Press Release

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2020

Toronto, Ont. – We’re into February and there’s lots happening in rinks across the League this weekend. We’ll also tell you about the CMHA Talk Today Online 50-50 Raffle raising funds for mental health awareness as well as a number of records and milestones from the past week of action.

OHL THIS WEEK PODCAST WITH OSHAWA’S PHILIP TOMASINO:
Nashville Predators first round pick and OHL Player of the Month for January Philip Tomasino joins the show this week, shedding some light on his incredible 34-point performance over 13 games. Tomasino expresses his thanks to the Niagara IceDogs organization and looks ahead to an exciting stretch run with the Oshawa Generals. He details his draft day experience when he was selected 24th overall by the Nashville Predators last summer.
LISTEN

OHL, CMHA ONTARIO PARTNER TO RAISE FUNDS FOR MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS, SUICIDE PREVENTION:
The Ontario Hockey League (OHL) and Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA), Ontario Division have teamed up this month for a 50-50 raffle to raise funds that will go toward mental health awareness and suicide prevention training for athletes in Ontario. Running now through Feb. 29, tickets for the raffle cost $10 for five, $20 for 30 and $50 for 100 and can be purchased at www.talktoday5050.com All proceeds will support the OHL and CMHA Ontario’s Talk Today program. The winning ticket will be drawn March 2.
READ MORE

KNIGHTS’ MCMICHAEL AND MERKLEY NAMED TO VAUGHN CHL TEAM OF THE WEEK:
London Knights teammates Connor McMichael and Ryan Merkley have been named to the Vaughn CHL Team of the Week for Jan. 27 to Feb. 2. McMichael racked up seven points (4-3–7) over two games while Merkley finished with six points (1-5–6) in that span.
READ MORE

KNIGHTS’ MCMICHAEL NAMED OHL ‘ON THE RUN’ PLAYER OF THE WEEK:
Washington Capitals prospect Connor McMichael of the Washington Capitals is the OHL ‘On the Run’ Player of the Week for the week ending February 2nd. McMichael claims the honour for the third time this season, helping the Knights stretch their current winning streak to eight with multi-point efforts in a pair of victories.
READ MORE

67’s AND KNIGHTS IN KIA CHL TOP 10:
The Ottawa 67’s remain atop the weekly rankings for the fifth straight week as they continue to roll on a nine-game winning streak. Ottawa has won 26 of the past 27 as 2020 NHL Draft prospect Marco Rossi leads the OHL in scoring with 88 points (30-58–88). A nine-game winning streak has carried the London Knights back into the Kia CHL Top 10 as they sit atop the Midwest Division with a 33-13-1-1 record.
FULL RANKINGS

67’s BECOME OHL’S FIRST TEAM TO CLINCH A PLAYOFF BERTH:
The defending Eastern Conference champion Ottawa 67’s are playoff bound once again. The 67’s defeated the Soo Greyhounds 5-2 on Sunday and in doing so, punched their ticket to the 2020 OHL Playoffs. They sit atop the OHL standings with a 39-7-0-0 record.

OHL TOP PERFORMERS OF THE MONTH FOR JANUARY:
The OHL on Monday announced Top OHL Performers of the Month for regular season games played in January 2020, including Oshawa Generals forward Philip Tomasino, Ottawa 67’s defenceman Noel Hoefenmayer and London Knights goaltender Brett Brochu.
READ MORE

OHL WEEKEND NOTEBOOK – FEB. 3, 2020:
The OHL Weekend Notebook recaps the weekend that was with news, information and interesting facts from both on and off the ice. Here are 10 of the leading stories from this past weekend.
READ MORE

WAWANESA OHL PLAYS OF THE WEEK – FEB. 5, 2020:
We’ve got forwards, defencemen and goaltenders all contributing to the latest edition of the Wawanesa OHL Plays of the Week. Flint Firebirds defenceman Riley McCourt starts us off, finishing off his first hat-trick in overtime on a record-setting night in Flint. Windsor Spitfires netminder Xavier Medina flashes the leather for some post-to-post larceny. London’s Ryan Merkley makes a save at the blue line before Connor McMichael does what he does best. Saginaw’s Cole Coskey goes coast-to-coast and Oshawa’s Jordan Kooy stretches out for a Superman save.
WATCH

