Neugsie's OJHL Corner: 2016

Saturday, December 3, 2016

Wednesday, November 2, 2016

Eastern Canada Cup All-Star Challenge OJHL Team Previews

Well it's November, so it's the time of year where the OJHL sends four squads to the premier Junior 'A' all-star tournament in Ontario known as the "Eastern Canada Cup"...the 'Eastern' Part changing depending on which part of Ontario the tournament is played. For a second year in a row, the 2016 version is going to be in Cornwall's Cornwall Civic Complex, the home of the CCHL's Colts.

So as you may or may not be aware, I love talking about players, and specifically ones in the OJHL...so here is my preview of each of the four teams the league is sending to the event running form Nov. 14-16.

You can find all the rosters by clicking here

Team OJHL Oates
Coaches: Jeff Angelidis and Michael Henrich (both from the Toronto Jr. Canadiens).

This team has a lot of question marks for me, but just because it isn't the most star-laden squad, does not mean it doesn't have a shot. It is often the team that gels and comes together the quickest that has the most success at these events, so that will be the key for an Oates team with only three '96 birth years.

One thing this squad most definitely has is an excellent group of defencemen. I have heard whispers that Josh Allan isn't 100 per cent, but especially if Trenton's best D-man is there, wow, what a group. Cobourg's best defender Brennan Roy is as smooth and creative as they come in the entire league, while Burlington's Matt Watson is not talked about anywhere near enough relative to his elite talent. Auston Cho is lighting it up with a loaded Georgetown defence corps, and he'll have the solid Matthew Thom along with him on this squad as well.

Up front, Kingston's Danny Bosio has a lot of skill and has done a lot of heavy lifting for the Vees so far this season, so watch for him to play some great, free hockey over the tournament. Angelidis can turn to a speedy, and very north-south oriented all Whitby Fury line in Luke Keenan, Ryan Heeps, and Ryan Taylor, but the rest of the group, which is quite young, will be looking to make a name for itself. I've liked Buffalo's Christian DiFelice for a while, look for him to be a bit of a sleeper if this team goes far.

I honestly cannot comment on their goaltenders, as I have not seen Logan Gauthier of Whitby play, and I have not personally seen Chris Janzen of Trenton face anything close to a difficult game. Go form an opinion guys!

Team OJHL Nieuwendyk
Coaches: Dave Demarinis (Pickering Panthers) and Jon Campbell (Lindsay Muskies)

This is a very well-balanced team and I like it a lot. Beware of Nieuwendyk! Still, like I said before, they still need to come together.

The best part of this forward group is it's variety. They have lots of grit - including perhaps the league's best defensive forward in Josh Dickinson from Georgetown, and Cobourg's Matt Carroll who is no fun to play against - and even more skill. Whitby's Nik Coric is electric, and the ready-made Trenton line of Lucas Brown, Liam Morgan, and Michael Silveri has rarely been stopped, blending great talent with great chemistry (especially Brown and Morgan). Brendan Locke and Ryan Casselman from Cobourg can also light the world on fire, and watch out for one of my favourite sleepers in the whole league, the big 16-year-old Mitchell Hewitson from Mississauga, to wow some people when he gets the chance. Good luck stopping this group of forwards!

With all those forwards and Trenton's Lou DiMatteo, one of the OJHL's premier passers and puck movers, on the back end, Nieuwendyk should have an unbelievable power play. I would love to see DiMatteo play beside the Toronto Jr. Canadiens' Gianfranco Cassaro back there; with DiMatteo's passing and Cassaro's cannon, look out! The Patriots' Ryan Wells and Nik Kalpousos (the latter of whom's health has been a question mark), and Whitby's monster Reilly Smith are all well-rounded, while Andrew Cordssen-David is a rugged, physical presence. The forwards are more spectacular, but the D look rock solid; which sounds good to me!

In net the club is set with the OJ's second best goaltender, in my humble opinion, in Wellington's Connor Ryckman. The league's third-best save percentage is very athletic, and very competitive; so look for him to play their big games while Milton's Will Rawski has a chance to show what he can do.

Team OJHL Coffey
Coaches: Mark Jooris and Kirby Tokarski (both of the Burlington Cougars)

This is a team with excellent goaltending, and some awesome forwards especially, so don't bat an eyelash if Coffey goes far as well.

The thing that makes Coffey as dangerous as any team in the tournament is Stefano Durante, Cobourg's No. 1, and in my opinion (and in my people's opinion), the league's best. The numbers back me up on that too: he has a 1.53 GAA and a .941 save percentage. If they go to the other guy, Cossimo Lazzarino from St. Mike's, they are still in excellent hands. Lazzarino has been on fire lately and has a save percentage around .935...so hard to go wrong there.

As good as the Oakville Blades trio of Ryan Foss, Christian Rajic, and Drew Worrad are - and they are elite talents in this league - they haven't actually played much together the last couple of years. Foss' line with Jackson Bales and Bryce Misley have dominated this season, but those two are on different squads in the tournament, so it'll be interesting to see what Jooris does with those three. Chemistry he can absolutely count on to dominate can be found in the Wellington Dukes line of Brayden Stortz, Nic Mucci, and Brent House; the first two of those three lead the league in scoring at the moment. Stortz can light a game up at will, and having that kind of chemistry instantly will be invaluable. One sleeper forward I'd love to keep my eye on is Stouffville's Josh Argier, who was so electric in midget for the Whitby Wildcats a couple years ago. Laine McKay of Markham was awesome at the CJHL Top Prospects game a couple seasons ago too, so he could be another intriguing sleeper.

The D-corps is an interesting group, led undoubtedly by Stouffville star Max Novick, who I feel like has been in the league forever. He is a great skater that is great at improvising, and can play in his own end as well. Georgetown's Griffen James and Jacob Payette are both massive human beings that are pretty smooth puck movers too, while Matt Kellenberger of Oakville, and former Blade and current Orangeville Flyer Michael Mannera can be exciting offensive players. This group just needs to be solid, because Durante and Lazzarino are both pretty spectacular in my opinion.

Team OJHL Hawerchuk
Coaches: Joe Washkurak (Mississauga Chargers) and Garrett Rutledge (Oakville Blades)

I'm not one for predicting the winners of tournaments, but whatever happens, I guarantee this team will be a ton of fun to watch. I know I have used the word electric for a couple of players in this tournament already - well, this squad has a bunch that qualify in that category.

Oakville's Bryce Misley and Jackson Bales have both been flying most of this season, and with Bales' work rate and Misley's dynamic ability and cannon of a shot, it's a great combination. There are all sorts of fun options for Joe and Ruts to decide on here, with St. Mike's smooth, puck-protecting star Cam Wright, and Georgetown's Jack Jacome, he of incredible tenacity, speed, and hands, as a compelling combo as well. North York's monster Kegan Blasby and new Trenton forward Chris Sekelyk have played a bunch together and are as unstoppable as they come in the league when it comes to power forwards, and I expect the talents of Aurora's Mel Melconian and Newmarket's Alex Ierullo to shine through as well. A lot of hockey in a short span for JRC's star 16-year-old Jack McBain, who is presently away with Hockey Canada; but there will be intense, and well-earned, attention on him if he's on the ice. There is a lot to like up front here. Lucas Condotta, Markham's captain, provides a lot of grit and character as well, and is my choice for sleeper up front on this squad.

