There is new day dawning in the Ontario Junior Hockey League, as of the 2015-16 season. Almost all of the league's stars that were fixtures atop the scoring tables, like JRC's Anthony Repaci, Georgetown's Steve Hladin, Cobourg's Connor Armour, and Trenton's Brady Wiffen, as well as many others, are all gone. That does not mean that I expect a severe drop off in the league's quality, however. All it means is that a new breed is poised to infuse the league with their ability, and take leading rolls in their respective clubs.
With that in mind, here are some thoughts I have on the various teams' outlooks heading into the new year.
This blog will focus on the North Division.
Note: I have, of course, stuck to players that I am fairly confident will be back in the OJ next year.
Ever since the excellent Newmarket team of 2012-13, the North has been owned almost exclusively by the perennially loaded Aurora Tigers. Every season the Tigers have a ton of stars, those stars move on, and then they raise up and bring in new stars; and there is no reason to expect any different for next season.
By all accounts, future Niagara University man and skilled speedster Drake Board is ready for a big role and to fill in for Johnny Curran, who is off to Western Michigan. He will be well supported by the similarly sized and fleet-footed Daniel Mantenuto, while the incredibly intelligent future Robert Morris University defender Noah Delmas should certainly be able step into the No. 1 defender spot vacated by Eric Williams.
I am also interested to see if veteran Liam Neuman, another speedy fast forward, can break through into a truly impact player in the OJ. Also, will Jordan Sambrook, who was one of the best midget defenceman in all of Canada last year stick in the OHL? If not, he is property of the Tigers, and he is outstanding.
Much was written and discussed concerning the plight of the Pickering Panthers last year, but inking head coach Matt Caroll appears to signal a desire to head in the right direction for the club. His Ajax/Pickering Raiders midgets were an excellent squad last year, and it serves to expect a number of those quality players will follow him there. If veteran BJ Salerno returns, he remains as dangerous offensively as any player in the league.
The Newmarket Hurricanes went down a similar path as the Panthers, bringing in Brett Punchard, who led his impressive Toronto Young Nats midgets to a national championship last year. The likes of Mack Graham, Max Routledge and Alex Ierullo were dominant in midget, and should be excellent Junior A players if they follow their coach to the Hurricanes.
In terms of returnees, Sam Hu parlayed quickness and an incredible work ethic into 26 goals and 43 points last year, and looks ready to continue to climb the rungs into the elite of the OJHL. Connor Ryckman was also excellent in net in his rookie season, and could be as good as anyone in the league next year.
The newly re-coined and relocated Markham Royals are excited about their fresh start, and don't appear to be sparing any expense to make it a success. A lot of guys are back, including their dynamic captain Jason O'Connor, and if all-around elite defender Khadyn Butterfly returns, then expect Markham to give the Tigers a decent push in the north. Future Merrimack College man Laine McKay is a big boy with loads of scoring potential, and he was very impressive at the CJHL Top Prospects game last year.
Stouffville really impressed by getting to the No. 5 seed in the Northeast last year, but they will need an absolute monster year from Nick Thomakos to replicate that success. Fortunately for them, he is extremely dynamic, and is ready to cement a place among the league's best forwards. Former Kitchener Ranger James Mense-Dietrich showed flashes of brilliance last year as well, so he will have to help Thomakos out in the production category. Former Owen Sound prospect Aaron Taylor is very talented goaltender, and should be back in the Spirit net.
Offensive-minded defenceman Brandon Washer really thrived in the free-roaming roll he got from the Muskies last year, so it makes sense to expect he'll keep putting up numbers in Lindsay next year. The huge Keegan Cairns showed flashes of ability too, while the diminutive former Junior C sniper Jack Scanlon certainly has the skill to be dangerous at this level.
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