September 16, 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 Midwest Division for the 2009-10 season. Watch for the West Division preview on Thursday.
Erie Otters
Key Returnee: Former first overall pick Ryan O'Reilly has been a consistent scoring threat in each of his first two OHL seasons but is looking to step up his production and become a bona-fide OHL star after being a high pick of the Colorado Avalanche in June. He has the skills to be a dominant centre and can help the Otters officially move out of their rebuilding phase.
Forwards: Zack Torquato led the Otters with 29 goals last season and returns this year as an overager with a lot of firepower. Shawn Szydlowski also returns after breaking out with 23 goals as a sophomore last season and Andrew Yogan was on a point-a-game pace after coming over from Windsor last season. The Otters are also impressed with Greg McKegg, their first round pick of a year ago, and this year's first rounder, power forward David Broll.
Defence: The Otters are looking forward to having promising blueliner Mitch Gaulton in the lineup for a full season. Gaulton had most of the past two seasons derailed with an elbow injury that required surgery. The Otters probably won't get a lot of offensive production from the blueline - Tyler Hostetter returns after leading the way with six goals and 23 points - but they have an efficient crew that will keep the shots down in their own end.
Goaltending: Jaroslav Janus made a name for himself at the World Junior Championships in Ottawa last winter. The Slovak netminder was named to the tournament all-star team after putting in some inspirational performances and the Otters are looking for more of the same from the Tampa Bay Lightning prospect this season. Veteran Shane Owen and import pick Ramis Sadikov from Russia are in the mix as backups.
Behind the Bench: Robbie Ftorek returns behind the bench and hopes to complete the Otters' transformation into contenders. Last year, the former New Jersey Devils' coach helped the team nearly double their win total from the previous season.
Guelph Storm
Key Returnee: Peter Holland went from being a promising young forward to a game-breaker in a matter of months last season. After a modest eight-goal, 23-point rookie campaign, the big Caledon native broke out with 28 goals and 67 points last season and established himself as a top-flight NHL prospect along the way. The Anaheim Ducks agreed and scooped up Holland in the first round in June.
Forwards: The Storm assembled a group of talented young forwards like Holland and third round Nashville Predators' picks Michael Latta and Taylor Beck. If they can keep that group together, the Storm should have one of the deepest forward lineups in the OHL next season. They added centre Mathew Sisca from the IceDogs and he looks ready to improve upon the 21 goal, 54 point season he enjoyed last year and they are also holding out hope that captain Matt Kennedy will return from the Carolina Hurricanes' camp to play as an overager.
Defence: The Storm return six defenders from last season but are most excited about the off-season acquisition of huge blueliner Adam Comrie from Saginaw. Comrie will log a lot of minutes for the Storm and joins overager Corey Syvret as the veterans of a bunch that also includes Ben Chiarot, Tim Campbell and Evgeny Molotilov, who all played regular minutes last season.
Goaltending: Cody St. Jacques will get the starting role to open the season while Matt Hoyle also joined the team after playing at Harvard last season. Veteran Brandon Foote will be sidelined until late December at best with a hip injury.
Behind the Bench: After a decent regular season last year, Storm GM/coach Jason Brooks said that losing in four straight to Saginaw in the first round of the playoffs last spring left a bitter taste in his mouth all summer. Brooks has enjoyed success with Ontario's Under-17 team and brings a good presence to the bench.
Kitchener Rangers
Key Returnee: The Kitchener Rangers threw their rebuilding effort into fast-forward this year and a big part of that has been the emergence of forward Jeff Skinner, the Rangers' first round pick in 2008. Skinner started his OHL career with a bang, scoring two goals and three points in his debut last September and led the team with 27 goals last season, including 10 in a five-game stretch at the beginning of February.
Forwards: Jason Akeson was also a pleasant surprise last season, putting in 20 goals and 64 points in his first full season in the OHL. Third year forward Tyler Randell, a former first round pick of the Belleville Bulls, plays with a good mix of offensive skill and toughness. They also added talented Swedish forward Gabriel Landeskog, who is the youngest player to ever play for the Djurgarden in the Swedish Elite League, and touted American sniper Jeremy Morin, who is expected to be a high pick in the NHL Draft in June.
Defence: Overage captain Dan Kelly returns to anchor the blueline while the Rangers' brass are salivating at the talent that first round pick Ryan Murphy showed in the pre-season. Murphy, the Rangers' first round pick in the OHL Priority Selection, plays a similar style to Ryan Ellis of the Windsor Spitfires. The Rangers enjoyed a coup in the off-season when they signed standout defenceman John Moore from the USHL's Chicago Steel in the summer. Moore, a Columbus Blue Jackets' prospect has lots of skill and would help the Rangers' blueline dramatically but because he was drafted out the USHL, the Blue Jackets have the option of sending him to a minor league affiliate instead of the Rangers.
