OHL Awards keep coming for NY Islanders prospect Matthew Maggio

The awards keep coming for NY Islanders 2022 5th round draft pick Matthew Maggio.

Following his historic season with the Windsor Spitfires, it was announced Thursday that Maggio had been named the winner of the 2022-23 Leo Lalonde Memorial Trophy, which is presented to the Ontario Hockey League's (OHL) Overage Player of the Year as voted on by the league's General Managers. As a 20-year-old, the forward led the league with 54 goals and 111 points and joins Windsor's current GM, Bill Bowler, as the only players in franchise history to win the award.

“I feel very privileged to win this award,” said Maggio. “Playing in the OHL for the last five years has been the best time of my life and I’ve been lucky enough to play with some incredible players throughout this journey. I want to say thank you to the Ottawa 67’s and Windsor Spitfires, and everything they have done to help develop me into the player I am today."

After Windsor was surprisingly eliminated early in the OHL playoffs, Maggio signed an amateur tryout (ATO) with the Islanders American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, Bridgeport Islanders, and made his professional debut earlier this week and picked up a primary assist in his first game.

“Matt has been an elite performer all season,” said Bowler. “He has the ability to produce offense at top speed and we got to witness that consistency every time he was on the ice.”

Maggio was held without a point in just nine of 66 OHL games this season. His emergence throughout the year as an elite scorer at the junior level brings excitement to an Islanders prospect pool that is not highly ranked and is without Aaty Raty following the Bo Horvat trade. Maggio, along with Bridgeport teammate and fellow 5th-round pick William Dufour, are now among the Islanders' top prospects heading into next season. As GM Lou Lamoriello has traded the team's last four first-round picks, the upside from these two late-round picks has been crucial.