Dominic Tiano

OHL Announces Top Performers of the Month for February

Posted on March 2, 2016March 2, 2016 by Dominic Tiano

Toronto, ON – The Ontario Hockey League today announced the Top OHL Performers of the Month for regular season games played in February 2016, including London Knights forward Mitchell Marner, Sarnia Sting defenceman Jakob Chychrun, Mississauga Steelheads rookie Alexander Nylander and Kingston Frontenacs goaltender Jeremy Helvig.

OHL Player of the Month – Mitchell Marner (London Knights):
Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Mitchell Marner of the London Knights is the OHL’s Player of the Month for February after recording 10 goals, 18 assists and a league-leading 28 points in 12 games with a plus/minus rating of plus-14. Marner had points in 11 of his 12 February contests, collecting four points on three separate occasions to help the Knights play to a 9-3-0-0 record. The 18-year-old recorded back-to-back four point efforts, scoring a goal while adding three assists in a 5-0 win over Owen Sound on February 5th before registering four assists in a 4-3 victory over Sarnia on February 7th. Marner had a pair of two-goal efforts coming in a 3-1 win over Niagara on February 12th and again in a 5-2 triumph over Flint on February 15th. He registered a goal and three assists in a 4-0 win in Flint on February 20th. Marner’s three assists in Ottawa on Sunday made him the 12th player in Knights franchise history to reach the 100-point mark in back-to-back seasons.

A native of Thornhill, ON, Marner recently became the third OHL player to reach 100 points this season and currently sits third behind Barrie’s Kevin Labanc and Knights teammate Christian Dvorak with 101 points (38-63–101) in 48 games. Marner represented Canada at the 2016 World Junior Hockey Championship in Finland, leading the team in scoring with four goals, two assists and six points in five games. He was Toronto’s 1st round (4th overall) pick in the 2015 NHL Draft and was originally London’s 1st round (19th overall) pick in the 2013 OHL Priority Selection.

OHL Defenceman of the Month – Jakob Chychrun (Sarnia Sting):
Draft eligible defenceman Jakob Chychrun of the Sarnia Sting is the OHL’s Defenceman of the Month for February. Chychrun scored twice and added 11 assists for 13 points in 13 games with a plus/minus rating of plus-6. He had points in nine of his 13 contests with a pair of multi-point outings, highlighted by four assists in a 6-2 win over Barrie on February 26th. Chychrun has points in his last three games, following up his four assists with a goal in a 4-1 win over Owen Sound on February 27th and an assist in a 5-2 win over Guelph on February 28th.

A native of Boca Raton, Florida, Chychrun is fourth among defencemen with 45 points (10-35–45) in 57 games this season, with seven of his 10 goals coming on the powerplay. Chychrun was named to the OHL’s first all-rookie team last season after scoring 16 goals, 17 assists and 33 points in 42 games. He represented Team Cherry at the 2016 BMO CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game in Vancouver. Chychrun was the first overall pick of the 2014 OHL Priority Selection and is the second ranked North American skater in NHL Central Scouting’s Midterm Rankings.

OHL Rookie of the Month – Alexander Nylander (Mississauga Steelheads):
For the third time this season, draft eligible Mississauga Steelheads forward Alexander Nylander has been named the OHL’s Rookie of the Month. The Swedish winger recorded two goals, 12 assists and 14 points in 11 February contests, putting together four multi-point performances over the course of the month. Nylander earned second star honours with three assists in Mississauga’s 5-4 win over Erie on Friday, February 12th before proceeding to have multi-point outings the rest of the weekend with a goal and an assist in a 6-2 win in Niagara and a goal and two helpers in a 7-5 win over Sudbury. Nylander’s Rookie of the Month honours follow up recognition in both October and November.

A native of Sodertalje, Sweden, Nylander currently leads all OHL rookies with 28 goals, 44 assists and 72 points in 52 games. He was the third ranked North American skater on NHL Central Scouting’s Midterm Draft Rankings released in January. Nylander put forth an outstanding performance at the 2016 World Junior Hockey Championship, finishing tied for fifth in tournament scoring with four goals, five assists and nine points in seven contests as Sweden placed fourth. He was Mississauga’s 1st round (12th overall) pick in the 2015 CHL Import Draft.

Vaughn OHL Goaltender of the Month – Jeremy Helvig (Kingston Frontenacs):

Kingston Frontenacs sophomore Jeremy Helvig has been named the OHL’s Goaltender of the Month for February. The 18-year-old appeared in six games, going 6-0-0-0 with a 1.88 goals-against average, a .942 save percentage and one shutout to help the Frontenacs clinch their first East Division title since 1995. Helvig’s sensational February was headlined by his first career OHL shutout in front of a national audience on Sportsnet as he made 32 saves in a 4-0 win over Niagara on February 21st. The 6’2″, 198Ib. netminder closed out the month of February with a 37-save performance in Monday’s 5-2 win over the visiting Ottawa 67’s. Helvig enters the month of March having received star of the game recognition in each of his last three starts. He is the second Kingston goaltender to receive the honours this season after teammate Lucas Peressini was the OHL’s Goaltender of the Month in October.

A native of Markham, ON, Helvig is 16-2-0-1 on the season with a 2.16 goals-against average and a .930 save percentage. He hasn’t lost in regulation since October 30th, a run of 18 consecutive appearances. Since the turn of the new year, Helvig has played to a mark of 9-0-0-0 with a 1.57 goals-against average and a .950 save percentage. He was Kingston’s 3rd round (45th overall) pick in the 2013 OHL Priority Selection.

