Leamington Flyers Members Win OJHL Awards

The Ontario Junior Hockey League has announced Justin Solcz as their General Manager of the Year and Cheryl Issell as Volunteer of the Year.

Solcz has been at the helm of the Flyers since 2018 with some outstanding accolades to his name, including Leamington’s first Sutherland Cup Championship last season.

In their first season in the OJHL, the Flyers (34-14-5-3) finished third in the West Conference and open the Western Conference Finals in Collingwood on Friday.

“The award isn’t about me,” Solcz told the OJHL. “The support of my family is so important. And the ownership group has given us every opportunity. Everything the players, coaches and staff need, we get. Dale Mitchell has done a phenomenal job in the short time he’s been a head coach. And there’s his assistants, the trainers, our equipment guys. And the players. The four returnees, who aren’t even our 20-year-olds, carried the culture forward. Another big one is the 30-plus volunteers we have.”

Issell, meanwhile, has volunteered with the Flyers for more than 25 years, dating back to their days as a Jr. C franchise.

“Cheryl is truly a role model and inspiration each week,” Solcz says. “Despite everything she has gone through, each week she is there, smiling and laughing and grateful. Quite simply, Cheryl does it all.”

The Flyers next home game will be Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals on Sunday, April 7th, with puck drop at 6:10pm.

Spread the word! The Leamington Flyers have the highest average attendance in the OJHL this season. The #Flyers2K campaign is encouraging all of Windsor-Essex and Chatham-Kent to join us at the Nature Fresh Farms Recreations Centre as we aim to reach 2,000 for attendance at each game.