VAUGHN SAVES OF THE WEEK – FEB. 4, 2020:
It’s all acrobatics and entertainment in the latest instalment of Vaughn Saves, highlighting the best stops across the OHL this week. Get a look at these saves from Kingston’s Christian Propp, Saginaw’s Tristan Lennox, Soo’s Nick Malik, Kingston’s Ryan Dugas, Oshawa’s Jordan Kooy, Flint’s Anthony Popovich, Ottawa’s Cedrick Andree, Kitchener’s Jacob Ingham, Sudbury’s Mitchell Weeks and Windsor’s Xavier Medina.
WATCH

SEVEN PLAYERS SCORE FIRST GOALS FOR OHL MILESTONE MOMENTS:
A total of seven players scored their first career OHL goal this past week including Peterborough’s Curtis Trolley, Kingston’s Ethan Ritchie, Guelph’s Jacob Maillet, Owen Sound’s Logan LeSage, Niagara’s Isaac Enright, Hamilton’s Mark Duarte and North Bay’s David Campbell.
WATCH

OHL CUP POWERED BY UNDER ARMOUR MINOR MIDGET TOP-10 RANKINGS:
The OMHA’s Quinte Red Devils are the top-ranked team in the OHL Cup Powered by Under Armour Top-10 Rankings for a ninth consecutive week while three GTHL clubs in the Toronto Titans, Toronto Jr. Canadiens and Toronto Nationals occupy the following three slots. The Vaughan Kings are up one spot to number six on the this week’s list while the Toronto Marlboros climb to eighth and the ALLIANCE’s Waterloo Wolves are back in the Top-10 for the first time since Week 4. The Wolves join two other ALLIANCE teams in the fifth-ranked Elgin-Middlesex Chiefs and ninth-ranked Hamilton Huskies in embarking on semi-final play this coming weekend.
FULL RANKINGS

67’s’ KEATING LOGS 300TH CAREER OHL POINT:
Ottawa 67’s forward Austen Keating recorded the 300th point of his OHL career on Sunday, becoming the 13th player in franchise history to do so. Keating had a goal and an assist to help the 67’s become the League’s first team to clinch a playoff spot, winning their ninth straight game in a 5-2 decision over visiting Sault Ste. Marie.
READ MORE

BULLDOGS’ KALIYEV BECOMES CLUB’S CAREER GOAL-SCORING LEADER:
It was another day at the office for Arthur Kaliyev, who scored twice and added two assists in a 9-4 Hamilton Bulldogs win over the visiting Niagara IceDogs on Saturday. With his 33rd and 34th goals of the season, Kaliyev surpassed Matthew Strome as Hamilton’s all-time goal-scoring leader with 116 to his name over the course of 177 regular season games.
READ MORE

CHASE COSTANTINO COMMITS TO FRONTENACS:
The Kingston Frontenacs have received a commitment from 2019 seventh round selection Chase Costantino. The 6-foot-2, 165Ib. defenceman from Burlington, Ont. has 28 points (6-22–28) over 53 games with Compuware U16 of the HPHL this season.
READ MORE

GREYHOUNDS TO SUBMIT BID TO HOST 2021 MEMORIAL CUP PRESENTED BY KIA:
The Soo Greyhounds announced Thursday that the club will be submitting an expression of interest to host the 2021 Memorial Cup Presented by Kia.
DETAILS

ROGERS HOMETOWN HOCKEY TOUR COMES TO OTTAWA:
The Rogers Hometown Hockey Tour stops in the nation’s capital this weekend as hosts Ron MacLean and Tara Slone tell the top stories from Ottawa, Ontario! Be sure to hear about the 67’s and their impact on Ottawa’s hockey community throughout the weekend.
FOR MORE VISIT HOMETOWNHOCKEY.COM

BEYOND THE BOARDS:

Canadian Mental Health Month Underway with slew of #TalkToday Games this week: In partnership with CMHA and Teachers Life, the OHL and its member clubs continue to raise awareness around mental health and suicide prevention.
CLICK HERE FOR FULL CMHA AND OHL GAME NIGHT SCHEDULE

