John Tavares (ice hockey)

Infobox Ice Hockey Player


image_size = 154px
position = Centre
shoots = Left
height_ft = 6
height_in = 0
weight_lb = 183
nickname = The Next One
nationality = CAN
birth_date = birth date and age|1990|9|20
birth_place = Mississauga, Ontario
career_start = TBA
career_end =
team = Eligible 2009 NHL draft
league = NHL
prospect_league = OHL
prospect_team = Oshawa Generals
halloffame =

John Tavares (born September 20, 1990, in Mississauga, Ontario) cite news
url=http://www.hockeycanada.ca/index.cfm/ci_id/11737/la_id/1/ss_id/24821/player_id/9065.htm
publisher=Hockey Canada|title=Player Profile - John Tavares] is a Canadian junior ice hockey player. He is currently playing with the Oshawa Generals in the Ontario Hockey League. He is the nephew of John Tavares of the National Lacrosse League's Buffalo Bandits. cite news|url=http://www.tsn.ca/columnists/bob_mckenzie.asp?id=106431|publisher=TSN Canada|title=Tavares may have to share his handle|date=November 30, 2004] 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. [cite news |author=Mark Beech and Ted Keith |title=Where Will They Be? |url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/magazine/06/26/where.will.they.be0703/index.html |work=Sports Illustrated |publisher= |date=July 3, 2006 |accessdate= ] TSN calls Tavares the player most likely to be taken first overall in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, although Victor Hedman also may be picked depending on the team's needs. [cite news|author=TSN.ca|title=The Next 'Next One?'|url=http://prodtsn.tsn.ca/chl/feature/?fid=707|work= |publisher= |date= |accessdate=2008-02-05] [ [http://www.tsn.ca/story/?id=217783 Where would Tavares rank in 2008 draft? ] ]

Exceptional player status

Tavares played the 2004-05 season with the Toronto Marlboros Minor Midget AAA team, with opponents one year older than himself. During that season, he accumulated 158 points, with 91 goals, and 67 assists. Tavares finished the season with the Milton Icehawks of the Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League, scoring another 13 goals and 15 assists in 20 games. cite news|url=http://www.chl.ca/OHLNews0405/0505.html|publisher=Canoe - Slam! Sports|title=Tavares to be selected first overall in OHL Priority Selection|date=May 4, 2005]

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, several months before his 15th birthday. 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". cite news
url=http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Hockey/Junior/2006/05/07/1568472-sun.html|publisher=Canoe - Slam! Sports|title=Top IceDogs pick already thinking big|date=May 7, 2006]

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.

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 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 knee 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.cite news
url=http://www.ontariohockeyleague.com/news/?id=2755
publisher=Ontario Hockey League|title=Tavares is making a bid for the National Team|date=Dec 1, 2006] cite news
url=http://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/story/2006/12/14/team-canada.html?ref=rss|publisher=CBC.ca|title=John Tavares cut by Team Canada|date=Dec 14, 2006] 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. cite news
url=http://tsn.ca/chl/news_story/?ID=193624&hubname=|publisher=TSN.ca|title=OHL: Tavares has seven-point night|date=Jan 25, 2007] 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. cite news |url=http://www.tsn.ca/chl/news_story/?ID=200455&hubname=chl|publisher=TSN.ca|title=OHL: Tavares Breaks Gretzky's OHL Goals Record|date=Mar 16, 2007] On May 2, 2007, the OHL announced Tavares as the winner of the Red Tilson Trophy as the most outstanding player in the league. cite news |url=http://www.ontariohockeyleague.com/news/?sub=&id=3612|publisher=Ontario Hockey League|title=Tavares wins Red Tilson Trophy as OHL's Most Outstanding Player|date=May 2, 2007] Tavares was also awarded the 2006-07 CHL Player of the Year award, for being the best Major Junior A hockey player in the Canadian leagues that year. cite news |url=http://www.newsdurhamregion.com/news/sports/hockey/article/80511|publisher=DurhamRegion.com|title=Tavares earns top CHL honour: Sensational sophomore wins player of the year award|author=Cayley, Shawn|date=May 31, 2007]

Due to Tavares's performance in his first two OHL seasons and his 'goal-scorer' style of play he has already drawn comparisons to hockey legends such as Mike Bossy.cite news |url=http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Hockey/Junior/2005/05/05/1026846.html|publisher=Canoe - Slam! Sports|title=Ahead of his time|date=May 5, 2005] Tavares earned a second invite to the Canadian National Junior team selection camp for the 2008 tournament.cite news |url=http://www.ontariohockeyleague.com/news/?sub=&id=4434|publisher=Ontario Hockey League|title=13 OHL stars invited to Canada’s Final Evaluation Camp|date=December 3, 2007] . After making the team, Tavares helped Canada go on to win its fourth straight gold medal.

Personal information

Tavares' Portuguese background has been recognized by media in the Toronto area as well as Portugal. cite web|author=Stuart McDonald|title = Featured Article, 2009 prospects: Q&A with John Tavares| publisher = Hockey's Future|url=http://www.hockeysfuture.com/articles/10024/2009_prospects_qa_with_john_tavares/|accessdate = 2007-12-19]

Career statistics

References

External links

* [http://www.oshawagenerals.com/meet/playerprofile.php?ID=1800 John Tavares player profile on the Oshawa Generals' site]
* [http://www.ontariohockeyleague.com/stats/player.php?id=4302 John Tavares player profile on the Ontario Hockey League site]