March 9, 2026, Mississauga, Ontario – The Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL) announced today that Matthew Thomas of the Leamington Flyers has been named the West Conference Player-of-the-Month for February after the defenceman led all skaters across the league with 22 points – including five goals and a league-high 17 assists – over 12 games.
The blue-liner from Wheatley, Ont. set the standard for offensive production from the back end in February, finishing first overall among all OJHL skaters for the month. Thomas, who wears No. 10, averaged 1.83 points per game and was the primary playmaker on a Leamington power play that clicked at a high rate as the Flyers surged late in the regular season.
Thomas was a key contributor as Leamington reeled off 10 consecutive wins to close out the regular season, vaulting the Flyers into the third seed in the West Conference. In a dominant 7-0 home victory over the Wellington Dukes on February 26 – a game that extended the streak to eight wins at the time – Thomas chipped in four assists. The Flyers finished the regular season with wins over Wellington, the Milton Menace and the Buffalo Jr. Sabres to secure their playoff position.
The 20-year-old shoots right and stands 5-foot-10, 170 pounds. Born November 29, 2005, Thomas is one of eight overage players the Leamington organization recognized at the conclusion of the regular season. He has been one of the most productive defencemen in the OJHL all season long under head coach and general manager Dale Mitchell.
Hudson Cummins of the Toronto Patriots was selected runner-up as the West Conference Player-of-the-Month in the vote of general managers from across the conference. The forward recorded 19 points (nine goals/10 assists) in 10 games for the first-place Patriots during February.
Thomas and the rest of the Flyers open their 2026 OJHL postseason this week as the third seed in the West Conference.
About the OJHL – “League of Choice”
The Ontario Junior Hockey League is the largest Junior ‘A’ league operating under the auspices of the Canadian Junior Hockey League with 24 member clubs. A proud member of the CJHL and Ontario Hockey Association, the OJHL was originally named the Ontario Provincial Junior ‘A’ Hockey League and it was formed out of the Central Junior ‘B’ Hockey League in 1993-94. With a long and storied history of developing players for the next level, including U SPORTS, the NCAA, CHL, minor pro ranks and the NHL, the OJHL had more than 135 commitments in 2024-25, including 54 to NCAA Division 1 and 29 to the Ontario Hockey League. In addition, the OJHL had 39 OHL Affiliate Players who played 152 OHL games. Thirty OJHL alumni are on NHL rosters in 2025-26.
For more information on the Ontario Junior Hockey League, please visit www.ojhl.ca or follow us on X (@OJHLOfficial), Instagram (@OJHLOfficial) and Facebook (OJHLOfficial).
