Toronto, ON – The Ontario Hockey League, in collaboration with the Canadian Hockey League and Hockey Canada, today announced that Nick Suzuki of the Owen Sound Attack and Jack Studnicka of the Oshawa Generals will serve as Team OHL captains for the 2018 CIBC Canada Russia Series.
Suzuki will lead Team OHL in Game 3 of the series against the Russian National Junior Team taking place in Sarnia on Thursday November 8, while Studnicka will wear the ‘C’ in front of his home Oshawa crowd for Game 4 on Monday November 12. In addition, the OHL has announced that forwards Barrett Hayton of the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds and Owen Tippett of the Mississauga Steelheads will serve as alternate captains for Team OHL.
A 19-year-old from London, Ont., Suzuki is a fourth year forward with the Attack and was appointed team captain prior to the start of the 2018-19 season. Originally chosen by the club in the first round of the 2015 OHL Priority Selection, he’s played in 205 career games amassing an impressive 253 points including 117 goals, 136 assists, and just 36 penalty minutes notably earning back-to-back recognition with the league’s Most Sportsmanlike Player of the Year award. Suzuki was a first round pick by the Vegas Golden Knights in the 2017 NHL Draft but joined the Montreal Canadiens in an off-season trade. He will be competing for Team OHL a second straight season after serving as an alternate captain last year in Sudbury where he scored two goals and an assist in a 4-2 win.
Studnicka is a 19-year-old from Tecumseh, Ont., also playing in his fourth OHL season after being a first round pick by the Generals in 2015. He’s currently in the midst of his second season serving as team captain in Oshawa where he was named a leader after being a second round pick by the Boston Bruins in the 2017 NHL Draft. Studnicka has played in 205 career games producing 50 goals and 118 assists for 168 points. He returns to the Team OHL lineup after competing last season in Sudbury.
Hayton will make his Team OHL debut this season competing in both Sarnia and Oshawa with a letter on his jersey. The 18-year-old from Peterborough, Ont., and third year Greyhounds veteran was named team captain upon his return from the Arizona Coyotes where he was chosen fifth overall in the 2018 NHL Draft. In nine games so far this season he’s collected six goals and eight assists for 14 points bringing his career total to 101 points through 135 games since being the ninth overall pick in the 2016 OHL Priority Selection. Last season Hayton was named the OHL’s Scholastic Player of the Year while helping the Hounds win a team record 55 games.
Tippett will be among Team OHL’s most experienced players in Canada Russia Series competition playing in the event for a third straight year. The 19-year-old Peterborough native was named Player of the Game with two assists in his debut performance back in 2016 in North Bay despite a 4-3 OHL loss. He also played in two games last season recording two assists just days after returning from the Florida Panthers where he played seven games as the club’s 10th overall pick in 2017. Tippett just recently eclipsed the century mark for career goals and now has 103 with 81 assists for 184 points in 167 games for the Steelheads. The fourth overall pick in the 2015 OHL Priority Selection is serving his second season as an alternate captain in Mississauga.
All four players were invited to Hockey Canada’s National Junior Team Summer Showcase.
In 15 years of competition against the Russian National Junior Team, the OHL has a record of 24-5-1 in this series following a 5-2 loss in Owen Sound and a 4-2 victory in Sudbury last season.
The 2018 CIBC Canada Russia Series is supported by title sponsor CIBC, the Official Bank of the CHL, along with associate sponsors Kia Canada, Sherwin-Williams, Cooper Tires, and Kubota Canada. All games will be broadcast nationally on Sportsnet and TVA Sports.
2018 CIBC Canada Russia Series Schedule:
Game 1 – Monday November 5 at Kamloops, BC
Game 2 – Tuesday November 6 at Vancouver, BC
Game 3 – Thursday November 8 at Sarnia, ON
Game 4 – Monday November 12 at Oshawa, ON
Game 5 – Tuesday November 13 at Sherbrooke, QC
Game 6 – Thursday November 15 at Drummondville, QC
For event information including how to purchase tickets please visit http://chlcanadarussia.ca.
OHL Writers 