Saturday, December 3, 2016
Jamie's 2016-17 OJHL All-Star Teams
If you're unaware, the OJHL is split up into the Northeast and Southwest Conferences, and like many other all-star games, I'll force myself to pick at least one player from each team; and further from that they must be on the team at time of this writing. As I wrote last year, I have a lot of great friends and think very highly of a ton of players in the league, so as always, exclusion from this is not an indictment or anything like that! Also, it's just for fun (unless Commissioner Savoy reads this and wants to find a way to make it happen ;)).
The format I have set, like last year, is 12 forwards, six defencemen, and three goalies per team. It's going to be tough to pick from all the talent, but here goes nothing!
Northeast Conference
Forwards
Brayden Stortz, Wellington Dukes
Nic Mucci, Wellington Dukes
Luke Keenan, Whitby Fury
Nik Coric, Whitby Fury
Liam Morgan, Trenton Golden Hawks
Lucas Brown, Trenton Golden Hawks
Cameron Lamport, Lindsay Muskies
Danny Bosio, Kingston Voyageurs
Ryan Casselman, Cobourg Cougars
Rylee St. Onge, Markham Royals
Kyle Thomas, Pickering Panthers
Mel Melconian, Aurora Tigers
Defencemen
Brennan Roy, Cobourg Cougars
Louis Di Matteo, Trenton Golden Hawks
Cole Thiessen, Newmarket Hurricanes
Max Novick, Stouffville Spirit
Kyle Hallbauer, Kingston Voyageurs
Justin Bean, Wellington Dukes
Goaltenders
Stefano Durante, Cobourg Cougars
Connor Ryckman, Wellington Dukes
Logan Gauthier, Whitby Fury
Some thoughts
Pretty tough to leave some of the beasts of the east out of this, to be honest. I love what Jeremy Pullara of Trenton and Josh Maguire of Cobourg bring, so to leave them off stinks, and if Brenden Locke, also of the Cougars, hadn't gotten hurt, keeping his skill off would probably have been impossible. Certainly a bevy of other guys on Trenton, Cobourg, and Whitby probably deserve to be here (you could have an East All-Star game and it would be a blast), but the mass of talent in the east also pushed out deserving Northerners like a couple of Newmarket's excellent forwards who have been great lately such as Alex Ierullo, Todd Winder, and Marco Bozzo. Trenton's Josh Allan would've been the best defenceman in the league in my opinion if he were healthy, but he has not been, while it's a numbers game for Markham's Laine McKay and Aurora's Eric Holland. In net, Matt Menna has been ridiculous (in a good way) for Cobourg lately in Durante's absence, and it is hard to argue with the numbers of Trenton's Chris Janzen...but sample size for the former, and the team in front of him for the latter has probably hurt their perception in my eyes. Both those guys are deserving, nonetheless.
Southwest Conference
Forwards
Christian Difelice, Buffalo Jr. Sabres
Phillip Lagunov, Burlington Cougars
Chris Cobham, Burlington Cougars
Jack Jacome, Georgetown Raiders
Josh Dickinson, Georgetown Raiders
Chris Karabassis, Mississauga Chargers
Ture Linden, North York Rangers
Ryan Foss, Oakville Blades
Bryce Misley, Oakville Blades
Jackson Bales, Oakville Blades
Cameron Wright, St. Michael's Buzzers
Zack Lyons, Orangeville Flyers
Defencemen
Matt Watson, Burlington Cougars
Brad Yowart, Milton Icehawks
Mark Paolini, St. Michael's Buzzers
Gianfranco Cassaro, Toronto Jr. Canadiens
Ryan Wells, Toronto Patriots
Jacob Payette, Georgetown Raiders
Goaltenders
Jeremie Lintner, North York Rangers
Josh Astorino, Georgetown Raiders
Cossimo Lazzarino, St. Michael's Buzzers
Some thoughts
Choosing and not choosing players in my own conference is such agony, since I know so many of the kids around it. A big reason why some potentially obvious players were left out was not because of talent, but because I watch so many games in this conference that consistency of effort and performance loom large. Of course I could easily fill this team with Georgetown Raiders, who have absolutely dominated the Southwest from the beginning till now; while on the flip side, I could not in good conscience pick one of those three Oakville monsters without taking all of them (they've been that good). St. Mike's guys like Finn Evans, Lucas Breault, A.J. D'Orazio, and Cam Searles are all deserving too, but I can't all of them! The crease is pretty crowded with talent, and it isn't performance or consistency that hurt the Jr. Canadiens tandem of Dalton Ewing and Andrew Cippolone...it's simply that they are such a 1a, 1b that it would be too hard to take either of them. Milton's Will Rawski has been good in net, but it's still too hard to take a goalie that gets shelled, even if it's not his fault, and while we're on the topic of goaltending, Oakville's Brendan McGlynn is certainly the #4 in this group, and sucked to leave him off too. I would've loved to take Colton Kalezic of the Patriots, but his hot start has really cooled off, while the biggest agony of the conference was not picking North York Rangers captain Kyle Clarke, who is more than deserving, but just could not fit. Speaking of Jr. Canadiens, the health of Sal Filice kept him off despite the fact that he is as good as any defenceman on this squad. If I had a couple more D spots, my own personal love of Oakville D-man Jeff Clarke's game would've probably forced my hand, but alas...rules.