A power-play pairing of St. Mike's Mark Paolini and Wellington's Justin Bean is pretty mouth watering. Those two guys are tremendously creative and are lighting it up offensively, while playing big, tough minutes as well. Toronto Jr. Canadiens captain Sal Filice is steady, as is Cobourg Cougars' big man Sam Dunn, so it's an interesting group on the back end as well. A lot of offense, and a lot of steady.

Oakville's Brendan McGlynn has been excellent so far this season, as has Stouffville's youngster Hunter Jones (who like McBain is away with Hockey Canada at the moment); so some pretty capable hands in goal here as well.

Notes:

- I don't mean to leave anyone out on purpose: I only try to talk about what I feel I actually know myself instead of guessing.

- There are lots of possibilities that guys will decline to go, because of injury or for whatever reason, so if someone that I mentioned doesn't show up, don't shoot the messenger.

Thursday, October 6, 2016

Neugybowl Previews: Game #2 - Oakville @ Newmarket Oct. 6

The Thomas Milne era in Newmarket begins in less than ideal circumstances as the Hurricanes have not earned a point since Sept. 16 - a seven-game losing skid - and have four straight opponents coming up with win percentages north of .722. Up first. the South Division leading Oakville Blades come to the Ray Twinney Sports Complex Thursday night with the Southwest Conference's Player of the Month for September, Ryan Foss, in tow.

For their part, head coach Mike Tarantino's Blades are 7-2-0-1, and the scary thing is that despite that shiny record, the club as a whole knows they have not hit anywhere near their stride. Foss' line, with his committed mates of Bryce Misley (Vermont) and Jackson Bales (Merrimack), have been extremely consistent, combining for 21 of Oakville's 49 goals so far, and all three have at least 17 points through the club's 10 contests. The next highest point-getter is Clarkson commit Drew Worrad, who has 11, and while this doesn't specifically trouble the Blades' staff, the significance rests with the fact that this roster has so much more potential than it has shown so far.

Oakville's well-prepared staff will know that if the underdog Hurricanes are going to cause them trouble, it will either come through the highly skilled combination of Todd Winder and Alex Ierullo, or the impressive power-play acumen of Newmarket captain and defender Christian Dedonato. Newly acquired offensive-minded defenceman Cole Thiessen has not disappointed either for Newmarket, and could be an X-factor for the Hurricanes on the night.

The Blades, on the other hand, cannot wait for the combination of Christian Rajic and Jack Jeffers to really explode, and they appear to be slowly finding the right track with each nabbing points in their last three games with the physical grinder Tyler Hildebrandt on their wing.

Chris Elliot was strong in net in Oakville's last game, a 4-1 win at the often tricky confines of Port Credit Arena in Mississauga, but expect veteran Brendan McGlynn to get the call. The dimensions will be more to the Blades' liking in Newmarket, as the ice surface, though not as big as at Sixteen Mile in Oakville, is still at least regulation size.

Aidan Doak came in relief of Jesse Hodgson in Newmarket's latest contest in Cobourg, and did well, allowing one goal on 21 shots. Both have struggled this year, but I expect the more veteran Doak to get the start on Thursday in Milne's first game behind the Hurricanes' bench.

My prediction is that on paper the Hurricanes are in very tough, but the high-powered Blades have a history of not fully showing up in games that are perceived as mismatches - both teams have a chance to prove that assessment wrong.

Saturday, October 1, 2016

Neugybowl Previews: Game #1 - Toronto @ North York Oct. 2

Another year, another Neugybowl. Is it self serving to create such a thing? I don't know. It's been a fun joke among people that know what I'm talking about, so let's keep it going!

Last year the Oakville Blades were the clear winners of the Neugybowl, taking seven wins from nine games with a tie thrown in. North York got the silver medal by going 4-3-1, while Toronto limped to the bronze at 1-7-1. This year there is a fourth entry into the event, the Newmarket Hurricanes, so competition, and potential for more difficult math for Jamie, is increased.

I will endeavour to write game previews for each Neugybowl clash, and the first one goes Sunday afternoon at 3 p.m. at Victoria Village Arena when the Rangers and Patriots do battle for the first time this year.

Head coach Mario Cicchillo and general manager Mark Joslin seemed to have successfully righted the Toronto ship. Clearly they started where all hockey teams need to be started, in goal, and in their platoon of Tyler Fassl and Cam Gray, I can say they are happy beyond a doubt. Both the Texan Gray, and the newly acquired Sauble Beach-native Fassl were brilliant at the showcase, the former stuffing the high-powered Whitby Fury, and the latter doing just enough to clip the similarly emerging Kingston Voyageurs. Which of the two they have the most confidence in at this point is uncertain, but surely both are wins on the part of the Pats. Fassl was excellent in a Friday night road win in an often-tricky Lindsay Recreation Centre, so I wouldn't be surprised if it's Gray that gets Joslin's old organization the Rangers Sunday afternoon.

To give Fassl's brilliance so far some context though, he is 3-0 with a 2.24 goals-against average, and a league-best .940 save percentage - not too shabby.

A major key to the Pats turning it around is the emergence of an excellent top defence-pairing in league second-year man Nick Kalpousos, and rookie Ryan Wells. Wells sat out in Lindsay for rest, and to give guys in suits some playing time, but this mobile, intelligent pairing will see big minutes on Sunday. Those around the league, especially those that saw Newmarket last year and the Young Nats midgets before, knew what Kalpousos could bring, but Wells was a bit of a wild card, and the Pats clearly hit a home run on that young man. Beyond them, Graeme MacLean has been very safe, smart and involved all over the ice, despite a lack of points, and always seems to show up in big moments for the Pats thus far, especially at the defensive end. Who will Cicchilo match up against Keegan Blasby and Chris Sekelyk, should those two NYR monsters be on a line together? Could be Cicchilo' own physical defensive monster Josh Chiarot. We will have to find out!

Up front, Joslin has finally found success in bringing some depth. The Jeff Joynt, Colton Kalezic, Andrew Petrucci (who is a man, and proved it against Whitby at the showcase) unit has been extremely consistent since training camp, but getting Dante Spagnuolo from Trenton and Oliver Benwell to report has been huge for secondary scoring. Off-season Guisten Annetta is back from injury and is still finding his sea legs, but showed promise on a Kanata Junior 'A' team that really struggled last year. I expect he'll make an impact before it's all said and done for Toronto. Paul Violo hasn't produced so far this year, but the rookie out of the Toronto Marlies has promise and is my sleeper to have a solid first year in the league.