Goaltending: The Rangers also landed highly-touted netminder Brandon Maxwell from the U.S. Under-18 program in Ann Arbor, MI and he will join former teammate Morin to help the Rangers' rebound from missing the playoffs last season. They also brought veteran Mavrick Parks back to Kitchener in a trade with Kingston this week.
Behind the Bench: Steve Spott is getting ready for Year Two behind the Rangers' bench as their top guy. After years working with current Florida Panthers' coach Peter DeBoer, Spott will get the chance to put his own stamp on this team.
London Knights
Key Returnee: London native Nazem Kadri is one of the most consistent point producers in the OHL and he is likely to challenge for the league scoring title this season - assuming he returns to the Knights. Kadri was the seventh overall pick of the Toronto Maple Leafs in the NHL draft in June and while the team needs all the offensive help they can get, they don't plan on rushing Kadri's progression.
Forwards: The Knights have a solid group returning up front that includes overager Justin Taylor, who could break the 50-goal plateau this season. St. Louis Blues' prospect Phil McRae, Daniel Erlich, Phil Varone and Jared Knight all return after scoring at least 15 goals last season.
Defence: Michael Del Zotto comes back as the kingpin on the blueline in London this season. Del Zotto has added some defensive chops to his strong offensive game and presents some challenges for the opposition. John Carlson could return to London but they aren't expecting to have him in the lineup this season. Like Moore in Kitchener, Carlson was drafted out of the USHL so the Washington Capitals can send him to a minor league affiliate this season if he doesn't stay in the NHL. The Knights landed promising blueliner Scott Harrington in the Priority Selection but he is out for several weeks after breaking his wrist in the Knights' first pre-season game. They also added veteran Michael D'Orazio from Owen Sound this week.
Goaltending: The Knights landed veteran stopper Michael Hutchinson from the Barrie Colts in the off-season and he settles their question about who will take the bulk of the chores in net this season. Big project Stephen Heming, who played in two games with the Knights last season, and rookie Michael Houser are also in camp.
Behind the Bench: Dale Hunter has established himself as one of the top bench bosses in junior hockey and has been frequently rumoured to take on an NHL job. He seems to be happy working his magic each season and keeping the Knights at the top of the pack. The Knights also welcome back assistant Jacques Beaulieu, who spent the past three seasons as the head coach of the Saint John Sea Dogs in the QMJHL.
Owen Sound Attack
Key Returnee: In just two seasons, centre Joey Hishon established himself as the Attack's most dangerous forward. He followed up a 20-goal, 47 point rookie campaign with 37 goals and 81 points to lead the team in scoring last season.
Forwards: The Attack added winger Bobby Mignardi from Kingston in the off-season while Mike Lomas and Marcus Carroll were both 25-goal scorers last season that may have more to contribute up front this year. The club is very high on sophomore Steven Shipley, a former first round pick, who scored 16 goals and 39 points last year and has a lot of upside. Rookie winger Daniel Zweep is difficult to miss at six-foot-four and 227 pounds and loves to play a physical role and skilled Russian Roman Berdnikov is expected to produce once he recovers from a shoulder injury that needed surgery in the off-season.
Defence: David Kolomatis has been a staple on Owen Sound's blueline for the past three seasons and may return as an overager. Kolomatis, who scored 18 goals and 46 points in 63 games last season, was drafted by the Los Angeles Kings in June but battled mono during the summer and may not be ready to make the jump to the pro level. The Attack also return Keevin Cutting, Paul Bezzo, Michael McGurk and Czech defender Milan Doczy to the blueline while first round pick Curtis Crombeen will also be worked into the mix.
Goaltending: The Attack moved Tyler Beskerowany to Kingston in the off-season to clear the way for Scott Stajcer to claim the undisputed number one role. Stajcer was very good when splitting time in the crease last season and will look to rebound from a tough playoff appearance with a strong group in front of him this year.
Behind the Bench: Mark Reeds enters his third season behind the Attack bench with the best lineup he's seen to date. The team enjoyed an improvement in their record last year and made the playoffs but Reeds will be looking for more this year.
Midwest Division Predictions
Top Team: London Knights
Top Scorer: Nazem Kadri, London
Top Defenceman: Michael Del Zotto, London
Top Goaltender: Jaroslav Janus, Erie
Top Rookie: Ryan Murphy, Kitchener
Top Prospect: Greg McKegg, Erie Otters
Top Overager: David Kolomatis, Owen Sound
Breakout Player: Mathew Sisca, Guelph
For more information visit www.ontariohockeyleague.com.
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