September 15, 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 Central Division for the 2009-10 season. Watch for the rest of the division previews this week.
Barrie Colts
Key Returnee: Alex Hutchings has led the Colts in scoring in each of the past two seasons and this year will be the lynchpin in what could be one of the top scoring teams in the Eastern Conference. The Tampa Bay Lightning fourth rounder also led the Colts with a +27 plus-minus rating and 12 powerplay goals last season.
Forwards: The Colts are in then enviable position of returning virtually all of their main ingredients from last season, including forwards Hutchings, Stefan Della Rovere, Josh Brittain and Michael Sgarbossa and they added veteran scorer Luke Pither from Belleville, who should be one of the top point producers in the Eastern Conference this season. Darren Archibald is also back. He was nice addition to the lineup and equaled Hutchings for the scoring lead in the playoffs.
Defence: The Colts aren't as deep on the blueline but have a workable group that includes steady overager Ryan Gottschalk and veterans Matt Stanisz and Dalton Prout. Sophomore Ryan O'Connor looks like the choice to quarterback the powerplay but if that doesn't work out watch for the Colts to try to make a move to bring one in. Simon Gronvaldt and youngsters Stephen Gaskin and Mitch Bennett are also in the mix.
Goaltending: The Colts moved Michael Hutchinson out to make way for veteran Peter Di Salvo to be the clear cut number one. He ended up being the Colts go-to-guy in the playoffs last season and made 84 saves in their triple overtime loss that ended their opening round series against the St. Michael's Majors. Dalton McGrath is available as the back-up.
Behind the Bench: Marty Williamson is in his sixth season behind the Colts bench and already holds the longest tenure in club history. After a pair of sub-.500 seasons, Williamson is anxious to turn the Colts into a championship contender again this season.
Brampton Battalion
Key Returnee: With the expected departure of Brampton's top scoring trio from last season - Cody Hodgson, Evgeny Grachev and third overall NHL pick Matt Duchene - the Troops will look to returning veteran Thomas Stajan to increase his offensive production. Stajan has proven to be a dependable two-way performer with a good scoring touch.
Forwards: In addition to Stajan, the Battalion will need Scott Tanski to continue his upward swing in production while former first round pick Sam Carrick will likely pay big dividends this season. Stephon Thorne and Craig Moore were also serviceable in Brampton's march to the OHL Championship Series last season and will use that experience to become more regular contributors up front. First round pick Barclay Goodrow looked very good in the pre-season. Duchene - who was in Brampton's training camp and suited up in the pre-season before leaving for Colorado, , Grachev and Hodgson are all eligible to return but GM/coach Stan Butler expects all three to get a long look with their NHL clubs.
Defence: Matt Clark emerged last season as a solid two-way threat on the Battalion blueline and the big Campbellville native was rewarded at the NHL Draft when the Anaheim Ducks selected him in the second round in June. The Battalion are also looking for returnees Ken Peroff, Ben Alavie and Kyle Pereira to keep their end tidy.
Goaltending: After losing the number one job to Thomas McCollum last season, big Patrick Killeen is poised to be the top guy in Brampton this season. The 19-year-old Penguins' prospect will be backed up by one of Charlie Millen or Jacob Riley.
Behind the Bench: Butler is the only coach and manager that the Battalion have known in their 11-year history and last season guided them to the OHL Championship Series for the first time. Butler will have his work cut out for him this year after that success will likely result in the early loss of some of his best players.
Mississauga St. Michael's Majors
Key Returnee: All-star defenceman Cameron Gaunce plays in every situation for the Majors and is one of the best all-around defenders in the Eastern Conference. Gaunce loves to score and his 17 goals last season were third best among all OHL blueliners.
Forwards: The Majors forward brigade is already a handful and will only get better as they mature. Overager Michael Pelech paces the offence for the Majors while youngsters Jordan Mayer, Casey Cizikas and William Wallen - who made an emotional return after suffering a brain aneurysm during a game last year - are difficult to keep under wraps. The Majors picked up former first round pick Gregg Sutch from the Sarnia Sting in the off-season and the talented winger will fit in nicely with the Majors' solid group of young forwards, including last year's first rounder Devante Smith-Pelly.
Defence: The Majors have a wealth of quality blueliners, including Gaunce as well as dependable veterans Tim Billingsley and Brett Flemming and overager Blake Parlett. They also added David Corrente from the Generals last season. They form a playoff-ready crew that are difficult to play against. The Majors used their first round pick in the OHL Priority Selection to select Stuart Percy from the Toronto Marlboros and will throw him into the mix this season as well.