Petes raise over $88,000 in 11th Annual Pink in the Rink Game: The eleventh annual Pink in the Rink game took place at the Peterborough Memorial Centre on Saturday night. The Peterborough Petes, in association with the Canadian Cancer Society, are pleased to announce that the campaign raised $88,194.72, bringing the eleven-year total to nearly $790,000 with more donations expected in the coming days. The Petes ended a five-game skid with a 4-1 victory over the rival Oshawa Generals in front of 3,816 fans.
READ MORE

Let’s Make Hockey For Everyone Night in Peterborough: The Petes are hosting their first ever Let’s Make Hockey For Everyone Night in partnership with local charity Heads Up For Inclusion. Let’s Make Hockey For Everyone is aimed at encouraging inclusiveness in hockey regardless of race, colour, religion, gender identity, disability, sexual orientation, national origin, or socioeconomic status. Also involved in tonight’s game are the Kawartha Komets, a charitable organization that provides people of all ages with physical, emotional, and/or neurodevelopmental challenges an opportunity to play hockey, as well as the Electric City Maroon and White Special Needs Hockey Team. And lastly, the team will be recognizing the achievements of local immigration consultant Carmela Valles.
FIND OUT MORE AT GOPETESGO.COM

Goodwill Collection Night in Erie: The Erie Otters are inviting fans to bring new or gently used goods to donate at Goodwill’s collection point outside the Erie Insurance Arena on Friday when they play host to the Flint Firebirds. Fans who donate will be entered to win an autographed Otters jersey.

Country Night in Hamilton: The Bulldogs are celebrating Country Night as Presented by Budweiser this Friday when the Ottawa 67’s come to town. Cowboy hats and plaid shirts are welcome. There will be an acoustic performance, country-themed giveaways, and more.
FULL DETAILS AT HAMILTONBULLDOGS.COM

Ingham encourages fans to join him in giving blood: Kitchener Rangers goaltender Jacob Ingham is encouraging members of the community to join him for a blood donation on Wednesday February 12th from 6-7pm at the Canadian Blood Services branch in Waterloo. He’ll be meeting with supporters to highlight his initatives Hockey Gives Blood and Canadian Blood Services. Earlier this week, the Jake’s Saves Campaign reached $10,000.
MORE INFO AT KITCHENERRANGERS.COM

Hockey Fights Cancer in Sault Ste. Marie: The Soo Greyhounds are hosting their 10th annual Hockey Fights Cancer Night this Saturday, with the Niagara IceDogs visiting for an evening tilt. Funds will be donated to the Sault Area Hospital Foundation Pharmacy  IV Room Upgrade and the Elks Oncology Van. Game worn jerseys are available for auction both in the arena and online. Hockey Fights Cancer T-shirts are also now available for purchase, with $5 from each purchase going toward fundraising.
VISIT SOOGREYHOUNDS.COM FOR MORE

Lodnia honours Kobe and Gianna Bryant with special giveaway: The sports world was shaken by the death of Kobe Bryant and 13-year-old daughter Gianna, along with the seven others who lost their lives that day. Niagara IceDogs overager Ivan Lodnia is a native of California who grew up admiring Kobe and, like the rest of us, was devastated by the tragic news. In honour of both Kobe and Gianna, Lodnia is giving away a pair of tickets to all remaining Niagara IceDogs home games to father and daughter pairs throughout the rest of the season. Please visit the IceDogs’ social media channels for more info on how to enter.
READ MORE ON THE NIAGARA ICEDOGS’ FACEBOOK PAGE

ALUMNI NOTES:

Thornton records 1,500th career NHL point: Soo Greyhounds graduate Joe Thornton recorded his 1,500th career NHL point on Wednesday. The 40-year-old long-time NHL veteran had a pair of assists in a 3-1 win over the Calgary Flames to reach the impressive milestone. Thornton is a veteran of 1,620 career regular season contests and got his start with the Boston Bruins after being the first overall pick of the 1997 NHL Draft. The St. Thomas, Ont. native played two seasons with the Greyhounds from 1995-97, earning OHL Rookie of the Year honours in 1996 before winning World Junior gold as a member of Team Canada a year later. Thornton is currently playing in his 22nd NHL season.

