TORONTO - Ryan Ellis is leaving the Ontario Hockey League as its player of the year.
The Windsor Spitfires captain won the Red Tilson Trophy on Wednesday, capping a junior career that included two consecutive Memorial Cup victories.
The Nashville Predators prospect scored 101 points (24 goals, 77 assists) in 58 regular season games to win the award. Ellis added six goals and 13 assists in the Spitfires' playoff run that ended against Owen Sound in the Western Conference final.
He became the first defenceman in 17 years to score more than 100 points in a season and is just the fourth blue-liner in the award's 67-year history to earn the title.
"The names on that trophy have done a lot in this sport, I hope to follow in their footsteps," Ellis said on a conference call. "It's a great honour to receive an award such as this.
"Just taking the next step in my hockey career and to receive news like that is very exciting."
Ellis was instrumental to Windsor's success during his four years with the team. He had 73 goals and 243 assists in 228 career games with the Spitfires, helping them win the national junior championship in 2009 and 2010.
Ellis is only the third player in Spitfires' history to win the award. Windsor general manager Warren Rychel credited the 20-year-old defenceman with tutoring a young roster in his final year with the team.
"His hockey sense is shown right on the ice," said Rychel. "Everything he does is first class. He has been a leader."
Ellis, who had already been named the OHL's defenceman of the year, finished first with 245 points in voting from sports writers and broadcasters.
He has a relatively small frame for a blue-liner at five foot 10 and 179 pounds. While it didn't burden him in the OHL, it could be a liability in his efforts to crack the Predators' roster.
"Everyone always wrote a small defenceman off," Rychel added. "He's just been achieving level after level. Hats off to him."
Ottawa's 67's forward Tyler Toffoli finished second with 135 points and Kitchener Rangers forward Jason Akeson was third with 74 points.
Nashville's David Legwand, Buffalo's Brad Boyes, Anaheim's Corey Perry, John Tavares of the New York Islanders and Boston's Tyler Seguin are among the current NHL players to have won the award.
Ellis is currently playing with the Milwaukee Admirals in the American Hockey League playoffs and said he has some work to do to make it to the NHL.
"I think just getting bigger and stronger. I think that's the biggest thing," Ellis said. "You're playing against men here. They're all big, they're all strong and you just have to continue to move forward in that sense."
Drummondville Voltigeurs centre Sean Couturier was named most valuable player in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League last month. The Western Hockey League was scheduled to name its MVP later Wednesday.
The Predators expect big things of Ellis, who they drafted 11th overall at the 2009 NHL draft. Nashville GM David Poile said it was important to give Ellis a taste of the pro game with Milwaukee.
"I have a little saying that the road to Nashville goes through Milwaukee," said Poile. "All of our younger players, the Shea Webers, Ryan Suters, Dan Hamhuis to mention three other defencemen, have all played in Milwaukee and it has seemed to have served them really well.
"We're really looking to give him a really good shot to make our team this fall at training camp."
