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.
I continue with my own division, the dirty dirty South.
Note: I have, of course, stuck to players that I am fairly confident will be back in the OJ next year.
Obviously the easiest team for me to talk about is the North York Rangers, so I'll start there.
The gun that looks to do the biggest part in filling the Gabe Valenzuela-Matt Whittaker production void is most certainly Michael Morgan. The 20-year-old red-bearded speed demon has the talent and work ethic to rival anyone in the OJHL, and I have complete faith that he'll be an all star calibre player for the Rangers next year. In terms of younger players, Ryan Takamatsu looks ready to take another big step forward. As 97-born players go, his intelligence and competitiveness are absolutely excellent, and with a speedy brand of hockey to go with a very solid frame, watch for the one they call Taka to be a force in 2015-16.
I am also very excited to see the continued development of the dynamic 'heart-and-hustle-and-underrated-skill' duo of Kyle Clarke and Nick Zanette. Those two played their hearts out in big minutes against the Repaci line vs. the Junior Canadiens last year, and both have potential to be very good secondary scorers in the OJ starting next season. For new players that could very well be in the lineup next year, I am most looking forward to seeing Jonathan Hampton in Ranger blue. This is, of course, dependent on whether or not the big-bodied, bulldog-type power forward makes his OHL club in Owen Sound.
Last but not least, watch for a breakthrough season from Gianluca Baggetta, who should be a top goaltender in the OJ next year.
It is difficult for me to talk about the Toronto Patriots, of course, because I have no idea who will or won't be there. Should he be back, Tyler Currie is almost a lock to be a captain, and in my opinion a Top 3 defenceman in the league in all areas of the ice. Depending on circumstances, of course, Jeremy Pullara and Mario Ferraro should both improve on their extremely impressive rookie seasons, where they demonstrated maturity way beyond their respective years. Matty Robson was only a 1996 birth year when he brilliantly backstopped the Pats to the Cup, so another great year, depending on circumstances, is almost certainly in his future.
The Oakville Blades will likely be looking hard to add quality pieces to a roster depleted by a lot of graduations from last year, but look no farther than captain Ryan Garvey to lead the charge in filling those voids. Speed and compete are his trademarks, and with a World Junior A Challenge already under his belt, Coach Mike Tarantino is clearly expecting big things from the hometown boy.
The two-way presences of 97-birth years Jackson Bales--who at one point last year was considered an NHL draft prospect--and Josh Kosack should both take steps forward offensively next year, and look to be key leaders on this Oakville reload.
Look for rookie 1998 birth year goaltender Michael Botiz to be an absolute star right away.
The Toronto Junior Canadiens are losing the all-league talent of captain Anthony Repaci, but retain an elite D-corps, and could have two-thirds of their top line back with Nick Jarzabek and Justin Maolino. They both had great offensive seasons at Buckingham Arena, and if JRC can find some forward depth, they certainly have the pieces to make a run at the Conference. Kevin Hancock is an intriguing 1998-born power centreman, and if he isn't in Owen Sound in the OHL, I expect he'll make a nice addition to the top line, where he spent some time last year. As far as I know, Sal Filice, Andrew Mullen and Luca Farrace should all be back on the blue line, an impressive group to be sure.
I am not privy to any information regarding who is or isn't back with the Mississauga Chargers, though 1998-born Oshawa Generals prospect Domenic Commisso was very impressive in the couple viewings I had of him last year.
No comments:
Post a Comment