Campbell, Clifford dealt to Maple Leafs: A pair of OHL grads in Jack Campbell and Kyle Clifford are on their way to the Toronto Maple Leafs as part of a trade with the Los Angeles Kings announced on Wednesday. Campbell, a former Soo Greyhounds and Windsor Spitfires netminder, had appeared in 20 games with the Kings this season and played to an 8-10-2 record with a 2.85 goals-against average and .900 save percentage. Clifford, who skated with the Barrie Colts from 2007-09 and hoisted the Stanley Cup with the Kings on 2012 and 2014.

Tippett named AHL Rookie of the Month: Saginaw Spirit graduate Owen Tippett has been named the AHL Rookie of the Month for January. The Florida Panthers prospect had 15 points (7-8–15) over 10 January contests as a member of the Springfield Thunderbirds, contributing to an overall total of 40 points (19-21–40) over 46 games in his first pro campaign. Tippett played four seasons in the OHL between Mississauga and Saginaw from 2015-19, recording 244 points (128-116–244) over 213 career regular season games. He was selected by Florida with the 10th overall pick of the 2017 NHL Draft.

Studnicka named AHL Player of the Week: Niagara IceDogs graduate and long-time Oshawa Generals forward Jack Studnicka is the AHL Player of the Week. The 20-year-old from Tecumseh, Ont. had five points (3-2–5) over two games with the Providence Bruins, AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Boston Bruins. Studnicka, who made his NHL debut with Boston, recording an assist earlier this season, played four OHL seasons between Oshawa and Niagara from 2015-19, recording 233 points (80-153–233) over 252 regular season games along the way. He was Boston’s second round pick in the 2017 NHL Draft.

Headrick named AUS Male Athlete of the Week: Erie Otters graduate Owen Headrick of the University of Prince Edward Island Panthers has been named the AUS Male Athlete of the Week. Headrick, who won an OHL Championship with Erie in 2017, scored four goals in three games last week as the Panthers clinched the final AUS playoff spot. The Garden River, Ont. native has 32 points (13-19–32) over 29 games as an AUS sophomore this season. Headrick played two OHL seasons in Erie from 2016-18, recording 54 points (17-37–54) over 90 regular season games.

KEY MATCHUPS:

Mississauga Steelheads at Kitchener Rangers
Friday, February 5th

The Mississauga Steelheads’ (23-23-2-1) explosive performance of late coupled with the Kitchener Rangers’ (30-12-5-2) ongoing hot streak makes Friday’s tilt, the second and final meetup of both clubs, one to look forward to.

The two met for the first time this season on Jan. 26 in a game the Rangers would likely prefer to forget. You’ll recall the Steelheads crawling back from a 4-1 deficit to come out victorious 5-4 in overtime, largely on account of Cole Schwindt’s late natural hat-trick that concluded with the OT winner. You’ll also recall that the Fish are one of only a handful of teams to defeat the Rangers since their turn of season in late November.

Kitchener’s 16-game point streak ended in a 5-3 loss to Flint last weekend, helping them drop below the unstoppable-as-of-late London Knights and into second in the Midwest Division. Forward Mike Petizian has put up points in his last 12 straight games, and the veteran trio of Riley Damiani, Jonathan Yantsis, Greg Meireles, and Liam Hawel continue to be an offensive threat.

The Fish, who will first hope to jump above .500 tonight against the Barrie Colts, are on a hot streak of their own, having claimed victory in their last four matchups and eight of their last 10. They put on a vigorous 10-3 display against the Sudbury Wolves last Sunday to pull within two points of them as they continue to lead the Central Division. Nods to St. Louis Blues pick Keean Washkurak for a career-high six points (2-4—6) as well as overager Calvin Martin for a career-first hat-trick in a four-point afternoon. A seven-game point streak from Schwindt, a Florida Panthers pick, has seen multi-point showings in his last five games, including four assists in Saturday’s 6-2 win over the North Bay Battalion and that natural hat-trick in his team’s aforementioned comeback win over the Rangers. NHL Draft eligible James Hardie rides an eight-game point streak heading into Friday’s tilt, half of which have been three-point games. Kai Edmonds, who owns the highest amount of ice time among all OHL goaltenders, holds a 2.92 goals-against average and .906 save percentage in a league-leading 43 starts.

