Toronto, ON – Another season of Ontario Hockey League action is underway with #OHLOpeningWeek in full swing. 4 games have been played with another 15 tonight through Sunday.
Here’s a look at what’s been happening around the league.
164 OHL PLAYERS INVITED TO NHL TRAINING CAMPS:
The Ontario Hockey League is proud to announce that 164 OHL players were invited to attend National Hockey League Training Camps this season.
All 164 players listed are eligible to compete in the OHL for the 2016-17 season including 108 players born in either 1997 or 1998, while 56 of the players are 1996-born and would return as overage players. 159 of the players listed competed in the OHL last season, while five of the players are committed to their OHL clubs for 2016-17. Full details
THREE OHL TEAMS INCLUDED IN PRE-SEASON EDITION OF CHL TOP 10 RANKINGS:
The defending Mastercard Memorial Cup champion London Knights top the first edition of the weekly CHL Top 10 Rankings releasedon Wednesday. The 2017 Mastercard Memorial Cup host Windsor Spitfires come in at sixth, followed close behind by the Mississauga Steelheads at seventh. The Sarnia Sting received an honourable mention. Full Rankings
OHL 20 IN 20 SERIES PREVIEWS EACH OHL TEAM:
Over the span of the past 20 days, ontariohockeyleague.com has taken a team-by-team look at the 2016-17 OHL season. Get the inside scoop on your favourite teams as general managers provide their insights heading into Opening Week.
Read up on all 20 teams:
East Division: Hamilton Bulldogs, Oshawa Generals, Peterborough Petes, Ottawa 67’s, Kingston Frontenacs.
Central Division: Sudbury Wolves, Mississauga Steelheads, North Bay Battalion, Barrie Colts,Niagara IceDogs.
Midwest Division: Guelph Storm, Owen Sound Attack, Kitchener Rangers, Erie Otters, London Knights.
West Division: Flint Firebirds, Saginaw Spirit, Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, Windsor Spitfires,Sarnia Sting
OHL LIVE EARLY BIRD PRICING NOW AVAILABLE:
The Ontario Hockey League, in association with its digital media partner NeuLion, are proud to offer Early Bird pricing for OHL Live up until October 2, 2016. Powered by NeuLion, OHL Live provides coverage of all 20 teams in the OHL and will deliver all 680 games throughout the regular season which opens Wednesday, September 21, as well as coverage throughout the 2017 OHL Playoffs. Full details
130 PROSPECTS COMMIT TO OHL THROUGHOUT THE OFFSEASON:
A total of 130 prospects made commitments to the Ontario Hockey League throughout the course of the offseason. Get familiarized with the new names and faces! Full list.
OHL NEWS – RADIO EDITION:
In the debut segment for the 2016-17 season, host Terry Doyle chats with first overall pick Ryan Merkley of the Guelph Storm ahead of his first regular season game. Listen.
TRIO SIGN NHL ENTRY-LEVEL CONTRACTS:
Among the 164 OHL players attending NHL Training Camps this season, three recently inked entry-level deals with their respective clubs including Free Agent Invite Matt Luff of the Hamilton Bulldogs (Los Angeles Kings), and the Soo Greyhounds duo of Blake Speers and Colton White both with the New Jersey Devils.
COMMUNITY CORNER:
McFadden’s Movement launches in Guelph: Guelph Storm defenceman Garrett McFadden is looking to break down barriers and stereotypes when it comes to how athletes are expected to handle mental health issues. He’ll be connecting with minor hockey teams and athletes this season, helping them prepare and deal with some of the pressures and challenges they face. For more on the story, please visit guelphstorm.com.
Spitfires unveil new jumbotron: The 2017 Mastercard Memorial Cup host Windsor Spitfires unveiled their brand new jumbotron at the WFCU Centre in Thursday’s home opener against the Erie Otters. Here’s a sneak peak at windsorspitfires.com!
Frontenacs unveil third jerseys: The Kingston Fronts will be decked out in gold this season after unveiling their brand new third jerseys last week. The new threads are available in the team store. Full details at kingstonfrontenacs.com.
ALUMNI NOTES:
35 OHL graduates competing in World Cup of Hockey: All eight teams competing in the 2016 World Cup of Hockey feature at least one OHL graduate! There are a total of 75 former CHL players battling in the best-on-best international competition. Check out the full list.
#OHLOPENINGWEEK SCHEDULE:
Wednesday September 21:
Saginaw 0 at Flint 4 – Highlights
London 1 at Sarnia 4 – Highlights
Thursday September 22:
Ottawa 5 at Peterborough 3 – Highlights
Erie 1 at Windsor 4 – Highlights
Friday September 23:
Barrie at Kingston (7:00pm)
Oshawa at Sudbury (7:00pm)
Hamilton at Mississauga (7:00pm)
Niagara at North Bay (7:00pm)
Owen Sound at Sarnia (7:05pm)
Windsor at Sault Ste. Marie (7:07pm)
Saginaw at Guelph (7:30pm)
Flint at Kitchener (7:30pm)
Erie at London (7:30pm)
Saturday September 24:
Kingston at Hamilton (7:00pm)
Owen Sound at Flint (7:00pm)
Guelph at Saginaw (7:05pm)
Oshawa at Sault Ste. Marie (7:07pm)
Sunday September 25:
Barrie at Ottawa (2:00pm)
Sudbury at Mississauga (2:00pm)
Follow the action at www.ontariohockeyleague.com or on social media @OHLHockey using #OHLOpeningWeek to join the conversation.
OHL Writers 