Toronto, Ont. – November has arrived and we’ve got cross-border play in the Ontario Hockey League! Here’s your rundown of what’s taking place across the League this week.
November is Special Olympics Game Month in the OHL
For the 13th consecutive season, the Ontario Hockey League is teaming up with The Law Enforcement Torch Run (LETR) and Special Olympics Ontario to raise awareness around the Special Olympics movement. Read more
OHL Top Performers of the Month for October:
The Ontario Hockey League today announced the Top OHL Performers of the Month for regular season games played in October 2021, including Guelph Storm forward Sasha Pastujov, Sudbury Wolves defenceman Jack Thompson, Oshawa Generals rookie Calum Ritchie and London Knights goaltender Brett Brochu. Read more
OHL Academic Players of the Month for October:
The Ontario Hockey League today announced that Sam Alfano of the Peterborough Petes, Owen Beck of the Mississauga Steelheads, Cal Uens of the Owen Sound Attack and Bronson Ride of the Windsor Spitfires have been named the OHL Academic Players of the Month for October. Read more
Knights and Frontenacs included in Week 5 edition of Kia CHL Top 10 Rankings:
The London Knights are up another two spots this week, climbing to second in the Canadian Hockey League as the only remaining undefeated squad. The Kingston Frontenacs are in the Top 10 for the sixth straight edition, rising one spot to number nine in the CHL. Read more
Petes’ Robertson named OHL Player of the Week:
Tucker Robertson of the Peterborough Petes is the OHL Player of the Week with five points including three goals and two assists in a pair of victories. Read more
Generals’ Leaver named OHL Goaltender of the Week:
Patrick Leaver of the Oshawa Generals is the OHL Goaltender of the Week with two wins, a 1.00 goals-against average, .976 save percentage and one shutout. Read more
Robertson, Clarke and Leaver named to CHL Team of the Week:
Peterborough’s Tucker Robertson, Barrie’s Brandt Clarke and Oshawa’s Patrick Leaver have been named to the CHL Team of the Week for Oct. 25-31, 2021. Read more
Hockey Canada Announces Capital City Challenge
The nation’s capital will serve as the backdrop for the Capital City Challenge, a four-team tournament featuring Canada’s National Women’s Team and three national men’s under-17 teams starting November 26. Read more
Chromiak’s lacrosse-inspired special leads OHL Plays of the Week:
Surveying the OHL Plays of the Week for action ending Sunday, October 31st featuring Niagara’s Cameron Peters, Sarnia’s Justin O’Donnell, Guelph’s Sasha Pastujov, Mississauga’s combo of Ty Collins and Luca Del Bel Belluz as well as Kingston’s Martin Chromiak. Watch
Kicking-off November with terrific turnaways in the OHL Saves of the Week:
Kicking-off the month of November with terrific turnaways by OHL puckstoppers including Saginaw’s Andrew Oke, Kitchener’s Pavel Cajan, Barrie’s Matthew Sbrocca, Windsor’s Kyle Downey, Oshawa’s Patrick Leaver, Sault Ste. Marie’s Samuel Ivanov, Kingston’s Aidan Spooner and North Bay’s Joe Vrbetic. Watch
Twelve first goals and a shutout in OHL Milestone Moments:
Check out 12 first career OHL goals and Patrick Leaver’s first career shutout from the past week of action in the latest edition of OHL Milestone Moments! Watch
OHL Weekend Notebook:
The OHL Weekend Notebook recaps the weekend that was with news, information and interesting facts from both on and off the ice. Read more
Rodion Tatarenko commits to Battalion:
The North Bay Battalion have received a commitment from ninth round 2020 OHL Priority Selection choice Rodion Tatarenko who has started his season with the NOJHL affilaite Powassan Voodoos. Read more
Matthew Mania commits to Wolves:
The Sudbury Wolves have received a commitment from fourth round 2021 OHL Priority Selection choice Matthew Mania who began his season with the USHL’s Fargo Force. Read more
Betts and Gushchin added to IceDogs’ leadership group:
Niagara IceDogs head coach Billy Burke has named overage defenceman Dakota Betts and first-year San Jose Sharks prospect Danil Gushchin as alternate captains. Read more
COMMUNITY CORNER:
Otters fire up ‘Movember’ with team campaign:
The Erie Otters are growing their ‘Mo’s’ in support of men’s health this month. Visit the club’s donation page at movember.com.