Jeremie Lintner has been excellent in net for North York, and I expect he'll get the start again after a great showing at the Showcase vs. Trenton, and then again Friday night in Buffalo. His numbers speak well for him once again (just like last year), with the athletic goaltender sporting a 2.25 GAA (0.01 behind Fassl, as an aside), and a league third-best .936 save percentage. The Rangers are fine in net.

Key veteran defender Shawn Tessier didn't have a training camp due to an illness, and while he is fully recovered from that, he has yet to fully find his groove. A man with vast junior experience, including 52 games in the Ontario Hockey League, the two-way defender will be great for NYR, he just needs to catch up to the rest of the field after circumstances that were out of his control befell him. One asset he certainly has is the brilliant addition of Matthew Ferrari, a big-bodied, smooth-skater who joins Tessier as the Rangers' No. 1A or 1B defender. I expect these two to take on the Petrucci unit, if Schomogyi has his way.

The club's other returning defenceman, Adam Giacomin, is a key veteran leader, and plays an old-school, physical brand of hockey. His presence alongside the likes of offensively inclined rookies Joey Maziarz and Harrison Toms will be huge for head coach Geoff Schomogyi and staff teaching the young guys how to play at this level. A lot is expected of Cornell committed Peter Muzyka, but the big, rangy defender is jumping straight from minor midget, and that is never an easy jump. He will learn, settle, and be a fine player at this level eventually; I have no doubt.

I mentioned Sekelyk and Blasby earlier, and for good reason: those two can be unstoppable at this level, if they want to. They were absolutely smothered by both Whitby and Trenton at the Showcase, but holding them down long just won't happen this year. They both are big and strong, with huge shots, great hands, and wonderful patience with the puck, and the Rangers need them to be key leaders in the energy and effort area to be successful as a club. It's hard not to enjoy watching the combination of Louis Kereakou, Nick Zanette, and captain Kyle Clarke. Those three play with energy, passion, and very underrated skill, and clearly value wearing the Ranger logo on their chest. They were one of the true underrated units in the league last season, and came up big with a goal apiece on Friday night's win in Buffalo. When they are at their best, this North York team is at a whole other level.

Rookie Rocco Andreacchi and veteran Ryan Hunt have been impressive at times, but like most of this North York forward corps, have yet to find great consistency throughout the first six games of the year.

Despite whatever has happened through the games so far, it is still very early, and the information we have on any of the teams in the league (with the probable exception of Trenton), is still too limited to know for sure what is in store.

My prediction is that it will be a one-goal, hard-fought tight game. The Pats have won four in a row and are feeling great about themselves, while the Rangers are breathing a sigh of relief after the win Buffalo following a rough showing at the Showcase. I'll go the cliche route: whoever is better between the goalies, Gray/Fassl and Lintner, will decide the outcome.

Let the Neugybowl begin.

Wednesday, September 21, 2016

Trenton-Toronto trade, my analysis

It is September 21st, 2016, and finally the deal that sends Jeremy Pullara to Trenton for rookie forward Dante Spagnuolo and 19-year-old goaltender Tyler Fassl back to Toronto, is done. It took a long time, and a lot of figuring out, but it is done, and those three will be on the ice tonight; ironically as the Trenton Golden Hawks head to Westwood Arena to take on the Toronto Patriots.

This is a move well-done by both squads, and in my opinion really reflects good relationship the two GMs, Jerome Dupont of Trenton and Mark Joslin of Toronto, have with each other. The old hockey adage regarding trades is so often true: you have to give up steak, to get steak. Well, I know for sure Trenton got Kobe Beef; and while Spagnuolo and Fassl have to prove themselves at this level, I'd be willing to wager they'll turn out to be great assets as well.

In the soon-to-be 20-year-old Pullara, Trenton gets a winner through and through. No matter what era of hockey you're talking, Jeremy is a metric powerhouse. He is an elite face-off man (I'd put him against anyone in the OJHL), he is player with a far more solid frame than his 6', 175-pound line would suggest, and he is an excellent puck possessor. Jeremy has a cannon of a shot, and scored 27 goals last year on a Patriots team that had all sorts of trouble doing so. He also has a knack for terrorizing Trenton at the Duncan McDonald Memorial Gardens, so it is also a case of "can't beat 'em? acquire 'em."

Not only is he a great player at this level, but he has an extra comfort factor in that he joins one of his closest friends, Louis Di Matteo, on the Hawks. Louis was with Jeremy in midget and his first two years of junior, and is an elite OJHLer in his own right, counting as one of the few true high level power-play quarterbacks on the back end this year (as an aside: watch out for the combination of DiMatteo and Josh Allan on Trenton's power play this year...scary stuff).

But as I started the last paragraph, he is a winner. He went from the Telus Cup bronze medal game to a Dudley Hewitt cup semi-final over the span of two years, and with that winner's heart, he certainly has the personality to take those two experiences of falling just short of big-time glory as a big-time chip on his shoulder.

Call me biased if you want, I know the kid well, and we have a great relationship. But I'm also being honest: Golden Hawks fans better buckle up.

Back the other way, Joslin and the Pats have to be happy with themselves. Nobody started more games in Greater Ontario Junior 'B' Hockey League than Fassl did, and only one other goaltender won more games (and, with no disrespect to Mark Sinclair, the guy who I was just talking about, I might be able to win a few games in net for Caledonia...). So in Fassl and Cameron Gray, Toronto is now very able in net - and some say that is half of hockey.

The forward Toronto got, the recently-turned 18-year-old Dante Spagnuolo, is a kid that scored over 40 goals two years in a row in midget with an excellent Richmond Hill Coyotes squad. He's a strong kid, has great speed, nice hands, and a good frame, and while he has yet to get a chance to prove it at this level, the Pats can have two or three seasons with him in their Top 6 to give him that opportunity. On top of that, Dante is an excellent young man with a great head on his shoulders, and there was not one ounce of sulk in him regarding the move from the Dudley Hewitt Cup hosts. He knows his opportunity to produce will be great in Toronto, and that maturity will serve him very well.

Bottom line is I like this trade all around and it is refreshing to see a truly even trade in this day and age.

Wednesday, August 3, 2016

Early August Pre-Season Power Rankings SW Top 5

Well, it's August, and that means the OJHL season is going to be upon us before you know it! Camps will start in just over two weeks, and pre-season games right after, and while it's true that I have no idea who will make certain teams, both in and out of the league, this blog is for fun; so with that in mind, I'll make power rankings based on what I know at the moment.

Here is the SW Conference Top 5, in my opinion.