2015-16 OHL Top Performers of the Month:

Player of the Month:
February – Mitchell Marner (London Knights)
January – Kevin Labanc (Barrie Colts)
December – Brendan Lemieux (Windsor Spitfires)
November – Dylan Strome (Erie Otters)
October – Alex DeBrincat (Erie Otters)

Defenceman of the Month:
February – Jakob Chychrun (Sarnia Sting)
January – Rasmus Andersson (Barrie Colts)
December – Cam Dineen (North Bay Battalion)
November – Travis Dermott (Erie Otters)
October – Vili Saarijarvi (Flint Firebirds)

Rookie of the Month:
February – Alexander Nylander (Mississauga Steelheads)
January – Cam Dineen (North Bay Battalion)
December – Cam Dineen (North Bay Battalion)
November – Alexander Nylander (Mississauga Steelheads)
October – Alexander Nylander (Mississauga Steelheads)

Vaughn Goaltender of the Month:
February – Jeremy Helvig (Kingston Frontenacs)
January – Michael Giugovaz (Guelph Storm)
December – Devin Williams (Erie Otters)
November – Mackenzie Blackwood (Barrie Colts)
October – Lucas Peressini (Kingston Frontenacs)

Quebec Remparts to Host 2017 CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game

Posted on March 2, 2016 by Dominic Tiano

Toronto, ON – The Canadian Hockey League in association with the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, and the Quebec Remparts Hockey Club, today announced that the 2017 CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game will be hosted by the Remparts at Centre Vidéotron on Thursday January 26, 2017.

The 2017 event will mark the 22nd annual showcase of the CHL’s top-40 NHL draft eligible players featuring talent from the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, the Ontario Hockey League, and the Western Hockey League competing before hundreds of NHL scouts in attendance.

“On behalf of the Canadian Hockey League, we are very pleased to announce the return of the Top Prospects Game to Quebec City in 2017,” said CHL President David Branch. “Since 1996 this event has annually featured the next wave of NHL talent showcasing their skills before hundreds of NHL scouts and General Managers. This event is a special experience for players across the CHL who will undoubtedly enjoy competing in the beautiful new Centre Vidéotron in front of Quebec’s passionate fans.”

Next season will be the third time the event is hosted by the QMJHL and second time it will be played in Quebec following the 2007 event. 13 other Canadian cities have hosted including Toronto (1996-98, 2000, 2011), Calgary (1999, 2001, 2014), Saskatoon (2002), Kitchener (2003), London (2004), Ottawa (2006), Edmonton (2008), Oshawa (2009), Windsor (2010), Kelowna (2012), Halifax (2013), St. Catharines (2015), and Vancouver (2005, 2016).

The 2016-17 season marks the 20th campaign for the Remparts since returning to the QMJHL in 1997-98. This season the club is competing in the brand new Centre Vidéotron and have already established a new franchise record for attendance in a season with over 412,000 fans including an opening night sellout of 18,259 on September 12 against the Rimouski Oceanic.

The Remparts have had 16 players compete in this event with five of them chosen in the first round of the NHL Draft the same season. That list includes Eric Chouinard (Montreal 1998), Simon Gagne (Philadelphia 1998), Maxime Ouellet (Philadelphia 1999), Angelo Esposito (Pittsburgh 2007), and Mikhail Grigorenko (Buffalo 2012). In 2007, Esposito represented his hometown Remparts at Colisée Pepsi for a team coached by Scotty Bowman and Jacques Demers who fell 5-3 to a team coached by Pat Burns and Michel Bergeron. Remparts’ forward Ruslan Bashkirov earned Player of the Game honours for the winning side scoring a pair of goals.

Since the event was first introduced in 1996 the game has featured 13 players that were selected with the first overall pick in the NHL Draft including Chris Phillips (1996), Joe Thornton (1997), Vincent Lecavalier (1998), Rick Nash (2002), Marc-Andre Fleury (2003), Patrick Kane (2007), Steven Stamkos (2008), John Tavares (2009), Taylor Hall (2010), Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (2011), Nathan MacKinnon (2013), Aaron Ekblad (2014), and Connor McDavid (2015).

This season, 35 of the top-60 ranked North American skaters eligible for the 2016 NHL Draft competed on January 28 in Vancouver, BC. Top ranked Matthew Tkachuk of the London Knights captained Team Orr to a 3-2 victory over Team Cherry that featured number two ranked Jakob Chychrun of the Sarnia Sting. Pascal Laberge of the Victoriaville Tigres was named Player of the Game with two goals and one assist, competing alongside Pierre-Luc Dubois of the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles who scored once with two assists.

The 2017 CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game is proudly supported by associate sponsors, Cooper Tires, autoTRADER.ca, and Sherwin Williams. The game will be broadcast live across Canada on Sportsnet and TVA Sports.

For more information about the event please visit www.bmotopprospects.ca.

CHL Leagues

Hurricanes’ Tyler Wong named CHL Player of the Week

Posted on March 2, 2016March 2, 2016 by Dominic Tiano

Toronto, ON – The Canadian Hockey League today announced that forward Tyler Wong of the Lethbridge Hurricanes is the CHL Player of the Week for the week ending February 28 after recording 10 points in three games including three goals and seven assists.

Wong’s week was highlighted by a career-high six-point performance last Wednesday night scoring twice with four assists earning second star honours despite a 9-8 shootout loss to the Regina Pats. He also picked up an assist in a 5-2 loss to the Brandon Wheat Kings on Friday, then finished the week with a three-point effort scoring once with two assists as second star of an 8-4 victory over the Edmonton Oil Kings. The Hurricanes currently lead the WHL’s Central Division with a 41-20-1-1 record clinching a playoff berth for the first time since the 2008-09 season.