Petes host Battalion for Remembrance Day game on Thursday:
The Peterborough Petes will be saluting veterans and active military service members on Thursday when they host the North Bay Battalion in their annual Remembrance Day game. The Petes will welcome, recognize and honour the men and women who have and continue to put their lives on the line for our great country. More info at gopetesgo.com
Rangers unveil 16th annual Remembrance Day jersey for Friday:
The Kitchener Rangers are excited about their fast approaching Remembrance Day game on Friday. They recently unveiled their 16th annual Remembrance Day jersey that will be auctioned off to raise funds for local military charities. Read more
Spirit host First Responders Night on Saturday: The Saginaw Spirit hold their annual 4:00pm Team Police vs. Team Fire charity game prior to pcuk drop against the Sarnia Sting on Saturday. A long-standing Spirit tradition, the charity matchup will take place for a 14th season.
Spitfires hand out limited edition Remembrance Day poster on Saturday:
Fans attending Saturday’s Windsor Spitfires game at home to the Erie Otters will receive a free, limited edition team Remembrance Day poster while supplies last. The Spits will salute past and present military service members at Saturday’s game.
ALUMNI NOTES:
Pezzetta makes NHL debut: Former Sudbury Wolves and Sarnia Sting forward Michael Pezzetta made his NHL debut with the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday at the age of 23. The former sixth round pick by Montreal in 2016 broke into the NHL after spending 115 games in the American Hockey League. A former Wolves captain, Pezzetta played in the OHL from 2014-18, recording 111 points (48-63–111) over 241 regular season games. He had six points (3-3–6) through his first eight games of the season with the AHL’s Laval Rocket before being recalled.
Harley skates in first NHL regular season matchup: Thomas Harley had the opportunity to make his NHL debut during the Dallas Stars’ 2020 Stanley Cup playoff run, but on Tuesday saw his first regular season action in the NHL as the Stars fell to the Winnipeg Jets 4-3 in a shootout. The 20-year-old Mississauga Steelheads graduate has one assist through six games with the AHL’s Texas Stars this season. He played 38 AHL games last year, putting up 25 points (8-17–25). Harley, who played in Mississauga over three seasons from 2017-20, was Dallas’ first round (18th overall) pick in the 2019 NHL Draft.
Merkley lights the lamp with Sharks: Former first overall OHL Priority Selection choice and OHL Rookie of the Year Ryan Merkley scored his first NHL goal on Tuesday as the San Jose Sharks defeated the Buffalo Sabres 5-3. Merkley was skating in his second career NHL contest after making his debut on Oct. 30th. The 21-year-old registered four assists through his first four games of the season with the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda. Merkley played four OHL seasons between Guelph, Peterborough and London from 2016-20, graduating with 269 points (54-215–269), the sixth-most by a defenceman in OHL history.
Brodie plays in 700th NHL contest: Toronto Maple Leafs blueliner T.J. Brodie suited up in his 700th career regular season game on Tuesday. The 31-year-old product of Chatham, Ont. is in the midst of his 11th NHL season and second in Toronto after starting out with the Calgary Flames as a fourth round pick in the 2008 NHL Draft. Brodie played four OHL seasons between the Saginaw Spirit and Barrie Colts from 2006-10. He has two assists through 10 games with the Maple Leafs this season.
Monahan suits up for 600th NHL game: Calgary Flames centreman Sean Monahan played in his 600th career NHL game on Tuesday, recording an assist in a 3-2 overtime loss to the Nashville Predators. The 27-year-old from Brampton, Ont. has spent the entirety of his nine-year career with Calgary after being selected by the Flames with the sixth overall pick of the 2013 NHL Draft. Monahan played three OHL seasons for the Ottawa 67’s from 2010-13. He has 205 goals, 238 assists and 443 points over his 600-game NHL tenure.
Landeskog notches 300th assist: Former Kitchener Rangers captain Gabriel Landeskog recorded career assist number 300 on Wednesday. The 28-year-old Colorado Avalanche captain picked up two helpers to reach 300 as the Avs fell to the Columbus Blue Jackets 5-4 in overtime. Landeskog has 10 points (4-6–10) through his first seven games of the season and joins Joe Sakic, Peter Forsberg, Milan Hejduk, Nathan MacKinnon and Alex Tanguay as one of six Avs players to record 300 assists with the club. Landeskog played two seasons in Kitchener from 2009-11 before being selected by the Avs with the second overall pick of the 2011 NHL Draft.
