profession before, he quickly received his Level I and Level II Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) Trainers Certification and was taken under the wing of the club's other trainers, Mike Bryant and Ken Johnston, soaking up information and gaining experience that would later make him one of the best at his profession in the OJHL.  During his tenure, he would earn his Level III Trainers Certification, the highest level the OHA offers, and the Predators would capture the 2004-05 East Division regular season title.

After eight seasons as one of the Predators trainers, the franchise transferred to Trenton and Aiello would remain at home joining the new Junior 'C' Port Hope Predators, where he would spend the next two seasons from 2009-11.  Ultimately, Aiello was looking to move back up the junior hockey chain and return to the Junior 'A' game and that opportunity arose in 2011 with the nearby Cobourg Cougars under new management.

Aiello has been with the club ever since and has become an influential member of the Cougars dressing room.  Mentoring many of the club's young players during his tenure, he maintains a professionalism that saw him named as one of the trainers for Team Canada East at this past year's World Junior 'A' Challenge that was held in Cobourg and Whitby, Ontario.  Aiello was also previously the trainer for champion Team OJHL East at the 2012 Central Canada Cup All-Star Challenge held in Wellington, Ontario.

He is also a recipient of the Hockey Development Centre for Ontario's (HDCO) Hockey Trainer Recognition Award for the 2015-16 season. Aiello received the award that is presented to an individual in recognition of their outstanding contributions to the ideals of safety, enjoyment, fairplay, sportsmanship, education and honesty in the game of hockey. The HDCO presents the Hockey Trainer's Recognition Award in partnership with its respective Member Organization, in this case, the OHA in cooperation with the OJHL.

Outside of hockey, Aiello sits on the Port Hope Parks, Recreation and Culture Advisory Committee and fills-in as the trainer for the Clarington Green Gaels Junior 'B' Lacrosse Club when needed.

The OJHL Trainer-of-the-Year Award is awarded to the trainer, therapist or equipment manager that is adjudged to be the best at his profession for his/her member club throughout the course of the regular season, while past experience and time served will be taken into consideration.

Sarah Ditmars of the Trenton Golden Hawks was runner-up in the OJHL award selection to Aiello.  

Ditmars has spent the past three seasons as the Golden Hawks Athletic Therapist from 2013-16 after graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology from Brock University.  This past season she also represented the OJHL as the Athletic Therapist for Team OJHL Coffey at the 2015 Eastern Canada Cup All-Star Challenge that was held in Cornwall, Ontario.

Next week, the OJHL Humanitarian-of-the-Year, Coach-of-the-Year and Most Improved Player will be announced.

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)
Volunteer        Jodi Lanzarotta (MAR)    Vivienne Bridgeford (AUR)
Trainer            Joe Aiello (COB)        Sarah Ditmars (TRE)

Previous OJHL Trainer-of-the-Year Recipients
Award            Winner                Runner-Up                
2014-15        Drew Laskoski (NEW)        Sarah Ditmars (TRE)
2013-14        Robb Crawford (WHI)        Jason Izraelski (NYR)
2012-13        Jack Williams (BUF)        Drew Laskoski (STO)
2011-12        Andrew Groombridge (GEO)    Dave Campbell (WHI)/Drew Laskoski (NEW)