Southwest Conference

#1: Oakville Blades - the team is celebrating their 50th anniversary this year, and while they didn't get the Dudley Hewitt Cup tournament as they had hoped, new general manager Jordan Seliger, head coach Mike Tarantino, and company, are absolutely loaded. Adding grit in defenders Nick Turenko and Jeff Clarke, and in big forward Chris Brill-Morgan will make trips to Sixteen Mile a lot less fun, while former St. Catherine's Junior 'B' power forward Tyler Hildebrandt has all the tools to supplement an offence already full of firepower. Christian Rajic is easily among the Top 3 most explosive players in the conference (maybe even the league), and look for sophomore D-man Michael Mannara to step into a bigger role this year. Jackson Bales will look to be a key producer as well, along with Ryan Foss and Bryce Misley, who was one of the league's top 1999-birth year forwards a year ago.

#2: Georgetown Raiders - Head coach and GM Greg Walters built a young team last year that went to the finals by clearly and seriously buying in. They also had an elite veteran goaltender last year in Andrew Masters, who they lose to graduation, but whoever wins the starter job between new-comers Josh Astorino and Marcus Paulino will have a finely-tuned machine in front of them. Jack Jacome is with the aforementioned Rajic in the Top 3 most dangerous customers in the conference (also, maybe the best player in the league), while smart big men Austin Cho, Griffin James, and Jake Payette will make the Raiders D-Corps as tough to face as any in the OJHL. Look for big years up front from talented scorers Jordan Crocker, Daniel Hardie, and Ryan Takamatsu. It should be another fun year at Alcott Arena.

#3: North York Rangers - new bench boss Geoff Schomogyi inherits an extremely dangerous and cohesive group that were within one game of the conference final last year. The health of elite goaltender Jeremie Lintner will be huge for the Rangers, as when he was healthy last season, he was as good as anyone in the OJHL. The loss of Grayden Gottschalk to the Ontario Hockey League will hurt, but Chris Sekelyk and Keegan Blasby are as good power forwards as there are in the OJHL. Additionally, the sublime skill of Nick Campoli should put the sophomore centreman firmly on the radar of National Hockey League scouts. The energy line of new captain Kyle Clarke, with Louis Kereakou and Nick Zanette were extremely effective last season, and all three took steps forward productively. A lot of impetus on the back end will be put on former OHLer Shawn Tessier, who came to the Rangers in the middle of the season last year, but he has a lot of character behind him in Adam Giacomin and Jacob DeMaeyer. It's worth repeating though: if Lintner is healthy, everyone should fear NYR.

#4: Buffalo Jr. Sabres - who stays or goes on a year-to-year basis south of the border is a mystery to me, but from the great improvement they made as an organization last season at their beautiful HarborCenter arena, I can only assume they'll continue that growth curve. Slippery talisman and captain Zach Evancho is gone, but if all or most of Chris Berger, Timmy Nicksic, David Baskerville, and Brendan Dunning are back, than Buffalo should certainly be an offensive force. On the back end their monster Wilson Vershay is gone, but true hockey fans love the gritty, in your face style of Evan Bennett, and Aaron Reinig and his cannon of a shot only scratched the surface of his potential last year (and he had nine goals and 35 points!). The amount of power plays Buffalo gets every year will serve Reinig very well this year though, you can count on that. Canisius commit Tucker Weppner has the tools to be a solid goaltender in this league, but whether he puts it together for a full season will go a long way in determining Buffalo's fate.

#5: Burlington Cougars - The Cougars had an incredible turnaround with Mark Jooris at the helm as head coach and GM last year, and even though they lose captain and power-play trigger man Willy Paul, they do keep a big corps of the group that upset the Blades in the second round last year, and pushed the Raiders to six games in the conference final. The biggest question is whether star defenceman Zac Hermann will make the USHL's Omaha Lancers - my belief is that he is more than good enough to do so - which leaves the question of whom will replace them at the top of the Cougars defence depth chart; especially with Griffin James off to Georgetown. One option could be Junior B import Max Balinson, who has a lot of skill. Veteran scorers Chris Cobham, David Thompson, and James McLaughlin look to lead the line up front, and will be supported by talented newcomer Jeff Schrattner. Like last year, they will score goals; but can they keep them out? I haven't seen import goaltender Mario Cavaliere enough to make a claim on him, though both of last year's goalies have graduated.

Thursday, July 14, 2016

Plundering the Coyotes

It should come as no surprise that Jerome Dupont and Mark Jooris, the general managers of the Buckland Cup champion Trenton Golden Hawks and the OHA Coach of the Year at the junior level, respectively, were paying attention to the 2015-16 Richmond Hill Coyotes AAA midgets. Of course, being ranked No. 1 in Ontario will do that, and although the club slipped up at the OMHAs, and had to watch a North York Rangers team that many of the Coyotes were familiar with lift the Telus Cup in New Brunswick a month later, it was still a remarkable year for head coach Kevin Ryan and company.

In order to accomplish that sort of notoriety at the midget level, a club has to be flush with junior ready - or almost ready - talent, and this group was no different, and this off-season, Richmond Hill's ranks are being plundered at an incredible rate. According to the team's twitter account, 11 players from the squad, comprising 1998 and 1999-birth year players, have moved on to juniors, and look to make an instant impact, especially on the Ontario Junior Hockey League.

The 2013-14 York Simcoe Express minor midgets certainly deserve a shoutout along these same lines (the group that spawned recent Colorado Avalanche second rounder Cameron Morrison), with the pick of the Coyotes litter coming out of there. The group of YSE minor midgets/Coyotes midgets includes new Burlington Cougar Andrew Badali, a mature and fleet-footed winger, as well new Trenton Golden Hawks Cole Thiessen, a smooth skating, point-producing machine from the back end, and the dynamically skillful Dante Spagnuolo.

Joining Badali on the Cougars is Darius Dimitriadis, a great passer with a solid frame, while sniper Conor Smart will look to fill one of the holes left in the high-powered offence of the Oakville Blades. Vinny Boniauto, a speedster that played on a very good Toronto Titans minor midget team two years ago, will join new head coach Justin Teakle on the Orangeville Flyers.

I am not privy to the other signings at the moment, though I'm sure whoever runs the Coyotes' fine twitter account will divulge that information soon enough. Nevertheless, the young men about to break into the OJHL out of Richmond Hill, as well as their excellent, athletic goaltender Ryan Franz, who is set to join Kanata of the Central Canadian Hockey League, are all fine individuals who I have seen play many times.

They will make their marks on the OJ before long.

Wednesday, June 22, 2016

OJHL Transactions Notebook #1: My teams in June

OJHL transactions come in all shapes and sizes. Often they are of the player-for-cash variety, in the absence of draft picks like in major junior, and most general managers would rather deal a player of real quality to another league, or at least out of division, rather than risk facing him in a key game down the stretch or in the playoffs.

This off-season so far, bringing players in from Junior B, or sending them back there, has been the norm around the league. Teams like the Oakville Blades, North York Rangers, Wellington Dukes, and Trenton Golden Hawks had a lot of success last year finding veteran players from the more quality Junior ‘B’ outfits, so digging for that next ‘later-blooming’ gem has been the name of the game so far.

