By / Sam Laskaris
ONTARIO JUNIOR HOCKEY LEAGUE
The OJHL will be well represented at the Canadian Junior Hockey League’s Prospects Game.
Eleven players from the league have been chosen for the Team East squad that will compete at the game scheduled for Dec. 17 in Summerside, P.E.I.
Besides the OJHL, Team East will also includes players from the Central Junior A Hockey League, Northern Ontario Junior A Hockey League and the Maritime Junior A Hockey League.
Team West will consist of players from five western Canadian leagues.
Those who will be representing the OJHL are goaltenders Matt Ginn (Lindsay Muskies) and Shawn Sirman (Kingston Voyageurs), defencemen Pat McEachen (Stouffville Spirit), David Pratt (Wellington Dukes) and Nick Quinn (Toronto Dixie Beehives), and forwards Brandon Pirri (Georgetown Raiders), Dustin Walsh (Trenton Hercs), Reilly Smith (St. Michael’s Buzzers), Lindsay Sparks (Oakville Blades), Nick Vassos (Orangeville Crushers) and Connor Tresham (North York Rangers).
Besides competing in the Prospects Game, all participants will also compete in a skills competition the day before.
Meanwhile, Orangeville will play host to the OJHL’s Future Stars games on Jan. 14. These contests will feature the best players aged 16 and 17 from the league.
The first match will see players from the league’s Phillips Division against those from the Ruddock Division. Afterwards, those from the Mackinnon Division will square off against their Central Division counterparts.
CENTRAL ONTARIO JUNIOR A HOCKEY LEAGUE
Pembroke will play host to the inaugural ‘Battle of Ontario.’
This event, scheduled for Jan. 17, will feature current and future stars from the CJHL against their counterparts from the Ontario Junior Hockey League’s Central Division.
Normally, squads from the two leagues do not square off against each other until their own league playoffs have concluded and then they enter Royal Bank Cup playdowns.
For starters, there will be a contest pitting the 16- and 17-year-old players from the two leagues against each other. And then there will be a match involving the leagues’ players who are aged 18 to 20.
Both matches will be at the Pembroke Memorial Centre, home of the CJHL defending champion Pembroke Lumber Kings.
Besides plenty of fans, the games are expected to attract numerous scouts from the National Hockey League, the Ontario Hockey League as well as Canadian and American universities.
Pembroke coach Sheldon Keefe will be among those coaching the CJHL senior side. Joining him on the bench will be Brockville Braves’ coach Todd Gill and Cumberland Grads’ coach Mark Grady.
As for the CJHL prospects (16 to 17) squad, it will be coached by Bill Bowker (Smith Falls Bears), Garry Galley (Nepean Raiders) and Vince Mallette (Gloucester Rangers).
NORTHERN ONTARIO JUNIOR A HOCKEY LEAGUE
The Blind River Beavers were one of the league’s hottest teams heading into December.
But even though they had won seven out of their last 10 starts, the Beavers still found themselves in second place in the league’s Western Division.
Blind River was sporting an over-all record of 13-7-4 following its first 24 games. But the Beavers were still four points behind the division-leading Soo Thunderbirds, who had registered a 17-7-0 mark.
The Thunderbirds were proving be a tough team to catch for the Beavers, in part because the Soo squad was also on a hot streak going into December. The Thunderbirds finished November on an 8-2-0 roll in their last 10 matches.
In head-to-head competition, however, Blind River held a slim lead in their season series over the Thunderbirds. The Beavers had won three out of the first five games between the two rivals.
But the clubs would still have several more opportunities to get well acquainted with one another this season. That’s because they were still scheduled to face off against each other seven more times in regular season action.
Meanwhile, in the league’s Eastern Division, the North Bay Skyhawks were still leading the way. North Bay had an 18-5-1 mark after 24 games.
SUPERIOR INT’L JUNIOR HOCKEY LEAGUE
They might not have strength in numbers but SIJHL representatives are hoping to make a big impression at the Canadian Junior Hockey League’s Prospects Game.
Forwards Jordan Davis, Michael MacDonald and Mitch Cain will be the league’s reps at the contest, set for Dec. 17 in Summerside, P.E.I.
Davis and MacDonald are already teammates with the Fort William North Stars while Cain is a member of the Fort Frances Jr. Sabres.
The trio will suit up for Team West at the Prospects Game. Their squad will also include players from Junior hockey leagues in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
They will battle Team East, which will be comprised of reps from three Ontario-based leagues as well as the Maritimes Junior A Hockey League.
Davis has been one of the North Stars’ top offensive players this season. After 19 games, he was tied for the team scoring lead with 28 points (12G, 16A). MacDonald had collected 22 points (12G, 10A) in his first 16 games.
These two players were also key reasons why the North Stars were atop the league standings with a 15-1-3 mark.
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