Quinn named AHL Rookie of Month: Ottawa 67’s grad Jack Quinn is the AHL Rookie of the Month for October. The Buffalo Sabres first round draft pick tallied five goals and five assists for 10 points over six games with the Rochester Americans. The Cobden, Ont. native was limited to just 15 games with the Amerks last season after undergoing a hernia surgery in April. The 20-year-old scored 52 goals for the 67’s during the 2019-20 season before being selected by the Sabres with the eighth overall pick in 2020. Quinn played parts of three seasons in Ottawa under head coach Andre Tourigny from 2017-20.
Luchuk named ECHL Player of Month: Former OHL top scorer Aaron Luchuk is the ECHL Player of the Month, putting up four goals, four assists and eight points in three games for the Orlando Solar Bears, an affiliate of the Tampa Bay Lightning. The 24-year-old tallied at least two points in each of his three games, and had a four-point game (3-1–4) in a 5-4 overtime win over Jacksonville on Oct. 31, which included the fastest hat trick in Solar Bears’ history (12:07). Luchuk played four full seasons in the OHL, winning a Memorial Cup with the Windsor Spitfires in 2017 before winning the Eddie Powers Trophy as the League’s top scorer between Windsor and Barrie with 115 points in 2017-18.
Oksentyuk named ECHL Rookie of the Month: Flint Firebirds graduate Evgeniy Oksentyuk (Yauheni Aksiantsiuk) of the Idaho Steelheads is the ECHL Rookie of the Month for October, recording four goals, five assists and a plus-6 rating in five games during the opening month of the season. A sixth round pick of the Dallas Stars in 2020, Oksentyuk recorded 78 points (33-45–78) in his lone season in Flint, the 2019-20 campaign. The Belarusian forward is under an NHL contract with Dallas.
KEY MATCHUPS:
Barrie Colts at Oshawa Generals
Friday November 5th – 7:35pm
Brandt Clarke and the Barrie Colts visit Oshawa to kick-off their weekend on Friday, entering play with a 4-5-0-1 record through their first 10 games. It’s been a mixed bag to start the season for the Colts, who have Clarke coming off a six-point week that saw them take wins in two of three. Clarke leads the Colts offensively with 12 points (3-9–12) through eight games while Colorado Avalanche first round pick Oskar Olausson also has 12 points (7-5–12) to his credit. The Generals featured Edmonton Oilers prospect and captain Ty Tullio who owns the OHL’s longest point streak this season. He’s put up a point in each of his 10 games thus far. Oshawa enters play with points in each of their last four games as Generals netminder Patrick Leaver comes off OHL Goaltender of the Week honours.
Guelph Storm at Soo Greyhounds
Friday November 5th and Saturday November 6th – 7:07pm
Winners of three straight, the Guelph Storm are in Sault Ste. Marie for two this weekend as the OHL’s four top scorers will share the same ice surface. Anaheim Ducks prospect Sasha Pastujov (10-9–19) was the OHL Player of the Month for October and sits tied with Sault Ste. Marie’s Tye Kartye (11-8–19) for the League lead in points. The Hounds feature an offensive triple thread, with Calgary Flames prospect Rory Kerins (7-11–18) and overage winger Cole MacKay (6-11–17) joining Kartye while St. Louis Blues prospect Tanner Dickinson (4-12–16) trails close behind. The 8-4-0-0 Greyhounds currently sit first in the West Division. The Storm, who feature top 2022 NHL Draft prospect Matthew Poitras (4-7–11) are 6-4-1-0.
UPCOMING SCHEDULE:
Thursday November 4th:
Erie at Niagara – 7:00pm
North Bay at Peterborough – 7:05pm
Friday November 5th:
North Bay at Kingston – 7:00pm
Hamilton at Mississauga – 7:00pm
Peterborough at Ottawa – 7:00pm
Saginaw at Sarnia – 7:05pm
Niagara at Sudbury – 7:05pm
Guelph at Sault Ste. Marie – 7:07pm
Flint at Kitchener – 7:30pm
Owen Sound at London – 7:30pm
Barrie at Oshawa – 7:35pm
Saturday November 6th:
Sudbury at Hamilton – 4:00pm
London at Flint – 7:00pm
Sarnia at Saginaw – 7:05pm
Erie at Windsor – 7:05pm
Guelph at Sault Ste. Marie – 7:07pm
Kitchener at Owen Sound – 7:30pm
Sunday November 7th:
Barrie at Hamilton – 2:00pm
Peterborough at Kingston – 2:00pm
Niagara at Mississauga – 2:00pm
North Bay at Ottawa – 2:00pm
Erie at Sarnia – 2:05pm
Sudbury at Oshawa – 6:05pm
OHL Writers 