We have also seen teams off-load to Junior B, bringing in cash from those wealthy, quality outfits that provide no risk of on-ice competition.

With the off-season transaction market in the OJHL in full swing, I have decided to put together a little notebook of my thoughts concerning what has gone on so far.

I’ll start with the three teams I know the most about.

The first, and easiest team for me to talk about is the Oakville Blades. I was around one of their mid-summer split-squad games, which was really quite competitive and high tempo for a summer game I might add, and I was impressed with what GM Mike Daley and Coach Mike Tarantino and staff have started to build. It is no secret to anyone that star talent the likes of Patrick Kudla and Josh Kosack will be highly sought out by next-level clubs, and that Tyler Rollo has his heart set on being a fulltime Peterborough Pete next year. Captain Ryan Garvey will skip his overage year and head to St. Lawrence University next year, while the big-bodied, highly-touted defender Ian Blacker has rightfully signed and committed himself to the OHL’s London Knights for 2016-17. So with all that in mind, Daley and company have done well to move on, and take whatever fallback they get from that treasure trove as bonus.

The Oakville transactions that have been reported signal a clear design to be a far less enjoyable team to face in the physicality department. Tyler Hildebrandt from St. Catherine’s Junior B is a big boy with a smooth stride, and by all accounts is a late bloomer with a huge offensive upside, who will not have any trouble getting around Sixteen Mile Sports Complex’s big ice surface.

Dealing young Eric Holland to Aurora is certainly painful, as he is a very talented kid with a lot of potential, but it makes sense in the overall scheme of things to bring in the versatile and truculent Nicholas Turenko in exchange. The well-built 6-foot-2 veteran Turenko says he is most comfortable playing defence, but I’ve seen him play centre plenty of times, and he has done well at that as a two-way ‘East Division-type’ player (as an aside, I guess OJHL people use ‘East-Division-type player’ as a term meaning ‘he’s not a nice guy on the ice’). I’ve also heard nothing but great things about Turenko’s character.

The last kid to be reported heading to Oakville so far this off-season is the former Strathroy Junior B defender Jeff Clarke. Another big, 6-foot-2 physical type, the former Elgin-Middlesex Chief was a well-thought-of pick of the London Knights (sounds like Ian Blacker…), and is only a 1999-birth year. I know coach Tarantino will move the pairings around a lot all year this season coming up; but I expect big things from the recent Lake Superior State commit Mike Mannara, and the big-bodied presence of Clarke appears a strong fit beside either him, or the equally fleet-of-foot Brayden Sampson.

The Blades have a great facility and organization, and Daley, with his staff, does a very nice job recruiting kids and making deals, so I’m sure there is more adding to come. I did see a whole bag load of monsters in Oakville red, white, and blue at their split-squad game.

Neither the North York Rangers nor the Toronto Patriots, the other teams that I have ties to, have revealed anything so far, with the exception of the Pats adding former Toronto Jr. Canadiens bench boss Mario Cicchillo behind the bench, so anything I could say would be pure speculation.

All I can say about the Pats is that I know for an absolute fact that Coach Cicchillo is a huge believer in the games of Lee Lapid and Eric Eremita, the two guys he sent to his new club in the middle of the year last year. I have seen good things from both, and can especially attest to the very high quality of their respective characters – they are both very good kids. No idea if the likes of Jeremy Pullara, Mario Ferraro, or Louis di Matteo – the holdovers from the 2015 championship – are back.

The Rangers lost a bunch of guys to graduation, including leaders like Jeremy Szabo, Michael Morgan, Tyler Currie, and Gianluca Baggetta, but a new group will keep the club very competitive this season. What can motivated 20-year-olds Keegan Blasby, Jeremie Lintner, and Shawn Tessier accomplish this year? I can’t wait to find out. The only transaction I know from them is that they’ve added 17-year-old winger Jake Dale from Blyth Academy Prep.

Tuesday, May 3, 2016

A little look at the 2016 Dudley Hewitt Cup

The 2016 Dudley Hewitt Cup, or the "Central Canada Region Junior 'A' Championship" as it is officially termed, begins this afternoon in the northeastern Ontario community of Kirkland Lake.

Kirkland Lake, a town with a population just under 9,000, is home to the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League powerhouse Gold Miners. While they are the hosts, they also were the finalists in their league, losing out to the other NOJHL team in the event, the Sault Ste. Marie Thunderbirds, who represented the region at the RBC Cup after winning the Dudley last year.

I don't mean any disrespect to anyone, I really don't. The Thunderbirds, the Gold Miners, and the Fort Frances Lakers (the team that will represent the Superior International Junior Hockey League for the third year in a row), are all legitimate champions in their own leagues, and do well to compete year in and year out. That being said, the Trenton Golden Hawks, the champions of the Ontario Junior Hockey League, are a different animal to the teams that the OJHL has sent in recent years.

Now, you know I can say that with good conscience, as I worked for the last two OJ teams to make the event, and had a really good look at the St. Mike's team that went back in 2013, so I am actually taking a risk in making that statement. I loved the Toronto Patriots teams that represented our league in Wellington in 2014, and Fort Frances last year; they represented passion, and unity, and commitment to playing the game the right way, as they were well instructed to by their coaching staffs (Jason Fortier, Ed Kirsten, Brandon Cordua, Derek Foam, Ryan Daniels, Mike Tarantino, etc.). And they had plenty of talent to go along with it, there is no doubt about that. HOWEVER, I still maintain this Trenton team is the type of beast that shouldn't simply believe they can compete at the RBC Cup, like Fortier's Pats did in Vernon. B.C. in 2014, but actually that they are legitimate favourites to win the national championship.

The prevailing story line for the Golden Hawks has certainly been their national-calibre depth, and the tremendous talents of Daniel Urbani in net, but there are secondary ones.

The most intriguing to me personally is a shot at redemption for Mitch Emerson. As a 19-year-old deadline acquisition for the Pats last year, Emerson played a huge role in being a finisher for pretty young Toronto team down the stretch. But the whole Patriots team struggled to score in the Dudley Hewitt last year, as they dominated puck possession in every game, but were used to a more counter-attacking style in the OJHL to find the back of the net. Mitch did score a huge goal for the Pats at the tournament last year, Toronto's fourth goal on a nice wrister from the slot that brought the club tantalizingly close to an epic comeback in the semi-finals against the host Lakers, but I know he would've wanted to contribute more overall (but believe me, he isn't alone in that category).

So, while he certainly has no need to put any sort of undue pressure on himself in Kirkland Lake this week, with a deep group of forwards around him and a scholarship already in his pocket, I expect him to be a real presence. I expect him to tell the Hawks, who, despite being an older group, do not have the same kind of experience he does in general, that taking anyone for granted can kill you, and with that information in tow, the Hawks are well-suited to be successful.

The emergence of Josh Allan as a secondary productive presence to superstar captain Adam Clements on the back end was crucial to Trenton's dominance in the playoffs. He should be great again in Kirkland Lake.