Goaltending: The Majors are in the fortunate position of having an established number one goalie in Chris Carrozzi but also have a youngster that is pressing for playing time in JP Anderson. Either goalie is capable of winning and Anderson didn't show any nerves in his playoff performance last season despite being an OHL rookie.
Behind the Bench: Dave Cameron's return to the Majors has coincided with a dramatic upturn in the team's fortunes. They are rated fifth in the pre-season BMO CHL MasterCard Top-10 rankings, and second behind the Windsor Spitfires among OHL teams and may be a year ahead of schedule in their development plan. Cameron is joined on the Majors' bench by long-time OHL coaching fixture James Boyd.
Niagara IceDogs
Key Returnee: Coming into his third OHL season, feisty forward Andrew Agozzino will be leaned on heavily by the IceDogs to supply the firepower that became his hallmark last season. The 18-year-old led the team with 56 points last season and was second with 27 goals and the coaches don't think he's hit his offensive ceiling yet.
Forwards: Agozzino and veteran Chris DeSousa were the top goal getters for the IceDogs last season and will likely continue to lead the scoring parade this year while Marco Insam was a pleasant surprise with 23 goals. Sophomore Freddie Hamilton will continue his progress after scoring 10 goals and 28 points as a rookie last season and gritty rookie Andrew Shaw relishes making life difficult for the opposition.
Defence: One of the biggest question marks for the IceDogs this season will be if captain and World Junior defender Alex Pietrangelo is in the lineup. He was the fourth overall pick in the NHL Draft in 2008 and could crack the St. Louis Blues' lineup this season. If not, the big blueliner would add a lot to the IceDogs' lineup. Aside from Pietrangelo, the IceDogs back end is an unheralded group that includes returnees Mike Schwindt and Reggie Traccitto as well as first round pick Dougie Hamilton, who will join his older brother in Niagara.
Goaltending: Mark Visentin returns after playing in 23 games last season as a rookie and the IceDogs added huge Finnish netminder Petteri Simila, a seventh round pick of the Montreal Canadiens in June.
Behind the Bench: The IceDogs made a surprise coaching change just before training camp opened and instilled Mike McCourt as their head coach. McCourt played in the NCAA before a minor league playing career that ended in 2001-02 with Fresno in the WCHL and was promoted from his role as an assistant coach with the IceDogs. The team also added former Generals' skipper and NHL defenceman Randy Ladouceur to the coaching staff.
Sudbury Wolves
Key Returnee: Veteran forward Eric O'Dell has been a point-a-game producer since arriving in Sudbury in 2007 and will look to step up his production even more this season as he works towards signing with the Atlanta Thrashers after they acquired his rights from the Anaheim Ducks in March. O'Dell is a slippery forward that has the ability to create offensive chances on virtually every shift.
Forwards: After being the first overall pick in the OHL Priority Selection a year ago, John McFarland already looks like he is going to have a dominant season. He is a highly rated NHL draft prospect and was Canada's Captain when they won the Under-18 Ivan Hlinka tournament last month. The Wolves also return John Kurtz, Phoenix Coyotes' prospect Jared Staal and Marcus Foligno, who all scored in double digits last season and will be called upon to raise their production again this season. Big German winger Eddy Rinke and second round pick Kristoff Kontos also looked good in pre-season.
Defence: The Wolves have a relatively young group on the blueline with the likes of Peter Hermenegildo, Daniel Maggio and Jake Cardwell, who all played significant roles last season. They also added Russian blueliner Stefan Stepanov in the Import Draft and first round OHL Priority Selection Justin Sefton, one of the most talented blueliners available in the draft.
Goaltending: The Wolves have some depth in the crease with the return of overager Andrew Loverock, whose next win will be his 70th in the OHL, and Alain Valiquette, who also has the ability to be a number one netminder in the OHL.
Behind the Bench: Mike Foligno elected to step aside from the Wolves' coaching duties and will remain as GM while handing the coaching reigns over to assistant Bryan Verrault. Former NHLer Jeff Beukeboom joins Verrault behind the bench.
Central Division Predictions
Top Team: Mississauga St. Michael's Majors
Top Scorer: Luke Pither, Barrie
Top Defenceman: Cameron Gaunce, St. Mike's
Top Goaltender: Peter Di Salvo, Barrie
Top Rookie: Barclay Goodrow, Brampton
Top Prospect: John McFarland, Sudbury
Top Overager: Luke Pither, Barrie
Breakout Player: JP Anderson, Mississauga
For more information visit www.ontariohockeyleague.com.
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