OHL CUP POWERED BY UNDER ARMOUR MINOR MIDGET TOP-10 RANKINGS

Posted on by Dominic Tiano

OHL Cup Top 10

Toronto, Ont. – The Ontario Hockey League today announced the ninth edition of the weekly minor midget rankings for the 2020 OHL Cup Showcase Tournament powered by Under Armour and hosted by the Greater Toronto Hockey League.

The 2020 OHL Cup powered by Under Armour and hosted by the GTHL is scheduled for March 17-23 and will feature 20 teams from across Ontario and the United States showcasing many of the top players eligible for the 2020 OHL Priority Selection.  All games will be played at Scotiabank Pond in Toronto until the Championship Final moves to the Mattamy Athletic Centre on Monday, March 23.

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.

Minor Midget Rankings for the 2020 OHL Cup Powered by Under Armour – Week 9

RANK TEAM LEAGUE LAST WEEK WEEKS RANKED
1 Quinte Red Devils OMHA 1 9
2 Toronto Titans GTHL 3 9
3 Toronto Jr. Canadiens GTHL 2 9
4 Elgin-Middlesex Chiefs ALLIANCE 4 9
5 Toronto Nationals GTHL 5 9
6 Southern Tier Admirals OMHA 6 9
7 Vaughan Kings GTHL 8 5
8 Hamilton Huskies ALLIANCE 9 7
9 Toronto Marlboros GTHL 10 9
10 Mississauga Senators GTHL 7 6
Honourable Mention:
Waterloo Wolves ALLIANCE – 4
Whitby Wildcats OMHA – –
London Jr. Knights ALLIANCE – 1

GTHL regular season action continued this past weekend with the conclusion of the 2020 Youth Olympics and the Toronto Titans are up into the second spot in the Week 9 edition of the OHL Cup Powered by Under Armour Minor Midget Top-10 Rankings. The Vaughan Kings, Hamilton Huskies and Toronto Marlboros join them in ascending up the list while the Mississauga Senators fell three spots to 10th. The Quinte Red Devils are the top-ranked team for the eighth consecutive week as they rounded out their regular season with a 28-5-3 record.

History:
Last season the Don Mills Flyers overcame a 4-1 deficit to defeat the Toronto Red Wings 6-5 as Shane Wright (Kingston Frontenacs) set up Brennan Othmann (Flint Firebirds) for the overtime winning goal. The Flyers added both OHL Cup and GTHL Championships to their incredible season that saw them lose just once. An exceptional status player who was selected by the Kingston Frontenacs with the first overall pick of the 2019 OHL Priority Selection, Wright was named Tournament MVP with 18 points over seven contests, one shy of Connor McDavid’s 2012 event record.

The 2019 OHL Priority Selection featured 15 players chosen in the first round who competed for the OHL Cup including Shane Wright (Don Mills Flyers – 1st overall Kingston Frontenacs), Brennan Othmann (Don Mills Flyers – 2nd overall Flint Firebirds), Brandt Clarke (Don Mills Flyers – 4th overall Barrie Colts), Wyatt Johnston (Toronto Marlboros – 6th overall Windsor Spitfires), Benjamin Gaudreau (Team NOHA – 7th overall Sarnia Sting), Ryan Winterton (Whitby Wildcats – 8th overall Hamilton Bulldogs), Liam Arnsby (Don Mills Flyers – 9th overall North Bay Battalion), Ethan Del Mastro (Toronto Marlboros – 12th overall Mississauga Steelheads), Francesco Pinelli (Toronto Red Wings – 13th overall Kitchener Rangers), Danny Zhilkin (Toronto Marlboros -14th overall Guelph Storm), Landon McCallum (Brantford 99’ers – 15th overall Sudbury Wolves), Brett Harrison (London Jr. Knights – 16th overall Oshawa Generals), Jacob Holmes (York-Simcoe Express – 18th overall Soo Greyhounds), Connor Punnett (North Central Predators – 19th overall Saginaw Spirit) and Jack Matier (Team NOHA – 21st overall Ottawa 67’s).