A 20-year-old from Cochrane, AB, Wong is playing in his fourth full WHL season and has already established career-highs in all offensive categories with 37 goals and 42 assists for 79 points in 63 games which puts him eighth overall in WHL scoring.

Also considered for the award this week was 2016 NHL Draft prospect Logan Brown of the Windsor Spitfires who scored four goals and three assists for seven points in three games, and Fabrizio Ricci of the Baie-Comeau Drakkar who scored once with five assists for six points in four games.

2015-16 CHL Regular Season Players of the Week:

Feb. 22 – Feb. 28: Tyler Wong (Lethbridge Hurricanes)
Feb. 15 – Feb. 21: Adam Brooks (Regina Pats)
Feb. 8 – Feb. 14: Kevin Labanc (Barrie Colts)
Feb. 1 – Feb. 7: Ivan Provorov (Brandon Wheat Kings)
Jan. 25 – Jan. 31: Frédéric Allard (Chicoutimi Sagueneens)
Jan. 18 – Jan. 24: Giorgio Estephan (Lethbridge Hurricanes)
Jan. 11 – Jan. 17: Reid Gardiner (Prince Albert Raiders)
Jan. 4 – Jan. 10: Maxime Comtois (Victoriaville Tigres)
Dec. 28 – Jan. 3: Kevin Labanc (Barrie Colts)
Dec. 14 – Dec. 20: Brendan Lemieux (Windsor Spitfires)
Dec. 7 – Dec. 13: Christian Dvorak (London Knights)
Nov. 30 – Dec. 6: Mitchell Marner (London Knights)
Nov. 23 – Nov. 29: Conor Garland (Moncton Wildcats)
Nov. 16 – Nov. 22: Pierre-Luc Dubois (Cape Breton Screaming Eagles)
Nov. 9 – Nov. 15: Dylan Strome (Erie Otters)
Nov. 2 – Nov. 8: Nikolas Brouillard (Quebec Remparts)
Oct. 26 – Nov. 1: Mathew Barzal (Seattle Thunderbirds)
Oct. 19 – Oct. 25: Kevin Labanc (Barrie Colts)
Oct. 12 – Oct. 18: Zach Bratina (North Bay Battalion)
Oct. 5 – Oct. 11: Dennis Yan (Shawinigan Cataractes)
Sept. 28 – Oct. 4: Conor Garland (Moncton Wildcats)
Sept. 21 – Sept. 27: Alex Forsberg (Victoria Royals)

CHL Leagues

Otters’ Devin Williams named Vaughn CHL Goaltender of the Week

Posted on March 2, 2016March 2, 2016 by Dominic Tiano

Vaughn

Toronto, ON – The Canadian Hockey League today announced that Devin Williams of the Erie Otters is the Vaughn CHL Goaltender of the Week for the week ending February 28 after posting a 2-0-0-0 record including a shutout victory along with a goals-against-average of 0.50 and save percentage of .973.

Williams earns the award for the second time this season allowing just one goal on 37 shots backstopping the top ranked Otters to a pair of victories for a first place record of 47-11-1-0 in the OHL standings. On Friday night he earned his second shutout of the season making 19 saves and earning second star honours in a 4-0 victory over the North Bay Battalion. Williams then set an Otters single season franchise record with his 37th win played before a national Sportsnet audience on Sunday stopping 17 shots and earning second star honours in a 2-1 triumph over the Niagara IceDogs.

A 20-year-old from Saginaw, Michigan, Williams is playing in his fifth career OHL season with the Otters. He currently leads all OHL netminders with a goals-against-average of 2.19 and is tied for first with a save percentage of .921. Last week he became just the fifth goaltender in OHL history to record 100 career wins.

Also considered for the award this week was Reilly Pickard of the Acadie-Bathurst Titan who posted a 1-1-1 record with a goals-against-average of 1.30 and save percentage of .958, and Landon Bow of the Seattle Thunderbirds who went 2-0-0-0 with a shutout victory posting a goals-against-average of 1.00 and save percentage of .962.

2015-16 Vaughn CHL Goaltenders of the Week:

Feb. 22 – Feb. 28: Devin Williams (Erie Otters)
Feb. 15 – Feb. 21: Zach Sawchenko (Moose Jaw Warriors)
Feb. 8 – Feb. 14: Leo Lazarev (Ottawa 67’s)
Feb. 1 – Feb. 7: Taz Burman (Swift Current Broncos)
Jan. 25 – Jan. 31: Luke Opilka (Kitchener Rangers)
Jan. 18 – Jan. 24: Jordan Papirny (Brandon Wheat Kings)
Jan. 11 – Jan. 17: Zach Sawchenko (Moose Jaw Warriors)
Jan. 4 – Jan. 10: Michael DiPietro (Windsor Spitfires)
Dec. 28 – Jan. 3: Étienne Montpetit (Val-d’Or Foreurs)
Dec. 14 – Dec. 20: Callum Booth (Quebec Remparts)
Dec. 7 – Dec. 13: Jack Flinn (Mississauga Steelheads)
Nov. 30 – Dec. 6: Ty Edmonds (Prince George Cougars)
Nov. 23 – Nov. 29: Carter Hart (Everett Silvertips)
Nov. 16 – Nov. 22: Keven Bouchard (Baie-Comeau Drakkar)
Nov. 9 – Nov. 15: Devin Williams (Erie Otters)
Nov. 2 – Nov. 8: Etienne Montpetit (Val-d’Or Foreurs)
Oct. 26 – Nov. 1: Tyler Parsons (London Knights)
Oct. 19 – Oct. 25: Adin Hill (Portland Winterhawks)
Oct. 12 – Oct. 18: Julio Billia (Chicoutimi Sagueneens)
Oct. 5 – Oct. 11: Coleman Vollrath (Victoria Royals)
Sept. 28 – Oct. 4: Louis-Philip Guindon (Rimouski Oceanic)
Sept. 21 – Sept. 27: Zack Bowman (Flint Firebirds)

