The Ontario Hockey Association is honouring a local coach.
LaSalle Vipers Head Coach, John Nelson has been named the OHA Coach of the Year.
Nelson guided the Vipers to a third place finish in the Greater Ontario Hockey Junior League's Western Conference.
It comes after the Vipers had just seven players return from last year's team including the top three leading scorers, which made the Vipers one of the youngest teams in the league this past season.
Nelson previously coached the team from 2008 to 2011, taking them to a Sutherland Cup win in 2010 and rejoined the team last July after being assistant coach of the Windsor Lancers.
He also has a strong resume as a player, having had stints in the OHL and AHL.
Nelson is currently Hockey Skills Director at the FJ Brennan Hockey Academy.
— with files from AM800's Rusty Thomson