Notable OHL Cup graduates currently playing in the NHL include Dylan Strome (Toronto Marlboros/Chicago Blackhawks), Travis Konecny (Elgin-Middlesex Chiefs/Philadelphia Flyers), Mitch Marner (Vaughan Kings/Toronto Maple Leafs), Connor McDavid (Toronto Marlboros/Edmonton Oilers), Max Domi (Don Mills Flyers/Montreal Canadiens), Sean Monahan (Mississauga Rebels/Calgary Flames), Taylor Hall (Greater Kingston Frontenacs/Arizona Coyotes), Tyler Seguin (Toronto Nationals/Dallas Stars), John Tavares (Toronto Marlboros/Toronto Maple Leafs), P.K Subban (Markham Islanders/New Jersey Devils), and Steven Stamkos (Markham Waxers/Tampa Bay Lightning).

For more information, please visit ohlcup.ca.

HOCKEY CANADA NAMES PROGRAM OF EXCELLENCE MANAGEMENT GROUP, NATIONAL JUNIOR TEAM HEAD COACH FOR 2020-21 SEASON

Posted on by Dominic Tiano

Boyd, Mondou and Millar to oversee U17, U18 and U20 programs; Tourigny to lead Canada’s National Junior Team

Hockey Canada

CALGARY, Alta. – Preparations for the 2020-21 season are underway, and Hockey Canada will be working with three accomplished Canadian Hockey League (CHL) executives as part of its Program of Excellence management group.

James Boyd (Mississauga, Ont./Ottawa, OHL) will make his debut as a member of the POE management group with the under-17 program, guiding three Canadian teams at the 2020 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge in Charlottetown and Summerside, P.E.I. Martin Mondou (Grand-Mère, Que./Shawinigan, QMJHL) and Alan Millar (Tottenham, Ont./Moose Jaw, WHL) return to the program for the third-consecutive year, with Mondou taking over the under-18 program for the 2020 Hlinka Gretzky Cup and Millar advising the under-20 program and Canada’s National Junior Team.

The management group will work alongside Shawn Bullock (Wainwright, Alta.), Hockey Canada’s director of men’s national teams, and head scout Brad McEwen (Whitewood, Sask.), as well as Hockey Canada’s national teams staff. Day-to-day operations for the POE management group include assisting in coach and player selections, supporting the coaching staffs and providing input during camps and tournaments throughout the season.

In addition, André Tourigny (Nicolet, Que./Ottawa, OHL) has been named the head coach of Canada’s National Junior Team for the upcoming season. Tourigny returns to the team after helping Canada to a gold medal at the 2020 IIHF World Junior Championship as an assistant coach.

“We are excited to provide consistency to our Program of Excellence by welcoming Martin and Alan back to the program at the U18 and U20 levels, and to have James guide our U17 group,” said Bullock. “We are also thrilled to have André return to Canada’s National Junior Team and build on the momentum from winning a gold medal at the 2020 World Juniors. We believe these four men will provide outstanding leadership as we prepare for the upcoming season, and their experience will prove to be a great asset as we continue to build and excel at all levels of the program.”

Boyd will oversee the under-17 program for the first time after serving as director of operations for Team Canada White at the 2019 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge. He previously served as an assistant coach at the 2003 U18 Junior World Cup and 2004 IIHF U18 World Championship, and was the head coach of Team Ontario at the 2005 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge. Boyd has been the general manager of the Ottawa 67’s of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) since 2017, leading the team to the OHL Championship Series in 2019 after winning the Hamilton Spectator Trophy as the OHL’s best regular-season team. He also spent time with the Belleville Bulls (1999-2004), Toronto St. Michael’s Majors and Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors (2004-12), and Mississauga Steelheads (2012-17) of the OHL, leading the Majors to a runner-up finish at the 2011 Memorial Cup.

Mondou will take over the under-18 program after leading the under-17 program the last two seasons, which included the 2018 and 2019 World Under-17 Hockey Challenges. He has been general manager of the Shawinigan Cataractes of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) since the 2007-08 season, leading the Cataractes to the QMJHL final in 2009 and 2016, and to a Memorial Cup championship in 2012. Mondou won the Trophée Maurice-Fillion as QMJHL general manager of the year in 2014-15.

Millar moves up to the under-20 program after overseeing the under-18 program for the past two seasons, which included a gold and silver medals with Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup in 2018 and 2019. Millar was named director of hockey operations for the Moose Jaw Warriors of the Western Hockey League (WHL) in 2010, and became general manager in 2012. He has also spent time with the Sarnia Sting, Guelph Storm and St. Michael’s Majors of the OHL, winning a league championship with the Storm in 1998.