CHL Leagues

OHL Announces Minor Midget Top-10 Rankings for 2016 OHL Cup Showcase Tournament

Posted on March 2, 2016March 16, 2016 by Dominic Tiano

ALLIANCE’S London Jr. Knights and Waterloo Wolves Officially Qualify for 2016 OHL Cup
5-Teams Advance to OMHA Championship March 4-6

Toronto, ON – The Ontario Hockey League today announced the fourteenth edition of the weekly minor midget rankings for the 2016 OHL Cup Showcase Tournament hosted by the Greater Toronto Hockey League.

The weekly rankings are determined by a panel of OHL Central Scouting Staff and represent the top teams that are competing to play in the annual year-end championship tournament which takes place March 15-21, 2016. All games will be played at the Scotiabank Pond in Toronto until the Championship Final moves to the Mattamy Athletic Centre on Monday March 21.

Minor Midget Rankings for the 2016 OHL Cup Showcase Tournament – Week 14

RANK	TEAM	LEAGUE	LAST WEEK	WEEKS RANKED
1	Mississauga Rebels	GTHL	1	14
2	York Simcoe Express	OMHA	2	14
3	Toronto Marlies	GTHL	3	14
4	Toronto Jr. Canadiens	GTHL	4	14
5	Barrie Jr. Colts	OMHA	6	13
6	Toronto Red Wings	GTHL	5	14
7	Hamilton Jr. Bulldogs	OMHA	7	14
8	Waterloo Wolves	ALLIANCE	8	12
9	London Jr. Knights	ALLIANCE	–	2
10	Southern Tier Admirals	OMHA	10	2

	Honourable Mention
	Kitchener Jr. Rangers	ALLIANCE	–	–
	Kingston Frontenacs	OMHA	–	5
	Quinte Red Devils	OMHA	–	–
	Don Mills Flyers	GTHL	9	11

The London Jr. Knights and the Waterloo Wolves have officially clinched spots in the 2016 OHL Cup by advancing to the ALLIANCE Championship Series. The Knights defeated the Windsor Jr. Spitfires, while the Wolves defeated the Kitchener Jr. Rangers in league Semi-Final action. The Spitfires and Rangers will now compete in a Semi-Final Wild Card Series with the winner earning automatic entry into the 2016 OHL Cup, while the losing team will compete in one of five Wild Card Play-In Games for tournament qualification.

The five-team field is also set for the 2016 OMHA Championship weekend March 4-6 in Bowmanville, ON, and features the York Simcoe Express, Barrie Jr. Colts, Southern Tier Admirals, Hamilton Jr. Bulldogs, and host Clarington Toros. The top four teams following the weekend tournament will automatically qualify for the 2016 OHL Cup, while the fifth place team will compete in one of five Wild Card Play-In Games for tournament qualification. Also competing for a guaranteed spot in one of the five Wild Card Play-In Games are the OMHA’s SCTA Semi-Finalists the Halton Hurricanes facing off against the Niagara North Stars.

Four teams from the GTHL have already officially qualified for the 2016 OHL Cup by advancing to their league Semi-Finals including the Mississauga Rebels, Toronto Marlies, Toronto Red Wings, and Toronto Jr. Canadiens. The Jr. Canadiens are facing the Marlies, and the Rebels are squaring off against the Red Wings in best-of-eight point series. Also underway is the GTHL Wild Card Series featuring the four teams eliminated from the first round of playoffs including the Don Mills Flyers against the Vaughan Kings, and the Mississauga Senators against the Markham Majors for the opportunity to keep their hopes alive with Wild Card tournament entry.

The OHL Cup continues to showcase 20 participating teams from across Ontario and the United States, but as of February, 2016, 15 of the 20 spots are now guaranteed through league competition. The 15 guaranteed spots include all four GTHL Semi-Finalists, and the top four teams that place at the OMHA Championship. Three teams from the ALLIANCE will still be guaranteed a spot in the tournament including the Champion and Finalist, along with the winner of a best-of-three Semi-Final Wild Card Series to be played between the losers of the two league Semi-Finals. Two tournament entries are reserved for United States competition, while both an HNO and NOHA representative will also compete.

Also announced in February, 2016, is the addition of one Wild Card Play-In Game whereupon the final five entries at the 2016 OHL Cup will now be Wild Cards determined among 10 teams that will play a one game ‘win and in’ scenario. The 10 competing teams aiming for the final five tournament spots will now include five teams named by the Tournament Selection Committee based on regular season, playoff, and tournament play. The other Wild Card Play-In Game spots will continue to include the fifth place team at the OMHA Championship, and the loser of the ALLIANCE Semi-Final Wild Card Series. Two spots in Wild Card games are also reserved for GTHL teams. The two competing GTHL teams will be determined through a pair of Wild Card Play-In Series matchups involving the four GTHL teams who qualified for the playoffs but lost in the first round. The final spot in a Wild Card will be reserved for the winner of an OMHA SCTA Consolation Game that features both teams who lost in the SCTA Tournament Semi-Final. The OMHA teams eligible for this matchup will be determined annually based on the league not hosting the OMHA Championship. All five Wild Card games will take place on Tuesday March 15 with specific matchups and times of play to be determined by random draw among the 10 competing teams on Monday March 14.