The team at the event I expect to give the Hawks their biggest headache is the Soo Thunderbirds, a well-coached, confident, veteran team used to winning, and very used to winning on the ice in Kirkland Lake (their biggest NOJHL rivals, in fact). What an incredible year for 21-year-old Michael Caruso. I don't care what league you play in...30 goals for a defenceman is impressive, and the hometown boy was brilliant. His little brother Matt is a small, skilled forward on the club too, and did well as a 97-born player to lead the Birds in post-season scoring. I get the sense that the Thunderbirds were building for this year, and will not need to lean on anyone specifically (like they did last year with this year's emerging NHL prospect Boris Katchouk, a member of Canada's U18s, who had a great season with the OHL's Greyhounds after lighting the Dudley Hewitt on fire). The likes of Matt Pinder, Jaren Bellini, and Brett Jeffries all have done well representing the northern league at the yearly regional all-star event, and if former OJHLer Khadyn Butterfly is in any sort of shape to contribute, he will be an absolutely dynamite addition to this squad. On paper, they should face the Hawks in the final.

The biggest thing I'll say about the Fort Frances group is that they do have excellent goaltending. Both Pierce Dushenko, who was sensational at times at the Dudley last year, and rookie Brandon Bodnar, who owned almost all SIJHL goaltending categories this season, are very capable. Now 21-year old forward Dylan Robertson has stepped out of the shadow of the departed Wyatt Cota and Lucas Debenedet, and has turned in a very productive year. Big-minute offence-first defender Nick Minerva was very productive again as well, but after the goalies, Robertson and Minerva, I can't really comment any more.

I haven't seen any of the current Kirkland Lake Gold Miners, but I know diminutive forward Brayden Stortz put up a massive season, with 100+ points in 54 games. Expect him, 51-goal man Logan Fredericks, and crucial defender Blake Anderson to be at the forefront if the hosts are to make noise. Victor-Olivier Courchesne will have be brilliant in net as well.

As I mentioned, the game is played on ice. But Trenton is deep, veteran, confident, and unlike the past three OJHL entrants into the Dudley, are used to travelling on buses to games, and are used to an organization that spares no expense and energy to keep its players focused, and well-supported. Their coach, Jerome Dupont, has won an RBC Cup before, and has been the Dudley a couple times as well, so he knows full-well what to expect. I'm sure he's put in a call to Jason Fortier as part of what I know is an extensive amount of preparation Dupont will have done already - he is one of the best prepared coaches in Junior 'A' hockey. So with all that, it's time for the Hawks to prove me right.

Friday, April 8, 2016

The NYR Midgets: a Telus Cup preview

For the first time ever, a North York Rangers midget club will battle for the Telus Cup - the National Midget championship - starting Apr. 18 in Quispamsis, N.B.

When I saw the club's roster coming together early in the Greater Toronto Hockey League season, I do remember saying to myself...if this team does not AT LEAST make the final of the league, then something has gone horribly wrong. It was loaded to start, it got more loaded as time went on, and the fact that head coach Rob Vessio's men lost only four times in a 33 game schedule, while still impressive, is not a huge surprise to me.

Note: As with any preview, I don't purposely omit anyone, I simply go with what I feel I need to point out without boring a neutral party.

Great teams almost always start with goaltending, and in Jett Alexander and Kyle Henderson, NYR has two good ones. Jett, a 1999 birth year, shone last year on a North York minor midget team that really struggled, and earned himself a 12th-round draft pick from the Mississauga Steelheads of the Ontario Hockey League. He is built to be a goaltender, with a strong 6-foot-4 frame, has good athleticism, and was absolutely sensational in one of his two call-ups with the North York Junior 'A' team (when he was called into duty in Wellington against the Dukes - an extremely hard place to play) .

The older Henderson, a 1998 birth year, has not been fazed either, solidly platooning with Alexander, and I can tell you that Coach Vessio has been nothing but pleased with the work ethic and attitude of the young man that came in after ripping up the minor hockey system in Washington, D.C. I expect Vessio will continue that back-and-forth system between the two at the Telus Cup, and not out of a classic 'it's minor hockey so everyone gets a turn'-type place, but out of a legitimate belief that both guys can get the job done.

The back end is very solid, and while it isn't overly physical, the hockey IQ is huge. There are three guys specifically that I personally know very well, in Jeremy Smith, Liam Gillanders, and Mark Perone; but to a man, all six guys on the corps could easily be top pairing D-men in the GTHL this year.

If there was a GTHL midget video game, I really do maintain that Jeremy Smith would have the highest overall rating. The former Don Mills Flyers minor midget and Upper Canada College player has skill, speed, and vision that is absolutely through the roof - a fact that earned him a spot in an All-Canadians prospect game a couple years ago with legitimate NHL prospects like Mikey McLeod, Tyler Benson, Sam Steel, Victor Mete, and others. Injuries might have derailed his more direct path to notoriety, but he was probably the North York junior team's best defenceman in the one game he played with them this year (at tiny St. Mike's Arena no less, a tough place for the best of D-men to shine). He is a joy to watch, let me tell you.

Liam Gillanders, and Mark Perone are both guys with good size, excellent IQ, and very very low panic thresholds. Perone absolutely loves to compete against anyone, and does not care who you are, how big you are, and what the score is. Gillanders is the smoother puck mover of the two, and both could easily play Junior 'A' hockey right now, in my opinion (at least).

Having the depth of a full six-man, all-midget defence-corps is huge, especially as the Rangers are about take on teams with full, junior-sized rosters from the west at the Telus. Even more importantly, Vessio trusts them all.

Up front, the dynamic duo of Willy Calverley and Aidan Casey were rarely stoppable this season, and were literally unstoppable through the OHF tournament to the tune of 18 goals and 29 combined points in seven games.

Calverley was the leader of a tremendous North York 1998's minor midget team that impressed en route to a plucky performance at the OHL Cup two years ago under a great coach in Lorne Hunchuk. His elite-level passing and patience was a big reason that current North Bay Battalion forward Daniil Vertiy was taken as high as the second round by the OHL's Windsor Spitfires (with no disrespect at all intended to Vertiy, who is a tremendous player and is doing very well for former North York Junior 'A' coach John Dean up in North Bay!). Willy has been everything Vessio has hoped for and more this year, and to top that off was very good in a couple appearances for the junior club.

Casey was, without a doubt, the best puck wizard in the GTHL this year, and has all sorts of junior-ready skill with the disc on his stick. He has a slight build, and I'm sure the western coaches that do their homework will be looking to hit him, but good luck with that: he's also very very slippery. He had 14 points in six games at the All-Ontarios, and generally looked like he found the GTHL pretty easy this year, so he is a lot of fun to watch.

After those two guys, the Rangers midgets take a turn towards the more classic NYR midget teams: a bunch of big, angry belligerents. This team will not be intimidated as other Toronto-area teams might have been against teams from the west and pacific in the past, with hard-working, physical guys like Will Hunter, Jason Pineo, and Daniel Tsiampas in tow.

