September 14, 2009
By Aaron Bell /
The 2009-10 Ontario Hockey League regular season officially kicks off on Thursday when the Windsor Spitfires welcome the Plymouth Whalers for their home opener when they will unveil their OHL regular season and playoff and Memorial Cup championship banners.
The Peterborough Petes also host the Brampton Battalion on opening night while the Barrie Colts host the Owen Sound Attack and the Niagara IceDogs host the Kingston Frontenacs. A full slate of games is scheduled for this weekend.
Here is a look around the East Division for the 2009-10 season. Watch for the rest of the division previews this week.
Belleville Bulls
Key Returnee: All-star defenceman Shawn Lalonde is back after making it through at least three rounds of playoffs in each of his three OHL seasons with the Bulls. He is possibly the best skater in the Eastern Conference and the Bulls will rely heavily on the Chicago Blackhawks' prospect to carry the load offensively and defensively during a rebuilding year.
Forwards: Up front, the Bulls have just four skaters that are older than 18. Detroit Red Wings' prospect Stephen Johnston and fourth-year winger Matt Tipoff are the only 19-year-olds and will be expected to shoulder a lot of responsibility up front while overagers Tyler Taylor (from Oshawa) and Daniel Lombardi (from Sarnia) were brought in for their veteran presence. The Bulls have a solid group of young forwards that they expect to come to the forefront this season including Andy Bathgate, who was selected by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the NHL Draft in June, Luke Judson and sophomores Scott Howe and Cody Alcock.
Defence: The Bulls have as solid a top-four as any team in the division with Lalonde leading the way. Veteran stalwart Marc Cantin plays a responsible game while sophomores Stephen Silas and Bjorn Krupp have both stepped up their play considerably in the pre-season. Krupp was invited to the Minnesota Wild's rookie camp and his play earned him a ticket to the main camp. Veteran Rob Stellick also returns along with newcomers Steve Strong, Alex Basso and Julian Luciani.
Goaltending: The Bulls hope that German sophomore Philipp Grubauer will make the transition to starter after backing up Mike Murphy last season. They used their first round pick to tab local product Tyson Teichmann, who will likely apprentice for the immediate future.
Behind the Bench: George Burnett is behind the bench for his sixth season with the Bulls after recording his 400th OHL coaching win last season. Former Bulls' player Jake Grimes also returns as an assistant and will guide Ontario's Under-17 team in Timmins at Christmas.
Kingston Frontenacs
Key Returnee: Ethan Werek performed like anything but a rookie with the Frontenacs last season, tying for the team lead with 32 goals in 66 games. He was snapped up by the New York Rangers in the NHL Entry Draft in June and should return with another strong season for the Frontenacs.
Forwards: Werek and veteran Nathan Moon, a Pittsburgh Penguins prospect, are the top returning scorers for the Frontenacs but will also welcome newcomers like Kingston-native Kaine Geldart from the Plymouth Whalers and overager Zach Harnden, who came over from Peterborough in the off-season. Alan Quine also joins the mix after being picked second overall in the OHL Priority Selection in May and sophomore Charles Sarault looks like he could be ready for a breakout season.
Defence: Erik Gudbranson, the Frontenacs' first round pick from a year ago, quickly developed into a dominant blueliner as a rookie last season. He even took a turn wearing the captain's "C" as a freshman and will be a sought-after commodity at the NHL Draft next June. Veteran Taylor Doherty was tabbed by the San Jose Sharks in the NHL draft in June and brings another big body with mobility to the blueline. Veteran captain Brian Lashoff is a stable presence along with Kingston native David McMullen, who came in from Niagara in the off-season.
Goaltending: When the Frontenacs brought in Dallas Stars' prospect Tyler Beskorowany from the Owen Sound Attack, they knew that they would likely part with either Mavric Parks of John Cullen before the season started. Beskorowany provides the Frontenacs with an undisputed starter that is capable of winning games.
Behind the Bench: Former NHL star Doug Gilmour was brought in to coach the Frontenacs early last season and is determined to turn around the fortunes of a team that has finished last in the East Division the past two seasons. The Frontenacs enjoyed a good pre-season and Gilmour expects them to contend for first place in the division this year.
Oshawa Generals
Key Returnee: The Generals expect their success to come from the back end out this season and second-year defender Calvin de Haan is going to be counted on to lead that movement. de Haan burst into the Generals' lineup last season with eight goals and 55 points during an all-star campaign that ended with a first round selection by the New York Islanders in June.
Forwards: Up front, Brett Parnham emerged as one of the OHL's top snipers last season with a 50-goal season but he received a free-agent invite from the Senators and may earn a pro job. If he returns for an overage season, Parnham will be one of the league's top scorers again this year. Kory Nagy has put together two good offensive seasons in a row and, as an overager this season, he should be one of the Generals' top scorers. Another bright spot up front is sophomore Christian Thomas. The former first round pick of the Knights was lighting it up in pre-season and appears to be ready for a headlining role.