Last season the Toronto Marlboros captured their fifth OHL Cup title in 11 years with a 3-2 overtime win over the Don Mills Flyers. Marlies forward and OHL Cup MVP Ryan McLeod followed up older brother Michael McLeod’s MVP effort in 2014 with three goals and four assists in the tournament.

McLeod was one of 12 first round draft selections from 2015 OHL Cup teams, including six of the top ten picks. Those names include David Levin (Don Mills Flyers – 1st overall to the Sudbury Wolves), Ryan McLeod (Toronto Marlboros – 3rd overall to the Flint Firebirds), Brady Gilmour (Quinte Red Devils – 6th overall to the Saginaw Spirit), Ben Jones (Toronto Marlboros – 7th overall to the Niagara IceDogs), Matthew Strome (Toronto Marlboros – 8th overall to the Hamilton Bulldogs) and Markus Phillips (Toronto Titans – 9th overall to the Owen Sound Attack).

Five first round selections in the 2015 NHL Draft are also OHL Cup graduates including Connor McDavid (Toronto Marlboros/Edmonton Oilers), Dylan Strome (Toronto Marlboros/Arizona Coyotes), Mitch Marner (Don Mills Flyers/Toronto Maple Leafs), Lawson Crouse (Elgin-Middlesex Chiefs/Florida Panthers) and Travis Konecny (Elgin-Middlesex Chiefs/Philadelphia Flyers).

Notable OHL Cup graduates currently playing in the NHL include Taylor Hall (Greater Kingston Frontenacs/Edmonton Oilers), John Tavares (Toronto Marlboros/New York Islanders), Steven Stamkos (Markham Waxers/Tampa Bay Lightning), Tyler Seguin (Toronto Nationals/Dallas Stars), 2013 Norris Trophy winner P.K. Subban (Markham Islanders/Montreal Canadiens) and 2010 OHL Cup MVP Sean Monahan (Mississauga Rebels/Calgary Flames).

For more information, please visit ohlcup.ca.

OHL’s Draft Eligible Statistical Leaders: February

Posted on March 1, 2016March 1, 2016 by Dominic Tiano

Another February 29th is over and it’ll be 4 years until the next one. Welcome to March!

Today, we look at the Ontario Hockey League’s draft eligible statistical leaders in a variety of statistical categories. As always, we look at players eligible for the National Hockey League draft for the first time. Those previously passed over are not included – except for goaltenders.

Matthew Tkachuk of the London Knights has gained a somewhat comfortable lead in the points race with 93 points in 48 games. He now holds an 11 point lead over the Erie Otters’ Alex DeBrincat. Adam Mascherin of the Kitchener Rangers continues to climb the board with 73 points and has surpassed Mississauga Steelheads rookie Alexander Nylander’s 72 points.

North Bay Battalion’s fine rookie defenceman Cam Dineen not only leads draft eligible defencemen in points, but all OHL defencemen with 55 points. He’s gained a comfortable lead on fellow rookie defenceman, Mikhail Sergachev of the Windsor Spitfires, who has 47 points. Sarnia Sting’s Jakob Chychrun has come on this month and sits third with 45 points.

Points Leaders
Player	Team	GP	G	A	Pts
Matthew Tkachuk	London Knights	48	23	70	93
Alex DeBrincat	Erie Otters	51	43	39	82
Adam Mascherin	Kitchener Rangers	56	32	41	73
*Alexander Nylander	Mississauga Steelheads	52	28	44	72
Taylor Raddysh	Erie Otters	58	20	45	65
Kyle Maksimovich	Erie Otters	59	25	39	64
Logan Brown	Windsor Spitfires	51	16	46	62
Will Bitten	Flint Firebirds	58	26	31	57
Nathan Bastian	Mississauga Steelheads	57	19	38	57
Michael McLeod	Mississauga Steelheads	50	19	37	56

Goal Scoring Leaders
Player	Team	GP	G	GPG
Alex DeBrincat	Erie Otters	51	43	0.84
Adam Mascherin	Kitchener Rangers	56	32	0.57
*Alexander Nylander	Mississauga Steelheads	52	28	0.54
Will Bitten	Flint Firebirds	58	26	0.45
Kyle Maksimovich	Erie Otters	59	25	0.42
*Dmitry Sokolov	Sudbury Wolves	60	24	0.40
Matthew Tkachuk	London Knights	48	23	0.48

Assist Leaders
Player	Team	GP	A	APG
Matthew Tkachuk	London Knights	48	70	1.46
Logan Brown	Windsor Spitfires	51	46	0.90
Taylor Raddysh	Erie Otters	58	45	0.78
*Alexander Nylander	Mississauga Steelheads	52	44	0.85
*Cam Dineen	North Bay Battalion	59	43	0.73
Adam Mascherin	Kitchener Rangers	56	41	0.73
Alex DeBrincat	Erie Otters	51	39	0.76

Defencemen Point Leaders
Player	Team	GP	G	A	Pts
***Cam Dineen	North Bay Battalion	59	12	43	55
*Mikhail Sergachev	Windsor Spitfires	59	14	33	47
Jakob Chychrun	Sarnia Sting	57	10	35	45
*Olli Juolevi	London Knights	48	7	27	34
Benjamin Gleason	Hamilton Bulldogs	59	7	26	33
Victor Mete	London Knights	59	7	25	32
*Jordan Sambrook	Erie Otters	58	9	16	25

Plus/Minus Leaders
Player	Team	GP	+/-
Victor Mete	London Knights	59	+46
Matthew Tkachuk	London Knights	48	+36
*Olli Juolevi	London Knights	48	+31
Kyle Maksimovich	Erie Otters	59	+30
Logan Brown	Windsor Spitfires	51	+21
*Max Jones	London Knights	54	+21
*Cam Dineen	North Bay Battalion	59	+20