Saginaw Spirit at London Knights
Friday, February 5th

The London Knights (33-13-1-1) and Saginaw Spirit (31-14-2-2) will square off for the fourth and final time this season on Friday, both looking to keep up their winning ways.

The Western Conference-leading Knights will be looking for their 10th straight win. Washington Capitals prospect Connor McMichael boasts a third-best 83 points in just 38 games with three hat-tricks in his last 10 games, contributing to a league-leading six hat-tricks this season. He’s also coming off 12-game point streak that was halted in Tuesday’s 5-2 win over the Niagara IceDogs. Teammate Ryan Merkley, a San Jose Sharks draftee, has put up nine points in his last three games, while Ottawa Senators pick Jonathan Gruden is coming off a career-high four-point night in his eighth straight game on the scoresheet.

Between the pipes sits a hot commodity in rookie Brett Brochu, standing tall on a 12-game winning streak.

The Spirit boast an 8-2-0-0 tally in their last 10 games and sit at the top of the West Division with a five-point margin beneath them, where the Windsor Spitfires sit second. Cole Perfetti continues to lead the way, owning 13 points (5-8—13) in his last six games.

UPCOMING GAMES:

Thursday February 6th:
Owen Sound at Niagara – 7:00pm
North Bay at Peterborough – 7:05pm
Hamilton at Windsor – 7:05pm
Mississauga at Barrie – 7:30pm

Friday February 7th:
Flint at Erie – 7:00pm
Ottawa at Hamilton – 7:00pm
North Bay at Kingston – 7:00pm
Windsor at Sarnia – 7:05pm
Guelph at Soo – 7:07pm
Mississauga at Kitchener – 7:30pm
Saginaw at London – 7:30pm
Sudbury at Oshawa – 7:35pm

Saturday February 8th:
Flint at Hamilton – 4:00pm
Owen Sound at Erie – 7:00pm
Ottawa at Peterborough – 7:05pm
Guelph at Saginaw – 7:05pm
Sarnia at Windsor – 7:05pm
Niagara at Soo – 7:07pm
Sudbury at Barrie – 7:30pm

Sunday February 9th:
Mississauga at Kingston – 2:00pm
North Bay at Ottawa – 2:00pm
Kitchener at Sarnia – 4:05pm
Flint at Oshawa – 6:05pm
Niagara at Sudbury – 7:05pm

Toronto, ON – The Canadian Hockey League in association with the 2020 Memorial Cup Presented by Kia Host Committee have confirmed the schedule and start times for the 102nd edition of the league’s prestigious national championship which takes place May 21-31 in Kelowna, British Columbia.

The host Kelowna Rockets open action against the Ontario Hockey League champions on Friday May 22 at 7:00 pm, followed by a Saturday afternoon battle between the Western Hockey League and Quebec Major Junior Hockey League champions at 5:00 pm.  Round-robin competition continues through Wednesday May 27, with a Tie-Breaker Game slated for Thursday May 28 if needed, a Semi-Final to be played on Friday May 29, followed by the Championship Final set for Sunday May 31.  All game times following the tournament opener will be at 5:00 pm Pacific Standard Time.

2020 Memorial Cup presented by Kia Schedule:
Round-Robin Game 1 – OHL vs. Kelowna on Friday May 22 at 7:00 pm
Round-Robin Game 2 – WHL vs. QMJHL on Saturday May 23 at 5:00 pm
Round-Robin Game 3 – Kelowna vs. QMJHL on Sunday May 24 at 5:00 pm
Round-Robin Game 4 – WHL vs. OHL on Monday May 25 at 5:00 pm
Round-Robin Game 5 – QMJHL vs. OHL on Tuesday May 26 at 5:00 pm
Round-Robin Game 6 – Kelowna vs. WHL on Wednesday May 27 at 5:00 pm
Tie-Breaker (if necessary) – Thursday May 28 at 5:00 pm
Semi-Final – Friday May 29 at 5:00 pm
Championship Final – Sunday May 31 at 5:00pm

Start times listed for all nine games represent local Pacific Standard Time.