Tourigny takes over as head coach of Canada’s National Junior Team after winning a gold medal as an assistant at the 2020 IIHF World Junior Championship. He is currently in his third season as head coach and vice-president of hockey operations with the Ottawa 67’s, where he won the Matt Leyden Trophy as OHL coach of the year in 2018-19. Tourigny previously spent 11 seasons with the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies (2002-13) and one season with the Halifax Mooseheads (2016-17) of the QMJHL. He also spent three seasons as an assistant coach with the Colorado Avalanche (2013-15) and Ottawa Senators (2015-16) in the National Hockey League. He led Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team to a gold medal as head coach at the 2018 Hlinka Gretzky Cup and won gold as an assistant at the 2008 Memorial of Ivan Hlinka tournament. Tourigny also won back-to-back silver medals as an assistant coach with Canada’s National Junior Team at the IIHF World Junior Championship in 2010 and 2011.

The Program of Excellence will continue to be overseen by Tom Renney (Cranbrook, B.C.), Hockey Canada CEO; Scott Smith (Bathurst, N.B.), Hockey Canada president and COO; Dan MacKenzie (Guelph, Ont.), CHL president; David Branch (Bathurst, N.B.), OHL commissioner; Gilles Courteau (Trois-Rivières, Que.), QMJHL commissioner; and Ron Robison (Indian Head, Sask.), WHL commissioner.

For more information on the Hockey Canada Program of Excellence, please visit HockeyCanada.ca, or follow along via social media on Facebook, and Twitter.

FIREBIRDS’ TY DELLANDREA NAMED OHL ‘ON THE RUN’ PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Posted on by Dominic Tiano

Dellandrea

Toronto, Ont. – The Ontario Hockey League today announced that Dallas Stars prospect Ty Dellandrea of the Flint Firebirds is the OHL ‘On the Run’ Player of the Week with 10 points including six goals and four assists over three games along with a plus/minus rating of plus-7.

Dellandrea claims the honour for the second time this season, helping the Firebirds skate to a perfect 3-0 week with wins over Sault Ste. Marie and Guelph. The fourth-year captain scored twice and added two assists in Wednesday’s 7-4 road win over the Greyhounds, netting the third period game winner while earning second star honours. He picked up where he left off on Friday, recording two goals and an assist to register his 200th career OHL point in a 7-5 road win over the Storm. Friday’s first star performance paved the way for another strong outing back on home ice Saturday night as Dellandrea once again scored twice and tallied an assist in a 4-1 win over the visiting Storm to garner second star recognition. The dependable centreman went 37-for-69 (53.6%) in the faceoff circle as the Firebirds extended their winning streak to four games, securing a four-point cushion on fifth place in the Western Conference.

A 19-year-old native of Port Perry, Ont., Dellandrea leads the Firebirds with 57 points (26-31–57) over 35 games this season. He’s registered four consecutive two-goal outings and racked up 15 points (8-7–15) over his last four games. The recent Canadian National Junior Team gold medalist boasts a franchise-leading 203 points (88-115–203) over his 219-game OHL regular season career. Dellandrea was originally Flint’s first round (5th overall) pick in the 2016 OHL Priority Selection. The Dallas Stars selected him in the first round (13th overall) of the 2018 NHL Draft.

Also considered for the award this week were Oshawa Generals forward Philip Tomasino who put up 10 points (4-6–10) over four games as well as Barrie Colts netminder Arturs Silovs, who went 2-0 with a 0.98 goals-against average, .964 save percentage and his first career OHL shutout.

HIGHLIGHTS: Dellandrea’s four-point night in the Soo
HIGHLIGHTS: Dellandrea comes up big in Guelph
HIGHLIGHTS: Dellandrea nets three points in win over Storm