Penalty Minutes Leaders
Player	Team	GP	PIM	M/G
Givani Smith	Guelph Storm	56	115	2.05
Logan Brown	Windsor Spitfires	57	101	1.77
*Max Jones	London Knights	54	94	1.74
Michael Pezzetta	Sudbury Wolves	56	89	1.59
Matthew Tkachuk	London Knights	48	76	1.58
*Sean Allen	Oshawa Generals	39	70	1.79
*Brock Philips	Guelph Storm	42	70	1.67

Faceoff Leaders (Wins)
Player	Team	GP	FOA	FOW	%
Michael McLeod	Mississauga Steelheads	50	1117	651	58.3
Logan Brown	Windsor Spitfires	51	979	515	52.6
Hayden Verbeek	Soo Greyhounds	54	793	400	50.4
Cliff Pu	London Knights	54	749	392	52.3
*Domenic Commisso	Oshawa Generals	59	720	349	48.5
Michael Pezzetta	Sudbury Wolves	56	765	345	45.1

Shootout Leaders
Player	Team	SOG	SOA	Goals	%
Nicolas Sicoly	Guelph Storm	2	2	2	100.0
*Alexander Nylander	Mississauga Steelheads	4	4	2	50.0
Adam Timleck	Peterborough Petes	2	2	1	50.0
Matyas Kantner	Flint Firebirds	2	2	1	50.0
Will Bitten	Flint Firebirds	2	2	1	50.0

Shooting Percentage Leaders
Player	Team	GP	Shots	Goals	SH%
Boris Katchouk	Soo Greyhounds	56	111	23	20.72
Will Bitten	Flint Firebirds	58	127	26	20.47
Alex DeBrincat	Erie Otters	51	221	43	19.46
Kyle Maksimovich	Erie Otters	59	129	25	19.38
*Alexander Nylander	Mississauga Steelheads	52	166	28	16.87

Goaltenders Leaders – Goals Against Average
Player	Team	GP	Min	GA	Avg
Jeremy Helvig	Kingston Frontenacs	22	1221	44	2.16
Tyler Parsons	London Knights	42	2445	99	2.43
*Stephen Dhillon	Niagara Ice Dogs	23	1257	59	2.82
Jeremy Brodeur	Oshawa Generals	48	2796	132	2.83
Leo Lazarev	Ottawa 67’s	41	2356	111	2.83
Evan Cormier	Saginaw Spirit	53	2960	175	3.55
Joseph Raaymakers	Soo Greyhounds	25	1401	85	3.64
Connor Hicks	Hamilton Bulldogs	27	1492	96	3.86
Zack Bowman	Sudbury Wolves	33	1750	129	4.42
Troy Timpano	Sudbury Wolves	30	1699	128	4.52
Dylan Wells	Peterborough Petes	26	1451	113	4.67

Goaltending Leaders – Save Percentage
Player	Team	GP	SH	SVS	SV%
Jeremy Helvig	Kingston Frontenacs	22	625	581	0.930
Tyler Parsons	London Knights	42	1211	1112	0.918
Jeremy Brodeur	Oshawa Generals	48	1421	1289	0.907
*Stephen Dhillon	Niagara Ice Dogs	23	608	549	0.903
Leo Lazarev	Ottawa 67’s	41	1120	1009	0.901
Evan Cormier	Saginaw Spirit	53	1632	1457	0.893
Joseph Raaymakers	Soo Greyhounds	25	792	707	0.893
Connor Hicks	Hamilton Bulldogs	27	868	772	0.889
Zack Bowman	Sudbury Wolves	33	1106	977	0.883
Troy Timpano	Sudbury Wolves	30	1094	966	0.883
Dylan Wells	Peterborough Petes	26	864	751	0.869
*Rookie
**Leads League

OHL Draft Eligible Player of the Month for February: Tyler Parsons

Posted on March 1, 2016 by Dominic Tiano

London Knights’ goaltender Tyler Parsons has turned it up as we get closer to the playoffs and a battle for top spot in the Eastern Conference.

Tyler Parsons of the London Knights. Photo by Aaron Bell/OHL Images

Parsons posted a 7-2-0 record with 1.90 goals against average and an even more sparkling .934 save percentage with one shutout in February. Sure he plays for the high flying Knights, but consider this: his two losses (3-2 to Niagara and 2-1 to Sarnia) he posted save percentages of .912 and .941. A little more goal support and he could have run the table in February. He was named the game’s first star in two of his starts in February.

On the season, Parsons now has a 31-8-2-1 record with 2.43 goals against average and .918 save percentage with 4 shutouts.

Also getting consideration was Parsons’ teammate Matthew Tkachuk who put up a whopping 7 goals and 16 assists in just 10 games. Alex DeBrincat of the Erie Otters also received some consideration with 7 goals and 10 assists in 12 games for the Otters.

Previous winners

January – Cam Dineen

December – Cam Dineen

November – Matthew Tkachuk

October – Alex DeBrincat

September – Matthew Tkachuk

Spitfires’ Logan Brown named Pioneer Energy OHL Player of the Week

Posted on February 29, 2016 by Dominic Tiano

Toronto, ON – The Ontario Hockey League today announced that 2016 NHL Draft prospect Logan Brown of the Windsor Spitfires is the Pioneer Energy OHL Player of the Week for the week ending February 28 after recording seven points in three games including four goals and three assists with a plus-minus rating of plus-2.