Since the round-robin format of the event was introduced in 1972, the WHL has won a total of 19 Memorial Cup championships beginning with the 1974 Regina Pats and most recently the 2014 Edmonton Oil Kings.  OHL teams have won 17 times under the current model including the 2017 Windsor Spitfires, while QMJHL clubs have celebrated 12 titles including the Acadie-Bathurst Titan at the historic centennial celebration in 2018 and last year’s Rouyn-Noranda Huskies.  During that time a total of 10 teams have hoisted the Memorial Cup on home ice including the 2004 Rockets.

The Memorial Cup has a rich tradition that has shaped the way junior hockey is played in North America.  The trophy was originally known as the OHA Memorial Cup and was donated by the Ontario Hockey Association in March, 1919, in remembrance of the many soldiers who paid the supreme sacrifice for Canada in the First Wold War.  In 2010 the Memorial Cup was rededicated to the memory of all fallen Canadian Military Personnel.

The 2020 Memorial Cup presented by Kia is supported by Kia Canada and associate sponsors which include CIBC, Real Canadian Superstore, Cooper Tires, and Kubota Canada.

Ticket packages for the 2020 CHL Memorial Cup Presented by Kia are on sale to the general public at the Select Your Tickets Box Office, by phone at 250-762-5050 or online at selectyourtickets.com.

For more information please visit chlmemorialcup.ca.

Toronto, Ont. – The Ontario Hockey League today announced the Re-Launch of the OHL Performance Development League (PDL).

The OHL PDL is an off-season development initiative targeted at young players incorporating Small Area 3-on-3 Games with weekly skill specific development sessions over an 11 week program. Enhancements to this program include on ice skills with Power Edge Pro (PEP) and information seminars for players and parents. The concept of the OHL PDL has developed with full support from Hockey Canada and the Ontario Hockey Federation (OHF). All parties are excited to introduce a progressive and engaging development platform that creates an opportunity for minor hockey players to be exposed to OHL quality teaching methods, technical skill development, and new skill acquisition.

“The Ontario Hockey League is proud to re-launch the Performance Development League for Minor Hockey players to enhance their skills through the growing popularity of small area games,” said Joe Birch, OHL Vice President of Development. “The program has been designed to engage young athletes in a fun, fast paced, skills focused environment, as they grow their love of the game in preparation for the season.”

The OHL’s introduction of the first Small Area 3 on 3 Games league facilitates a practical setting for players to hone the execution of skills that are learned during drill and video work sessions by guest coaches creating a premier and unparalleled off-season development experience for Minor Hockey players in Ontario.

“We are excited for this opportunity for OHF players, coaches and staff to enhance their areas of skill development through the exposure of OHL quality teaching methods. The experience gained during their participation in this program will assist our players and coaches in reaching their goals for the upcoming season,” said Tony Foresi, OHF President.

The program will be offered at Whitby’s Iroquois Park Sports Centre, Oakville’s Sixteen Mile Sports Complex and Kitchener’s Activa Sports Complex. Only 44 participants will be accepted at each location divided into four teams each comprised of 11 skaters and one goaltender. Eligible players must be registered with the OHF, entering Bantam (2006) or Minor Bantam (2007) programs for the 2020-21 season. Each team will be coached by an OHL Alumnus and every ice session will have a Goaltending Coach.

The PDL season will be played from Sunday, April 26, 2020 through Sunday, July 5, 2020, with a total of 11 weekly Sunday evening sessions excluding long weekends. Sessions will be 75 minutes long beginning with 50 minutes of skills development, succeeded by 25 minutes of Small Area 3-on-3 Games. Skill sessions will be led by an OHL Assistant Coach or a PEP certified coach.

“Power Edge Pro Hockey is excited to partner with the OHL’s Performance Development League to bring PEP’s Reactive Countering Training^TM  to the next wave of outstanding hockey players in Ontario. We look forward to seeing these players follow in the footsteps of PEP Ambassador Connor McDavid and current OHL PEP Athletes Cole Perfetti and Shane Wright,” said Nick Quinn of Power Edge Pro.

NEW THIS SEASON:

– Three Ice Sessions led by Power Edge Pro (PEP)

– Three Information Sessions will be held to focus on the OHL Player Experience, High Performance Nutrition, and Mental Skills.

Registration is now open online: Click Here

Sample Schedule: Click Here

WATCH: Ottawa Senators head coach and former OHL Coach of the Year DJ Smith discusses the value in players utilizing small area games