Erie Otters defenseman Adam Pelech has been awarded the Bobby Smith Trophy as the OHL’s scholastic player of the year, the league announced Thursday. Pelech, the Otters’ first honoree since Brad Boyes in the 1999-2000 season, also earned the Ivan Tennant Memorial Award as the league’s top high school student. He is the first player in OHL history to capture both awards.
Pelech has a 95-percent average at McDowell and had 20 points in 44 games after recovering from a fractured wrist this season. His older brother, Matt, was named the league’s first recipient of the high school award while playing for Sarnia in 2005.