Brown continued his offensive production with a trio of multi-point performances last week giving him five-straight and totalling 12 points in that span. On Thursday night he earned first star honours in a 4-2 victory over the Barrie Colts scoring the game-winning goal and adding an assist, then picked up two assists on Saturday as part of a 6-4 win over the Flint Firebirds. Brown finished his week by notching his first career hat-trick on Sunday in a 4-3 victory over the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds tallying the game-winning goal and claiming first star honours. The Spitfires have now won five-straight but remain in second place in the West Division standings with 78 points through 60 games trailing the Sarnia Sting by one point.

A native of Chesterfield, Missouri, Brown is playing in his second career OHL season with the Spitfires. The 6’6’’ power forward turns 18 on Saturday and is second in team scoring with 62 points in 51 games including 16 goals and 46 assists. Brown was listed 14th among North American Skaters by NHL Central Scouting in January’s Midterm Rankings for the 2016 NHL Draft.

Watch video highlights of Brown and the Spitfires against the Colts, Firebirds, and Greyhounds.

Fellow Spitfire Christian Fischer was also considered for the award this week along with Mitch Marner of the London Knights. The Arizona Coyotes prospect matched Brown’s production with four goals and three assists for seven points in three games for the Spitfires, while the Toronto Maple Leafs prospect scored twice with five assists for seven points in three games for the Knights eclipsing the 100-point milestone for the second straight season. In goal, Devin Williams of the Erie Otters went 2-0-0-0 including one shutout with a goals-against-average of 0.50, save percentage of .973, and set a new franchise record for wins in a season with 37.

Pioneer

2015-16 Pioneer Energy OHL Players of the Week:

Feb. 22 – Feb. 28: Logan Brown (Windsor Spitfires)
Feb. 15 – Feb. 21: Mike Amadio (North Bay Battalion)
Feb. 8 – Feb. 14: Kevin Labanc (Barrie Colts)
Feb. 1 – Feb. 7: Spencer Watson (Kingston Frontenacs)
Jan. 25 – Jan. 31: Jonah Gadjovich (Owen Sound Attack)
Jan. 18 – Jan. 24: Matthew Mancina (Peterborough Petes)
Jan. 11 – Jan. 17: Michael Giugovaz (Guelph Storm)
Jan. 4 – Jan. 10: Kevin Labanc (Barrie Colts)
Dec. 28 – Jan. 3: Kevin Labanc (Barrie Colts)
Dec. 14 – Dec. 20: Jake Smith (North Bay Battalion)
Dec. 7 – Dec. 13: Christian Dvorak (London Knights)
Nov. 30 – Dec. 6: Mitchell Marner (London Knights)
Nov. 23 – Nov. 29: Christian Dvorak (London Knights)
Nov. 16 – Nov. 22: Pavel Zacha (Sarnia Sting)
Nov. 9 – Nov. 15: Devin Williams (Erie Otters)
Nov. 2 – Nov. 8: Dylan Strome (Erie Otters)
Oct. 26 – Nov. 1: Tyler Parsons (London Knights)
Oct. 19 – Oct. 25: Kevin Labanc (Barrie Colts)
Oct. 12 – Oct. 18: Zach Bratina (North Bay Battalion)
Oct. 5 – Oct. 11: Hunter Garlent (Peterborough Petes)
Sept. 28 – Oct. 4: Alex DeBrincat (Erie Otters)
Sept. 21 – Sept. 27: Zack Bowman (Flint Firebirds)

OJHL Expansion? How about getting back to contraction.

Posted on February 25, 2016 by Dominic Tiano

It has been well documented how the OJHL has struggled to get to the position that they are in right now. The league went through a large contraction down to 23 teams from the mid thirties and the league now sits at 22 teams, 11 per conference and two divisions, one with 5 and one with 6.

This past holiday season, there was an article that was put out that discussed the league expanding, absorbing two franchises in the GOJHL.

Although that could nicely even things out, 6 teams per division lets take a look at the possibilities of who the league will expand with:

Caledonia: A top franchise in the GOJHL for the last few years, they have a chance to three-peat this year but also currently have 14 Overage players (1995 birth years) on their team and several former OHLers that you normally would not see in the OJHL.

St. Catharines: Another annual powerhouse in the GOJHL that has a longer history of being at the top. The Falcons are generally a breeding ground for the Niagara Ice Dogs but also perennially compete for the Sutherland Cup. This years Falcons squad has 11 overage players.

Brampton: This is a younger franchise to the GOJHL and has not had much success. 42 wins in their first three seasons and currently have 14 wins heading into this weekend. So 56 wins in their 197 franchise games. Now the team has produced some OHL players and developed several Jr A players over the years. What makes this franchise so attractive is that Brampton use to have the Capitals OJHL franchise up until 2012…. When the Bombers were created….

Kitchener: No point talking about this franchise, not coming to the OJHL.

Waterloo: Same as Kitchener

London: See above… Proximity is what makes this situation not work.

Ancaster: Plausible as it is close enough to make Burlington, Hamilton and Buffalo direct division mates. The last 5 seasons as the Stoney Creek Warriors, the team was very competitive and as the Ancaster Avalanche, they have continued to have strong teams.

So how does the new OJHL look with 2 of these franchises in the mix? If you are only looking at proximity, and to be honest you should considering you do not want to make Kingston travel to Sarnia or LaSalle or even to Kitchener, London or Waterloo… then you are left with Brampton and Ancaster.

