Thomas Lenart of the Ontario Junior Hockey League’s Burlington Cougars (photo credit – Spencer Smye | OJHL Images) has confirmed his commitment to join the Wilfrid Laurier University Golden Hawks in Waterloo, ON beginning with the 2023-24 season.
“Thomas is a great competitor who is willing to play in the tough areas,” Burliington Head Coach and General Manager Mark Jooris told the OJHL. “He has a great shot and is a great team guy.”
The centre from Hamilton signed in Burlington from St. Catharines’ Jr. B Falcons in 2020.
Following the COVID-cancelled 2020-21 season, Lenart had seasons of 57 (22 goals/35 assists) and 71 points (27 goals/44 assists), respectively. He played in the 2023 OJHL All-Star Game in Collingwood.
“My time with the Cougars was amazing,” Lenart said. ”The last three years there was a great mix of hard work on the ice and a great atmosphere with lots of fun off the ice. The team was always dedicated to winning and making sure that everyone felt at home at the rink.”
“Over the three years, we created a core group of players that would lead new teammates joining the team. The coaching staff was always great to me and gave me opportunities to develop and get noticed by higher-level organizations.”
Former OJHLers on Laurier’s roster this past season included: Tyler Davis (Markham, Aurora, Brantford), Matthew Dunsmoor (Wellington, Burlington, Wellington), Matthew Zebedee (Burlington, Collingwood, Stouffville, Jr. Canadiens), Conor Ali (Brantford), Kyle Gentles (Pickering, Stouffville), Declan Graham (Newmarket), Steven MacLean (Newmarket), Ryan Mulholland (Brantford), Adrian Naburs (Collingwood, Newmarket), Jake Payette (Georgetown), James Thomson (Aurora, Trenton, Newmarket), Noah Tooke (Aurora), Evan Benwell (Toronto Patriots, Burlington), Patrick Brown (Collingwood), Nick Giunta (Markham, Burlington), Grayden Gottschalk (North York), Matt McJannet (Georgetown) and Sullivan Sparkes (Trenton).
Congratulations to Thomas and best of luck in U SPORTS and the OUA!
The OJHL, the largest Jr. A hockey league in Canada, has had more than 90 NCAA, U SPORTS, CHL and professional commitments in 2021-22 – including more than 25 NCAA Division I scholarships.
Check out all our 2022-23 commitments by clicking HERE