James Turner's north-south, hard-working style earned him a look at the OHL's Guelph Storm's training camp this past season, while Pineo and Tsiampas have solid, effective, and extensive junior experience already.

It's hard to miss the hulking presence of Matteo Santia as well, as the big man is not very fast, but gets to his spots, and does not mind parking in the goalies face - exactly where Vessio wants him.

Finally, Vessio has found a way to hold on to a midget club that has 11 forwards, and six defencemen, so while other GTHL clubs heading to the Telus Cup have had to call up minor midgets to help fill a roster usually smaller in number than their adversaries on a national level, North York does not need to do that. The benefits to chemistry, and importance of the attitude that "we are all we have, and we are all we need", as a result of not needing to add extra players at this point, cannot be measured. With all those factors in mind, I believe this Ranger club will absolutely be competitive at the national level. Now, like with the rest of this dream season for the North York midgets, what you have on paper means almost nothing when the puck is dropped, so it's time for the lads to show what they are truly made of.

Thursday, March 31, 2016

Burlington v Georgetown: SW Conference Final Preview

Matchup Breakdown

#1 Georgetown Raiders season record: 37-13-3-1 (78 points)

Leading scorer vs. Burlington: Josh Dickinson (3 goals, 6 points), Ashur Elliot (2 goals, 6 points)

Goaltenders (Playoff stats): Andrew Masters, 8-3-0, .921 save percentage; Billy Day, 0-0-0, 1.000 save percentage

#5 Burlington Cougars season record: 34-17-1-2 (71 points)

Leading scorer vs. Georgetown: Ben Morris (2 goals, 5 points), Jordan Peacock (1 goal, 3 points)

Goaltenders (Playoff stats): Andrew Lee, 8-3-0, .904 save percentage; Austin Washkurak, 0-1-0, .881 save percentage

Head-to-head record: Georgetown won three of four, with Burlington’s win coming in overtime

How Georgetown wins: Three words: ride the wave.

The Raiders were tremendous in Game 6 of the second round in closing out the veteran North York Rangers on the road, and it was done with a masterwork of tenacity and attention to detail that head coach Greg Walters could only have dreamed of seeing from his young group. Uncle momentum is a great friend of Georgetown’s right now.

As good as the highly touted Jacome brothers, Brendan and Jack, have been this post-season, the most tantalizing thing about the Raiders right now is that they closed out the Rangers with plenty of scoring by committee. Face-off-and-defence-first centreman Bailey Molella was the goal-scoring hero in Game 6, while early-season dynamo Daniel Hardie was the hero of Game 5. It really is coming from all over the place for Walters and co.

The OJHL’s highest rated NHL prospect Matthew Cairns continues to take steps forward, both with the puck on his stick, and perhaps more importantly, in the area of showing some serious snarl. He is a sure-fire draft pick if he keeps up the belligerence level he showed in Round 2.

The fascinating match in this series is going to be Georgetown’s highly aggressive penalty kill vs. Burlington’s deadly power play, so if the Raiders can repeat the incredible job they did in Round 2 (to the tune of forcing the high-powered Rangers to an abysmal 2-for-30 over the series), they will have a great chance of taking this series.

The Raiders play with a tempo and a simplicity that Burlington has not yet seen in the post-season, either from Toronto in the first round, or Oakville in the second, so if the games stay five-on-five for the most part, Georgetown will have to be considered a heavy favourite.

As usual, you do not go anywhere late in the post-season without strong goaltending, and while Georgetown’s 20-year-old star net minder Andrew Masters wasn’t exactly brilliant against the Rangers, he was better than his counterpart, and a repeat performance in that area will be needed against a Burlington attack that isn’t always pretty, but often finds way to scores goals.

How Burlington wins: Repeat the formula that frustrated an exceptionally talented group of Oakville Blades in Round 2: dominate in the trenches. A grind-it-out, physical series will suit the Cougars well as they have a clear advantage in strength and size.

The Raiders are a tenacious bunch, and the older Cougars will have to keep their emotions in check if they are going to keep this series close. Both clubs overcame tough series’ in Round 2, but Burlington’s was longer, and had all sorts of wild emotional swings, so keeping scores low, and letting that vaunted power play be a difference maker, will likely be big parts of the Cougars’ game plans.

Andy Lee was lights out in net at times in the first two rounds, but he was ordinary at others. For head coach Mark Jooris’ men to have any sort of shot against the top seeded Raiders, Lee will have to be the first star, if only because Georgetown loves to throw everything and the kitchen sink towards the blue paint. The good news: Lee has proven capable of doing it.

Burlington’s attack is certainly at its best when hulking winger Jordan Peacock is at the centre of the show, so watching for whether the 20-year-old is engaged mentally and physically will be a key way of seeing how the series is going on a game-to-game basis.

Niagara commit Zac Hermann has been superb all post-season on the Cougars’ back end, and along with Willy Paul leads a talented and gritty Burlington blue line. That two-headed monster, along with the emerging two-way presence of Stef Alonzi up front, will have to continue their impactful trends for the Cougars to keep the finals in their sights.

Unlike in the series vs. Oakville, the difference in ice surface-size between the two teams in the conference final is negligible.

Georgetown question marks: Will Andrew Masters ever run out of gas? Can the Raiders shut down the explosive Cougars power play, as well as they did the Rangers? Can they continue to get secondary scoring from a mostly unheralded group of forwards behind the Jacome brothers and Jordan Crocker? Can the youthful, and smallish Raiders forward corps avoid getting physically intimidated by the bigger, older Cougars?

Burlington question marks: Can the older, slower Cougars avoid getting warned down by the buzz saw Raiders, which never seem to tire? Can Andy Lee keep the Cougars in games? Can Burlington match Georgetown’s tempo for a 7-game series? Will the Raiders give the Cougars power play a chance to make a big impact in the series?

Friday, January 29, 2016

Thursday, January 14, 2016

Post-Trade Deadline South Division Notebook

As of midnight on Jan. 10, the Ontario Junior Hockey League's trade deadline had passed, and the picture of the stretch run of the regular season has finally come into some sort of clarity. How will the new players fit? How will teams react to staying put and not adding? These are the questions that will be answered in the coming two months.

Here is a team-by-team outlook, solely from my opinion, as we head down the final 20 games or so of the season in the wild OJHL South.