Brampton leaving the GOJHL may be difficult only because the club would have to up their spending… but then they would get to keep their players rather than have the OJHL ‘poach’ them through development. But consider the cost of travel they have… it may actually go down. Being located in Brampton, you have: Milton, Georgetown, Mississauga, Oakville, Toronto Patriots, Toronto Jr Canadiens and Orangeville all within 30 minutes of travel. 7 of the current 11 franchises in the South West conference are within a half hour of travel. Burlington is 40 minutes away, so is North York and only Buffalo will be over an hour of travel… approx. 120 minutes, depending on border traffic. So Brampton would be a viable franchise to add to the league… and considering the commissioner mentioned that it would be two franchises, you have to look at an Ancaster as being the closest Golden Horseshoe Conference team to the current league and say they would be the best candidate to take in to keep future costs low.

If Ancaster joins, the closest opponent would be Burlington at 25 minutes away. Currently Caledonia is that close to them, and the rest of the division is about an hour away. The same time it would take to get to the farthest opponent in the South West Conference.

So a lot of this makes sense and could really help the league fight the expansion of the ‘outlaw’ Jr A league in town… although the owners do a good enough job of messing that up themselves.

However, what is it that I wrote at the beginning? How about contraction?

Now I am not advocating for specific franchises to shut their doors. But lets look at the league with only 20 teams not 22. It would be more inline to what the OHL is. Not that the OJHL has ever strived to be what the OHL is, and lets face the fact that the OHL is not a perfect league thanks to many obstacles that has been thrown in their way the pat few seasons.

But consider taking away two franchises. I would have initially said Hamilton and Mississauga. But Hamilton moved to a better market in Markham and well… Mississauga is Mississauga. And if you had to take Geography into account, you may have a better argument for Milton. Now Milton is a storied franchise and in the mid 90s won 7 of 9 division titles from 1994-2003 and in the last 9 seasons, the franchise has not finished better than 4th once, finishing 3rd and missing the playoffs 4 times, and this season will be 5 in the last 10 seasons.

Now if you got rid of Mississauga, nobody would probably miss them, there is a lot of history that will die, but that can be said for a lot of OJHL franchises that have been around for over 20 years. If it isn’t championships, or conference titles it is the alumni list. And many clubs have tremendous alumni.

So if you were to choose Mississauga from the South West Conference who would it be from the North East… well to go historically, the Lindsay Muskies have not been a premier franchise in many years. Even though they have new owners this season in former NHLer Jeff Beukeboom and an Uxbridge businessman Dave Knapp. The team hasn’t made the playoffs for three seasons, doesn’t have a long alumni list and is just ‘out of the way’ based on geography.

But again, forget the naming of franchises because you can pick one of many and make a reason.

Getting down to 20 will help build up the talent pool. Think of the 44 players who will have no place to play if two teams contract. Now think of each team taking 2 or 3 of these players and bolstering their 3rd forward line or adding to their bottom D pairing and how much better these clubs will be, how much better the overall competition will be, how much more attention will be directed their way as they have lifted the competitive playing field of this league, and think about how much better the league can focus on players in less markets and help advertise their players so people will be enticed to see them more often.

It is a compelling thought either way. Add two teams and help the one conference, the ‘poorer’ conference become competitive with less travel or contract two teams and raise the talent pool and hope that when the ‘Outlaw’ league comes to those towns, they fail like they probably will anyways and prove that it is truly the players that help make the franchise, and that talent will always win out.

OHL Announces Minor Midget Top-10 Rankings for 2016 OHL Cup Showcase Tournament

Posted on February 23, 2016March 16, 2016 by Dominic Tiano

OHL Cup

Toronto, ON – The Ontario Hockey League today announced the thirteenth edition of the weekly minor midget rankings for the 2016 OHL Cup Showcase Tournament hosted by the Greater Toronto Hockey League.

Minor Midget Rankings for the 2016 OHL Cup Showcase Tournament – Week 13

RANK	TEAM	LEAGUE	LAST WEEK	WEEKS RANKED
1	Mississauga Rebels	GTHL	1	13
2	York Simcoe Express	OMHA	2	13
3	Toronto Marlies	GTHL	3	13
4	Toronto Jr. Canadiens	GTHL	4	13
5	Toronto Red Wings	GTHL	5	13
6	Barrie Jr. Colts	OMHA	6	12
7	Hamilton Jr. Bulldogs	OMHA	8	13
8	Waterloo Wolves	ALLIANCE	7	11
9	Don Mills Flyers	GTHL	9	11
10	Southern Tier Admirals	OMHA	–	1

	Honourable Mention
	London Jr. Knights	ALLIANCE	–	1
	Kitchener Jr. Rangers	ALLIANCE	–	–
	Kingston Frontenacs	OMHA	10	5
	Quinte Red Devils	OMHA	–	–

Four teams from the GTHL have now officially qualified for the 2016 OHL Cup by advancing to their league Semi-Finals including the Mississauga Rebels, Toronto Marlies, Toronto Red Wings, and Toronto Jr. Canadiens who most recently defeated the Don Mills Flyers in the final Quarter-Final matchup. The Jr. Canadiens will face the Marlies, and the Rebels will face the Red Wings in the league’s Semi-Finals set to begin later this month. Also beginning later this month is the GTHL Wild Card Series featuring the four teams eliminated from the first round of playoffs including the Flyers who will face the Vaughan Kings, and the Mississauga Senators who will face the Markham Majors for the opportunity to keep their hopes alive with a Wild Card tournament entry.

Semi-Finals are underway in the ALLIANCE featuring the Waterloo Wolves against the Kitchener Jr. Rangers, and the London Jr. Knights against the Windsor Jr. Spitfires. Both series winners will earn automatic entry into the 2016 OHL Cup, with the losing teams competing in a Semi-Final Wild Card Series with the winner also granted a berth in the tournament. The fourth place team will be eligible for an OHL Cup Wild Card Play-In Game.

For more information, please visit ohlcup.ca.

Author: Dominic Tiano

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