By Steve Fitzsimmons /
Training Camp is upon us now for the Ontario Hockey League and the regular season is only weeks away. There have been plenty of news and notes around the league to get caught up on. Next issue, we will have our yearly OHL Predictions that will detail in some depth our thoughts on the upcoming year, but for now, here is some of the latest happenings around the league.
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Windsor Spitfires
After courting European F Richard Panik for the better part of a year, the Spits finally signed the 10th overall selection in last year’s Import Draft. The 6-2, 203-pound Slovakian was selected 52nd overall by Tampa Bay in the 2009 NHL Draft and has a high skill level. He should be on one of the top two lines…Coach Bob Boughner led the Canadian Under-18 Canadian Squad to the gold medal at the Ivan Hlinka tournament. Boughner has been garnering serious NHL attention for a coaching position, but has elected to stay in Windsor.
London Knights
Newly acquired goalies Mike Hutchinson and Michael Houser will be getting their goaltending help from a new Goaltending Coach for the Knights, as London-native Bill Dark has elected to leave the Windsor Spitfires and join the Knights, after the departure of Dave Rook to the Columbus Blue Jackets. Dark had been with the Spits for four seasons.
Plymouth Whalers
Picked up Detroit Red Wings second round pick Tomas Tatar and four draft picks for youngster Gabriel Landeskog. Tatar was the sixth pick in the European entry draft and had 11 points in seven games at the World Juniors. If Plymouth can get him to report to the team, he could be a significant impact player.
Saginaw Spirit
After having no success signing their top draft choices last season, the Spirit are having more luck this season, having just signed promising D Alex Lepkowski. He played last season with St. Francis Prep of the MPHL and was drafted 66th overall in the OHL Draft. At 6-3, 216 pounds, he brings size and skill to the Saginaw defence core.
Erie Otters
Popular long-time team Play-by-Play man Mark Jeanneret has left the team after 11 seasons to become the voice of the Portland Pirates of the American Hockey League. Jeanneret has long been one of the Ontario Hockey League’s best hockey commentators. The Pirates are the farm team of the Buffalo Sabres. Mark’s father Rick is the legendary play-by-play voice for the Sabres.
Sarnia Sting
The Sting got a significant return for F Gregg Sutch, trading him to the St. Mikes Majors for hard-nosed F Kyle Neuber, F Kale Kerbashian and potentially three draft picks. Neuber is arguably the toughest player in the OHL and a Sarnia-native, while Kerbashian has 50 to 60 point potential, after notching 43 last season.
Guelph Storm
Got recent news that G Brandon Foote will be out until January, after having surgery on his hip. The team responded by re-acquiring former G Cody St. Jacques. He will compete with Matt Hoyle for the starting job…The Storm also added some offence, picking up F Matthew Sisca from Niagara for a second round pick and youngster Dylan Wood. Sisca had 21 goals and 54 points last year in 66 games for the Ice Dogs.
Owen Sound Attack
Removed the logjam at the goaltender position, by trading G Tyler Beskorowany to Kingston, receiving F Bobby Mignardi back. Mignardi had 16 goals and 48 points in 68 games last season. The move anoints G Scott Stajcer as the team’s clear-cut starter. Stajcer was excellent for the Attack last season and at times was spectacular.
Kitchener Rangers
F Jeff Skinner was a big part of the Ivan Hlinka tournament victory by the Canadian Team this summer. Skinner will be counted upon to improve on his very impressive rookie season, in which he tallied 27 goals and 51 points…Acquired 16-year-old Gabriel Landeskog in a trade with Plymouth, giving up Tomas Tatar and four draft choices. The Rangers have had excellent success with their European selections over the years, with the likes of Yanick Weber, Mikkel Boedker and Jakub Kindl among others.
Soo Greyhounds
The team signed promising second round pick C Nick Cousins. The youngster led the Quinte Red Devils to a surprising third place finish at the OHL Cup. Despite being only 5-9 and 155 pounds, the youngster had 72 goals and 139 points in 71 games last season…Traded G Cody St. Jacques to make room for both the progression of Bryce O’Hagan and for G Robin Lehner, who they selected ninth in the European Draft. He was a second round pick of Ottawa in the OHL Draft.
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Brampton Battalion
The team re-signed long time Coach/GM Stan Butler to a new four-year contract. Butler has a 344-352-52 record as the only Coach the team has ever had. He’s also ninth all-time on the OHL’s most wins list with 414 wins overall…The team is looking forward to potentially having their import selection RW Valery Kniazev report to the team. He is represented by the same agent as Sidney Crosby and is an offensive type player who played with Sparta Prague Juniors last season.
Belleville Bulls
Bulls D Stephen Silas was a member of the Gold medal winning Canadian team at the Ivan Hlinka Tournament. He also was on Team Ontario for their gold medal effort at the Under-17 hockey challenge. The Bulls are hoping Silas will take on a far more prominent role on the club this year, after a very impressive rookie season, in which he had 3 goals and 17 points in 63 games.
Mississauga St. Mikes Majors
Acquired RW Gregg Sutch in a trade with Sarnia. Sutch, who has a hearing impairment, inspired many youngsters with his seven goals and 15 points in his rookie year last season. His rough and tumble style and determination should add an element of grit to the Majors and his offensive numbers have the potential to improve exponentially.
Niagara Ice Dogs
The team made a coaching change, firing Head Coach Mario Cicchillo after two seasons as head coach and replaced him with Assistant Coach Mike McCourt on an interim basis. Cicchillo, who had one year left on his contract, is hoping to land with another OHL team. He had also spent four years as an assistant coach before his two years with the top job.
Ottawa 67’s
F Tyler Toffoli gained some valuable experience, being a member of the gold medal winning Canadian squad at the Ivan Hlinka. Toffoli will be looking to build on a very strong 46-point rookie season, in only 54 games. The former Toronto Jr. Canadiens star should be able to better last season’s totals and then some.
Sudbury Wolves
It’s been a tough summer for the Sudbury Wolves family, with Head Coach/GM Mike Foligno’s wife Janis passing away recently after a long battle with cancer. In her final months, she did get to see her son Marcus drafted by the Buffalo Sabres in June’s NHL Draft. Hockey Now sends out our sincerest condolences and best wishes to the Foligno family and the Sudbury Wolves team.
Barrie Colts
Associate coach and former NHL defenceman Drake Berehowsky has left the team after two seasons to join the coaching staff of the Peoria Riverman of the AHL in a similar position. Peoria is the AHL affiliate of the St. Louis Blues and given that organization’s abundance of young defencemen, this seems to be a very savvy hiring.
Peterborough Petes
F Ryan Spooner, who was the youngest Petes player in franchise history to score 30 goals in a season, was a member of Canada’s gold medal winning team at the Ivan Hlinka tourney. He is one of three Peterborough Petes players on the initial NHL Central Scouting’s watch list. It also includes D Adam Sedlak and newly acquired Jiri Sekac.
Oshawa Generals
Not only has the summer been busy for players, but head coach/GM Chris Depiero has been very busy as an assistant coach to Bob Boughner on the Canadian team who won a Gold Medal at the Ivan Hlinka tournament…former co-owner John Davies has returned back into his team ownership position, taking back his former stake after the deal with Peter DeBoer |