Standings as of Jan. 14

South Division

TEAM	GP	W	L	T	OTL	PTS	PCT	GF	GA	PIM	HOME	AWAY
Oakville	39	24	12	2	1	51	.654	157	128	595	12-4-2-0	12-8-0-1
Toronto Jr. Canadiens	39	20	13	3	3	46	.590	127	124	593	11-8-1-1	9-5-2-2
North York	40	19	14	2	5	45	.563	136	124	586	9-6-1-3	10-8-1-2
St. Michaels	36	18	17	1	0	37	.514	114	116	499	13-5-0-0	5-12-1-0
Toronto Patriots	38	14	19	1	4	33	.434	123	150	534	9-7-0-2	5-12-1-2
Mississauga	41	7	32	0	2	16	.195	106	209	908	3-17-0-2	4-15-0-0

Oakville Blades

The Blades certainly would have liked to add a defenceman, but it would be hard to argue that they have the best Top 6 forward group in the conference. Christian Rajic is healthy, Tyler Rollo and Josh Kosack do not appear to have any World Junior 'A' Challenge hangover, and the versatility of guys like captain Ryan Garvey and Merrimack commit Jackson Bales really gives Coach Mike Tarantino and company a ton of options to move a guy like super-rookie Bryce Misley up and down the roster. A whole paragraph, and I have not even mentioned Patrick Kudla, who I would argue is the most talented player in the league with the puck on his stick (51 points 39 games as a D! Are you kidding me?). If goaltending can hold the Blades in it, they are most certainly deep enough to take the Buckland (especially if whoever wins the Northeast is beaten up by the time they get there). Watch out for Kosack to be an absolute monster in the playoffs, because he plays like he is in the post-season all year...so he has plenty of practice.

Toronto Jr. Canadiens

If you take the 2015-16 season in isolation, the Jr. Canadiens won the trade deadline by a country mile. Nabbing Nick Ursitti, Connor Beck, and Michael Siddall from the Toronto Patriots gives them scoring, depth, and - perhaps most importantly - championship experience. No less than five JRC forwards played at least one game for the Pats in their Buckland winning season in 2014-15, including Ursitti, Beck, Nico Gonzalez, Lucas Colallilo and George Novachis - though the last two were APs (on a side note, Novachis actually scored for the Pats against JRC). Michael Siddall is as hot as anyone in the league right now, and is the most complete player of the three, but watch for Ursitti in the playoffs, as he probably played the best hockey of his junior career in the 2014 RBC Cup in Vernon, B.C. A veteran forward group, an elite and mature defence corps anchored by the two-headed monster known as Andrew Mullen and Sal Filice, and an infusion of recent championship experience; this JRC group has all the weaponry it needs to go deep, especially with the imminent return of captain Justin Maolino. I also love the grit and underrated skill that Anthony Trujillo brings - he is a true playoff-type warrior. Whether this group will gel, and how Daniel Lopapa will do in his first run as the No. 1 at Scotiabank Pond, are the two key questions that should determine how far Coach Mario Cicchillo's troops will go.

North York Rangers

Would the real North York Rangers please stand up? There are times that the really-quite veteran Rangers are world beaters, and times that they are pretty ordinary, even over the span of 60 minutes. The likes of dynamic veterans Ted Hunt, Keegan Blasby, Michael Morgan, Tyler Currie and Jeremy Szabo, and elite youngsters Nick Campoli, Ryan Hunt, and Grayden Gottschalk give North York a load of depth, but there are times that they still appear to get overwhelmed against determined opposition. The solid additions of Chris Sekelyk and Shawn Tessier appear to hand Coach Brent Hughes' club the trade deadline silver medal behind JRC, and with a veteran D-corps that looks to have very few holes, North York should be a club to be feared by all. The only thing holding them back is consistency, as with the exception of the excellent energy line formed by Nick Zanette, Kyle Clarke, and Louis Kereakou, they have struggled to find that. Consistency has also plagued Gianluca Baggetta in net, though he is capable of being high quality, if not elite. Rookie speed demon Josh Dame continues to grow up as well, with few paying too much attention to him, so if this group gets it together, it will be a fascinating fight to the finish in the South division. The 20-year-old Currie, who the Rangers paid a steep price for earlier in the year when they sent Jake Harris to the Patriots, has Buckland, Dudley Hewitt, and RBC Cup experience, and that pedigree will most certainly be leaned on by Coach Hughes and company. Captain Szabo has been nothing short of brilliant for most the season on the North York blue line, and might be the most underrated player in the league.

St. Michael's Buzzers

You have to give Coach Rich Ricci and his Buzzers credit: they have a re-building plan, and they are sticking to it. With no less than 11 quality 1998 and 1999 birth years in his line-up, and no in-coming transactions at all this season, they are building a club from the ground up. That isn't to say that they have no 'right-now' quality at St. Mike's Arena, because they certainly do. The biggest gun the Buzz have is certainly Michigan Tech commit and 20-year-old Thomas Beretta, but I like a bunch of their kids to make a lot of noise real soon. My favourite of the young Buzzers is Cameron Wright, a hard-nosed yet skillful forward with a great attitude and a nose for the net with 17 goals already this year. His running mates on the so-called '98 line' (called because they are all 1998 birth years) are both well-thought of Ontario Hockey League prospects in Cameron Searles and Colton Trumbla, and together that unit is already a force. In net 16 year-old Jacob McGrath is as capable as any goaltender in the league already, and I would be shocked if he was not a full-time member of the Sudbury Wolves next year. On the back end, the loss of Sam Hunter to the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada of the QMJHL has to be a hit, but young Mark Paolini continues to show plenty of promise in his wake. I predict that St. Mike's has the weaponry to climb even as high as seventh in the conference, though they have been entrenched in eighth for a while now; and with the parody in the league at the moment, who knows what kind of upset this group can pull.

Toronto Patriots

At the beginning of the year, many left Coach Justin Teakle's troops for dead after a brutal start; but with some of that old Westwood Arena magic in tow, they managed to make themselves respectable and begin to challenge for the last playoff spot around early-to-mid December. Now, with their unloading of the aforementioned Ursitti, Siddall, and Beck, the question of how much pressure can this squad put on St. Mike's or Orangeville for that final spot is really up in the air. New captain Jeremy Pullara - who replaced Siddall - has been absolutely outstanding all year (Division I outstanding, in my opinion), while his deputies on the back end Mario Ferraro and Louis Di Matteo certainly have what it takes to be elite on a given night. Young Jake Harris has also shown flashes of brilliance since coming over in an early-season deal from North York, while there is certainly evidence of former high school superstar Nick Stuckless taking big steps forward for the two-time defending champs. All that being said, this club will now have to really come together and be more than the sum of their parts to make noise the rest of the year with a brutal schedule coming up. Rookie goaltender Jacob Standen was unbeatable at times for the Hill Academy U18s last year, and has proven to be a capable Junior 'A' goaltender, but can he make enough saves to give this team a shot on a given night? Newcomers Eric Eremita and Lee Lapid are both young, and both will get a chance to prove themselves with bigger roles than they had on the Jr. Canadiens.

Mississauga Chargers

It has been another tough year for Coach Joe Washkaruk and the Chargers, but big Scott Docherty has certainly stepped up in his second year in the league. When in the line-up and not busy in the OHL, Daniel De Sousa and Thomas Lattavo have certainly been capable and contributors.

Neugsie's OJHL Corner