The Ontario Hockey League announced Minnesota Wild prospect and Hanmer native Damien Giroux of the Saginaw Spirit as the OHL ‘On the Run’ Player of the Week for the regular season week ending Oct. 14.
Giroux racked up seven points, including four goals and three assists in two games, with a plus-minus rating of plus-7.
The 18-year-old produced a pair of multi-point performances that helped the West Division leading Spirit extend their winning streak to five games bringing their first place record to 6-2-1-0. Giroux had a hand in seven of the team’s eight goals last week, highlighted by a career-high five points on Saturday earning first star honours in a 6-2 home ice win over the North Bay Battalion.
His first career hat-trick in that contest was scored entirely in the third period and included the game-winning goal, erasing an early 2-0 deficit. On Sunday Giroux scored another third period game-winner after assisting on Nick Porco’s eighth goal of the season and was named second star of a 2-1 victory over the visiting Kitchener Rangers.
Giroux is playing in his third season with the Spirit after being chosen by the club in the third round of the 2016 OHL Priority Selection. The recently appointed Spirit captain has six goals and five assists for 11 points through nine games after scoring 19 goals and 24 assists for 43 points in 68 games last season.
Giroux was picked by the Minnesota Wild in the fifth round of the 2018 NHL Draft in June.
