Taylor Hall of the Windsor Spitfires Awarded for his Excellent Rookie Season - OHL

MLN Newswire - www.mlntherawfeed.com - The Ontario Hockey League held a media conference call today to announce that Taylor Hall of the Windsor Spitfires won the Emms Family Award as the OHL’s Rookie of the Year for the 2007-08 season.

The following are the comments made by Hall and Spitfires’ GM Warren Rychel during the media conference call.

Taylor Hall, Windsor Spitfires:

“This is a big honour to win this award. It’s an individual award, but I couldn’t have done it without the help of my teammates and coaches. They were there every step of the way for me.”

“I worked hard in the off season. I thought I came in ready for camp. I had a good start and I kept working hard and kept going and by the end of the year I was in a real comfort zone. I was comfortable with my linemates and everything was going well. By the end of the year I was where I thought I was doing well. The adjustment was hard at first to get used to billets and school and stuff but I think by the end of the year, it was good. It will be nice to start next year off well too.”

“I already knew how good Ryan (Ellis) was. He’s a great player. I played against him last year so it wasn’t surprising to me. I think the reason why we had as big an impact as we did is because the coaches gave us a lot of confidence and gave us ice time right off the bat. It allowed us to play comfortably and within our style. As I’m sure Ryan would say we can’t thank them enough. It was great right off the bat. We were really good friends and were really happy about each of our seasons went.”

(on Don Cherry’s recent comments): “It’s really exciting for him to talk about me like that. I’ve never personally met him but I certainly value his opinion. It’s certainly something that I’d like to accomplish in the future. (The 2010 NHL Entry Draft) It’s a long way off and I have a lot of work to do in junior hockey before I even set foot in the NHL draft. For him to say that is cool, but it really doesn’t mean a lot right now.”

(Under-17 and Under-18 experiences): “The Under-17 was really a great experience to play in Ontario, my home. I think our team was really good a very well coached. It showed in our 6-0 record in that tournament. The final game was one of my greatest hockey memories. Playing in the John Labatt Centre, wearing the Canadian jersey and winning against the U.S. that was extremely exciting. Then a few months later, I go to Russia and another great team. I don’t think I’ve ever had a group of kids like that for the Team Canada in Russia. There were a lot of good guys and it was an exciting time. We really bonded as a group. In our exhibition game, we lost to Belarus. It was an exciting ride and we got better as each game wore on. To actually play for Canada was a great hockey memory and certainly one I will cherish all the time. I look at my gold medal everyday and think ‘wow’. It was a great experience and a great group of guys.”

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Warren Rychel, General Manager, Windsor Spitfires:

“We’re certainly excited. Rewind almost 365 days and we were delighted to get Taylor at number two (in the OHL Priority Selection). We know that he’s a dynamic player and it didn’t take long for him to impress us right from fitness testing in camp and right into the league. He was really comfortable on the big line and the coaches gave him the ice time to succeed. He took it and ran with it. He is hungry to score goals and that’s what he’s done this year. We’re very happy for Taylor and we expect him to be one of our leaders next year coming back and hopefully we can challenge for a championship.”

“We had a good start because of our fitness level and the overall skill of our team and guys not being happy with the way the first year went. We came back and obviously were humming along pretty good until the tragedy hit. It was very tough on our team. I think we were the second youngest team in the Ontario Hockey League and to lose your leader like that was really hard, especially on the young guys. But after about 10 days, when we decided that it was time to get back on the ice, the young guys really proved their worth. Taylor was one of them I think he reeled off 10 goals right after the tragedy. He showed his leadership by doing that and all of the young guys came together as a whole. It was rewarding. Moving forward into 08-09, nothing’s really going to bother us. I think some way, somehow, the tragedy will make us better along the way.”

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