Defence: Veteran Tony DeHart is the old man of the Generals' blueline group as the only 19-year-old of the bunch while de Haan leads a group of promising young defenders that also includes Scott Valentine, who also came over from London. The Generals added defenders Colin Suellentrop and Kyle Hope with early picks in May and hope that they can make a contribution quickly. Jimmy McDowell also joins the mix after contemplating an NCAA scholarship opportunity.
Goaltending: Michael Zador was another key piece to the Tavares trade and showed through the final weeks of last season that he is capable of being a star in the OHL. He was a standout for Canada at the Under-18's last April and went on to be Tampa's fourth round pick in June. The Generals also have a capable backup in former first round pick Kevin Bailie.
Behind the Bench: Chris DePiero was promoted to head coach during the closing stretch of the 2007-08 season and guided the Generals to the Eastern Conference finals. He didn't have as much to work with in his first full season behind the bench last year but DePiero has a bright future with the Generals. He was an assistant coach with Canada's gold medal winning Under-18 team at the Ivan Hlinka tournament in August.
Ottawa 67's
Key Returnee: Veteran forward Anthony Nigro blossomed after coming to Ottawa in an early season trade last year. The Woodbridge native scored at better than a point a game and will be counted on to be an offensive leader again this season. The St. Louis Blues' prospect has scored 54 goals in the past two seasons with Guelph and Ottawa and will reach for 40-50 this season.
Forwards: The 67's have a talented mix of veterans and youth up front with the likes of Nigro, Cody Lindsay and Thomas Nesbitt as well as sophomore Tyler Toffoli (pictured), who looks like he is going to be a scoring star at this level. Corey Cowick, who enjoyed a break-out season with 34 goals last year, was expected to come back as one of the top overagers in the league but suffered a shoulder injury in the pre-season opener that required surgery and is likely out until after Christmas. Overager Andrew Merrett, an Ottawa native, came over in the off-season from Brampton.
Defence: The 67's may boast one of the league's best defencemen in Tyler Cuma. But the 19-year-old first round pick signed with the Minnesota Wild in the summer and could make the team this season. Cuma missed 46 games last year with a knee injury but reports from the Minnesota camp are that he is at 100%. Julien Demers returned from the San Jose Sharks camp for an overage season but he's nursing a knee injury to start the season. Marc Zanetti and first rounder Cody Ceci will also put in time on the 67's blueline.
Goaltending: Phoenix Coyotes' prospect Chris Perugini comes into the season as the 67's starter but Czech rookie Petr Mrazek looked good in the pre-season and is ready to take up some minutes.
Behind the Bench: For the first time in 15 years, the man behind the bench for the 67's will not be Brian Kilrea. Former assistant coach Chris Byrne, who has a pair of provincial Jr. A titles under his belt, has been selected by Kilrea to be the next bench boss of the 67's. He has enormous shoes to fill following the Hall of Famer that spent 32 of the past 35 years behind the 67's bench.
Peterborough Petes
Key Returnee: Zack Kassian emerged as a dominant power forward in the OHL during the past two seasons and those skills earned him a first round selection by the Buffalo Sabres in the NHL Draft in June. Kassian is strong along the boards and in front of the net and cashed in 13 of his 24 goals with the man-advantage last season.
Forwards: First round pick Ryan Spooner came to the Petes looking to learn the OHL game last season. He did that and a lot more, leading all 16 year olds with 30 goals to go along with 28 assists in 62 games. The Petes added another offensive dynamo in this year's draft in Matt Puempel, who led all Petes' forwards with six points in five pre-season games. He will combine with Spooner to give the Petes a potent one-two punch for the foreseeable future. Pat Daley and Brett Theberge also return as overagers and will provide some scoring depth.
Defence: The Petes have a fairly young - but dependable - group on the blueline this season. They are a year away from being maybe the best defensive corps in the Eastern Conference but for the time being, defenders like Maple Leafs' prospect Barron Smith, Derek Holden and Adam Sedlak will do a good job. Jamie Doornbosch returns as an overage presence while 2008 pick Jeff Braithwaite played a full time role as a rookie last season.
Goaltending: Jason Missiaen is a big presence in the Petes' net and the Montreal Canadiens' prospect became the Petes' number one after Trevor Cann was dealt to London last season. Missiaen will be backed up this season by 16-year-old netminder Andrew D'Agostini, the Petes third round pick in the OHL Priority Selection in May.
Behind the Bench: Former OHL player Ken McRae joined the Petes last summer and guided the team to a 28-win season and a berth in the OHL playoffs. He will be looking for more out of his squad this season while helping them develop into a contender.
East Division Predictions
Top Team: Ottawa 67's
Top Scorer: Brett Parnham, Oshawa
Top Defenceman: Shawn Lalonde, Belleville
Top Goaltender: Jason Missiaen, Peterborough
Top Rookie: Matt Puempel, Peterborough
Top Prospect: Erik Gudbranson, Kingston
Top Overager: Brett Parnham, Oshawa
Breakout Player: Tyler Toffoli, Ottawa
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