John Tavares (ice hockey)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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| Position | Centre |
| Shoots | Left |
| Nickname | J.T. |
| Height Weight |
6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 183 lb (83 kg) |
| NHL Team (P) Cur. Team |
Eligible 2009 NHL draft Oshawa Generals (OHL) |
| Nationality |  Canada |
| Born | September 20, 1990 (age 16), Oakville, Ontario |
| Pro Career | TBA – present |
John Tavares (born September 20, 1990, in Oakville, Ontario), is a Canadian junior ice hockey player. He is currently playing with the Oshawa Generals in the Ontario Hockey League. Tavares is the nephew of John Tavares of the NLL's Buffalo Bandits. [1] Tavares was featured by Sports Illustrated in their “Where will they be?” series on exceptional teenage athletes, alongside other high school phenoms such as football player A.J. Green.[2]
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[edit] Exceptional player status
Tavares played the 2004-05 season with the Toronto Marlboros Minor Midget AAA team, where he accumulated 158 points, with 91 goals, and 67 assists. Tavares finished the season with the Milton Merchants, scoring another 13 goals and 15 assists in 20 games.
In the summer of 2005, Tavares was the first player ever to be granted "exceptional player" status by the OHL, which allowed him to be drafted at the age of 14. The usual minimum age to be included in the OHL Priority Selection is 16 years old by December 31. Tavares is the youngest player to be drafted in the OHL, however Bobby Orr was signed and played at a younger age.
This exceptional player rule was adopted by all of the Canadian Hockey League as part of the implementation of Hockey Canada's new development model. There were no applications to grant exceptional status to any players for the 2006 OHL Priority Selection draft. David Branch, president of the Canadian Hockey League and commissioner of the Ontario Hockey League stated "Tavares set the bar very high". [3]
[edit] Junior hockey career
The Oshawa Generals, drafted Tavares first overall in the 2005 OHL Priority Selection. Tavares was the winner of the Jack Ferguson Award, which the OHL presents annually to the player picked first overall in the OHL Priority Selection. [4]
Tavares played his first OHL game on September 23, 2005, just three days after his 15th birthday. Tavares scored in his first game in the OHL, but the Generals were defeated by the Kingston Frontenacs at the Kingston Memorial Centre. Tavares had a quick start in the OHL, scoring 5 goals in his first four games. Tavares scored 77 points total in his first season, including by 45 goals. Tavares was awarded the CHL Rookie of the Year Award, and the OHL Rookie of the Year for the 2005-06 OHL season. In his first season, John Tavares also competed for Team Ontario in the World Under 17 Championships in Saskatchewan in 2005.
Tavares was asked to join the Canadian World-Under 18 team for their April 2006 tournament in Sweden, when he was only 15. He was invited to the team's summer camp to prepare for their tournament in the Czech Republic and in Slovakia, but a leg injury rendered him unable to play.
During his second season in the OHL, Tavares was invited to participate in the 2007 Canadian National Junior selection camp, but was not selected.[5] [6] Later in the season, Tavares played two games for the OHL in the annual ADT Canada-Russia Challenge, including one game in Oshawa.
On January 25, 2007, Tavares registered a 7-point night in a 9-6 win versus the Windsor Spitfires. He scored four goals and three assists, including his 50th goal of the season in his 44th game. [7]
On March 16, 2007, Tavares broke a mark previously held by Wayne Gretzky by scoring his 70th and 71st goals of the season as a sixteen-year-old in the OHL.[8]
[edit] Career statistics
| Regular Season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2005-06 | Oshawa Generals | OHL | 65 | 45 | 32 | 77 | 72 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 2006-07 | Oshawa Generals | OHL | 67 | 72 | 62 | 134 | 60 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| OHL Totals | 132 | 117 | 94 | 211 | 132 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||||
[edit] References
- ^ "Tavares may have to share his handle", TSN Canada, November 30, 2004.
- ^ Mark Beech and Ted Keith. "Where Will They Be?", Sports Illustrated, July 3, 2006.
- ^ "Top IceDogs pick already thinking big", Canoe - Slam! Sports, May 7, 2006.
- ^ "Tavares to be selected first overall in OHL Priority Selection", Canoe - Slam! Sports, May 4, 2005.
- ^ "Tavares is making a bid for the National Team", Ontario Hockey League, Dec 1, 2006.
- ^ "John Tavares cut by Team Canada", CBC.ca, Dec 14, 2006.
- ^ "OHL: Tavares has seven-point night", TSN.ca, Jan 25, 2007.
- ^ "OHL: Tavares Breaks Gretzky's OHL Goals Record", TSN.ca, Mar 16, 2007.
