Rangers prospect named finalist for OHL most outstanding player award
Nathan Aspinall had a breakout season in the Ontario Hockey League this season, and now the New York Rangers prospect is being recognized for his tremendous achievements.
Aspinall is one of five finalists for the Red Tilson Trophy, awarded annually to the most outstanding player in the OHL.
The 6-foot-6 forward, who turned 20 last month, finished second in the OHL with 94 points, and third with 61 assists, this season playing for Flint. He established career highs in goals (33), assists, points, power-play goals (five), and game-winning goals (5) in 65 regular-season games. He recorded 24 multi-point games, including a hat trick and five points against Guelph on Dec. 10. That was one of five times he notched at least four points in a game this season.
Aspinall added 10 goals and 17 points in eight postseason games, before Flint eventually was eliminated in four games in their best-of-7 second-round series against Windsor and fellow Rangers prospect Liam Greentree.
His previous career highs were set in 2024-25, when he had 17 goals, 30 assists, and 47 points for Flint, who named him captain this season.
Selected by the Rangers in the fifth round (No. 159 overall) of the 2024 NHL Draft, Aspinall turns pro next season, likely to start out with Hartford of the American Hockey League. He played five games on an ATO with Hartford a year ago, and was held without a point.
The Rangers signed Aspinall to an entry-level contract back in October after he turned some heads in training camp. He also had a preseason fight with Nathan Legare of the New Jersey Devils.
The other nominees for the Red Tilson Trophy in 2025-26 are: Cole Beaudoin (Barrie), a 2024 first-round pick by the Utah Mammoth; Jake O’Brien (Brantford), the No. 8 overall pick in 2025 by the Seattle Kraken; Sam O’Reilly (Kitchener), a Tampa Bay Lightning prospect acquired in a trade with the Edmonton Oilers, and also a first-round pick in 2024; and Nikita Klepov (Saginaw), the No. 8 ranked North American skater ahead of the 2026 draft.