Anyways folks, that's it! Let me know what you think, if you disagree, etc, and thanks for reading.
Wednesday, November 2, 2016
Eastern Canada Cup All-Star Challenge OJHL Team Previews
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
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
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
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
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
Wednesday, June 22, 2016
OJHL Transactions Notebook #1: My teams in June
Tuesday, May 3, 2016
A little look at the 2016 Dudley Hewitt Cup
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
Friday, January 29, 2016
If there was an OJHL All-Star game...
But, what if there was a Northeast vs Southwest, Conference vs. Conference game? So with that thought in mind, I thought I'd make all-star teams, based solely on my opinion on their play to date in the 2015-16 regular season. A great amount of weight is also put on consistency, versus a guy with a little more talent, but less consistency. Obviously, I have a great relationship with a great deal of players, so don't take offence out there if I don't pick you! This is just for fun, but one disclaimer I'll say is that I know the Southwest a lot better than I know the Northeast, so give me a break there! I also am not taking into account exact positions (centre, wing, etc.), and have purposely picked at least one player from each team.
The format I have set for myself is 12 forwards, 6 defenceman and three goalies per conference, and so here are Neugsie's 2015-2016 OJHL All-Star rosters!
Northeast Conference
Forwards
Luc Brown, Wellington Dukes
Anthony Rinaldi, Kingston Voyageurs
Tyson Bruce, Markham Royals
Austin Gerhart, Aurora Tigers
Drake Board, Aurora Tigers
Liam Grande, Cobourg Cougars
Cedric Ralph, Lindsay Muskies
Mark Rozanov, Newmarket Hurricanes
Chris Sekelyk, Pickering Panthers
Liam Morgan, Trenton Golden Hawks
Mitch Emerson, Trenton Golden Hawks
Ben Sokay, Wellington Dukes
Defencemen
Adam Clements, Trenton Golden Hawks
Ryan Dasilva, Stouffville Spirit
Brennan Roy, Cobourg Cougars
Jacob Panetta, Wellington Dukes
Justin Bean, Wellington Dukes
Kyle Locke, Aurora Tigers
Goalies
Daniel Urbani, Trenton Golden Hawks
David Richer, Kingston Voyageurs
Daniel Mannella, Whitby Fury
Some thoughts:
How do you pick a team that isn't full of Trenton Golden Hawks? Well, I did my best. I really like Hunter Fargey on Trenton a lot, for example, so excluding he and Kevin Lavoie, was really hard. I also think Nic Coric of Whitby has a ton of skill, and keeping a 20-goal scorer out of an all-star game is hard too. Chris Sekelyk did a lot of his damage for Pickering, and while I know he's on North York in the other conference now, I decided to cheat and let him play for the Northeast. Todd Winder has put up solid points to lead Newmarket, and he's a good player for sure, but when I'm watching the Hurricanes, it's Rozanov making more magic. I surprised myself by not putting more Markham Royals on the squad, especially a hard-nosed guy in Marco Azzano who scores a lot of goals with his speed and tenacity. Azzano is probably my first honourable mention, with a real reliable and intelligent Jon O'Hara from the Whitby Fury right beside him.
Southwest Conference
Forwards
Zach Evancho, Buffalo Jr. Sabres
Cameron Wright, St. Michael's Buzzers
Jack Jacome, Georgetown Raiders
Devin Pearce, Milton Icehawks
Scott Docherty, Mississauga Chargers
Michael Siddall, Toronto Jr. Canadiens
Grayden Gottschalk, North York Rangers
Josh Kosack, Oakville Blades
Christian Rajic, Oakville Blades
Jack Jeffers, Orangeville Flyers
Keegan Blasby, North York Rangers
Jeremy Pullara, Toronto Patriots
Defencemen
Willy Paul, Burlington Cougars
Matthew Cairns, Georgetown Raiders
Tyler Currie, North York Rangers
Patrick Kudla, Oakville Blades
Derek Topatigh, Orangeville Flyers
Mario Ferraro, Toronto Patriots
Goalies
Andrew Masters, Georgetown Raiders
Nicholas Latinovich, Orangeville Flyers
Jacob McGrath, St. Michael's Buzzers
Some thoughts:
I can already hear Greg Walters telling me "how do you not have Brendan Jacome and Josh Dickinson on this squad!", and he might be right, but there are a lot of great forwards in the Southwest and I felt I needed to spread it around. That being said, I'd love to have both those guys on my team any day of the week. I have a ton of respect for the talent of Ted Hunt, Nick Campoli, Jeremy Szabo, and Michael Morgan on North York (and obviously know them extremely well), and they all are having nice years, but to pick from the Rangers' riches is tough. The other battle I had is: what to do with the Toronto Jr. Canadiens. There is no doubt in my mind that Michael Siddall is an all-star, but they have an assortment of guys that I like a lot - including, but not limited to, Nick Ursitti, Connor Beck, Andrew Mullen, Sal Filice, and Nicky Jarzabek. Finally, Oakville has a lot of riches up front too. Ryan Garvey has been great all year, and I am a big fan of his, but just missed the cut. Tyler Rollo is in a very similar boat, so what can you do? The whole "need to have someone from every team" rule I put on made it tougher, but that's the nature of it I guess!
So there you have it...feel free to call me crazy if you want!
Thursday, January 14, 2016
Post-Trade Deadline South Division Notebook
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.
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.
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.