This week the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) is announcing the recipients of the 2017-18 OHA Awards and today we are pleased to get things started by announcing the winners of the 2017-18 OHA Officials Awards. The OHA Top Referee Prospect is Ty Sebastian, the OHA Top Linesman Prospect is Tyson Baker, and Jesse Wilmot (pictured above: photo by Amy Deroche/OJHL Images) is the recipient of the OHA Officiating Award of Excellence.

TOP REFEREE PROSPECT – Ty Sebastian
Ty Sebastian (Brussels, Ontario) is 24 years old and began Officiating in 2009-10 for Blyth Minor Hockey. Sebastian joined the OHA Officiating Staff in the 2015-16 season and was promoted to the position of Referee at the start of the 2017-18 season. A former player in the OHA, having played Jr. C in 2013-14 with the Alvinston Flyers (now the Petrolia Flyers), Sebastian was part of the Officiating crew of this year’s GOJHL Conference Finals. Away from the rink, Ty Sebastian is an accomplished Fastball player and has been named to the Canadian Men’s National Team Athlete Pool for 2018.

TOP LINESMAN PROSPECT – Tyson Baker
Tyson Baker (Thorndale, Ontario) is 23 years old and played junior hockey in the OHA from 2011 to 2016 in the GOJHL with St. Marys and Stratford before starting as an official in 2016 with the Stratford Referee Association in 2016. This year Baker joined the OHA Officiating Staff as a Linesman and was also selected to join the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) and the American Hockey League (AHL).  Baker has had a busy and successful year, working different levels throughout the regular season and during the playoffs, culminating with the OHA Sutherland Cup Semifinals, the OHL Semifinals and a number of games in the AHL Playoffs.

OHA OFFICIATING AWARD of EXCELLENCE – Jesse Wilmot
The OHA is very pleased to award Jesse Wilmot (Hamilton, Ontario) with the 2017-18 OHA Officiating Award of Excellence. Wilmot, 34 years old, started Officiating minor hockey in 2000-01, eventually joining the OHA Officiating Staff in 2006-07 and in 2013-14 he was promoted to the position of Referee. Over the years Wilmot has worked in all four OHA Leagues as a Linesman and as a Referee, including as a Referee for numerous OJHL Buckland Cup Finals, GOJHL Sutherland Cup Finals, PJHL Schmalz Cup Finals and ACH Robertson Cup Finals. He has also worked the RBC Cup, Dudley-Hewitt Cup, Allan Cup and OUA Finals as a Referee; and in the AHL, OHL and the CHL Memorial Cup as a Linesman. Internationally Wilmot has worked as a Linesman at many of the top events, including: IIHF World Championships, IIHF World Junior Championships, and the Winter Olympic Games in Sochi. 

The remaining 2017-18 OHA Awards winners will be announced this week and recipients will formally receive their Awards at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto on Friday, June 1, 2018.

For more information visit: OHA Website

Monday: Officials Awards 
Tuesday: Top Prospects
Wednesday: Trainer & Coach of the Year Awards
Thursday: Players of the Year Awards (Sr. AAA, Jr. A, Jr. B, Jr. C)
Friday: BJ Monro and Donald Sanderson Awards