OTR_2017_Logo

2019-20 OHL ‘On the Run’ Players of the Week – Regular Season:
Jan. 20 – Jan. 26: Ty Dellandrea (Flint Firebirds)
Jan. 15 – Jan. 19: Mitchell Hoelscher (Ottawa 67’s)
Jan. 8 – Jan. 12: Philip Tomasino (Oshawa Generals)
Dec. 30 – Jan. 5: Jacob Ingham (Kitchener Rangers)
Dec. 18 – Dec. 29: Joseph Garreffa (Ottawa 67’s)
Dec. 10 – Dec. 15: Jacob Ingham (Kitchener Rangers)
Dec. 4 – Dec. 8: Ty Dellandrea (Flint Firebirds)
Nov. 27 – Dec. 1: Marco Rossi (Ottawa 67’s)
Nov. 19 – Nov. 24: Riley McCourt (Flint Firebirds)
Nov. 13 – Nov. 17: Jan Jenik (Hamilton Bulldogs)
Nov. 5 – Nov. 10: Cam Hillis (Guelph Storm)
Oct. 30 – Nov. 3: Connor McMichael (London Knights)
Oct. 23 – Oct. 27: Nico Daws (Guelph Storm)
Oct. 14 – Oct. 20: Hunter Jones (Peterborough Petes)
Oct. 9 – Oct. 13: Mack Guzda (Owen Sound Attack)
Oct. 3 – Oct. 6: Philip Tomasino (Niagara IceDogs)
Sept. 26 – Sept. 29: Connor McMichael (London Knights)
Sept. 19 – Sept. 22: Semyon Der-Arguchintsev (Peterborough Petes)

OHL CUP POWERED BY UNDER ARMOUR MINOR MIDGET TOP-10 RANKINGS

Posted on by Dominic Tiano

OHL Cup

Toronto, Ont. – The Ontario Hockey League today announced the eighth edition of the weekly minor midget rankings for the 2020 OHL Cup Showcase Tournament powered by Under Armour and hosted by the Greater Toronto Hockey League.

The 2020 OHL Cup powered by Under Armour and hosted by the GTHL is scheduled for March 17-23 and will feature 20 teams from across Ontario and the United States showcasing many of the top players eligible for the 2020 OHL Priority Selection.  All games will be played at Scotiabank Pond in Toronto until the Championship Final moves to the Mattamy Athletic Centre on Monday, March 23.

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.

Minor Midget Rankings for the 2020 OHL Cup Powered by Under Armour – Week 8

RANK TEAM LEAGUE LAST WEEK WEEKS RANKED
1 Quinte Red Devils OMHA 1 8
2 Toronto Jr. Canadiens GTHL 2 8
3 Toronto Titans GTHL 3 8
4 Elgin-Middlesex Chiefs ALLIANCE 4 8
5 Toronto Nationals GTHL 5 8
6 Southern Tier Admirals OMHA 6 8
7 Mississauga Senators GTHL 8 5
8 Vaughan Kings GTHL 9 4
9 Hamilton Huskies ALLIANCE 7 6
10 Toronto Marlboros GTHL 10 8
Honourable Mention:
Waterloo Wolves ALLIANCE – 4
Mississauga Reps GTHL – 1
Whitby Wildcats OMHA – –

The eighth edition of the weekly Top 10 Rankings includes the Mississauga Senators and Vaughan Kings both rising one spot while the Mississauga Reps return to the honourable mention category. GTHL Minor Midget AAA action will resume on Saturday following a lengthy hiatus to accommodate the 2020 Youth Olympics in Lausanne, Switzerland as Canada prepares to face Finland in Wednesday’s bronze medal game. The ALLIANCE Minor Midget regular season came to an end on Sunday, with the fourth-ranked Elgin-Middlesex Chiefs finishing atop the standings with a 25-0-8 record. The OMHA SCTA also concluded its regular season this past week, with the sixth-ranked Southern Tier Admirals leading the pack at 24-3-5.

History:
Last season the Don Mills Flyers overcame a 4-1 deficit to defeat the Toronto Red Wings 6-5 as Shane Wright (Kingston Frontenacs) set up Brennan Othmann (Flint Firebirds) for the overtime winning goal. The Flyers added both OHL Cup and GTHL Championships to their incredible season that saw them lose just once. An exceptional status player who was selected by the Kingston Frontenacs with the first overall pick of the 2019 OHL Priority Selection, Wright was named Tournament MVP with 18 points over seven contests, one shy of Connor McDavid’s 2012 event record.

The 2019 OHL Priority Selection featured 15 players chosen in the first round who competed for the OHL Cup including Shane Wright (Don Mills Flyers – 1st overall Kingston Frontenacs), Brennan Othmann (Don Mills Flyers – 2nd overall Flint Firebirds), Brandt Clarke (Don Mills Flyers – 4th overall Barrie Colts), Wyatt Johnston (Toronto Marlboros – 6th overall Windsor Spitfires), Benjamin Gaudreau (Team NOHA – 7th overall Sarnia Sting), Ryan Winterton (Whitby Wildcats – 8th overall Hamilton Bulldogs), Liam Arnsby (Don Mills Flyers – 9th overall North Bay Battalion), Ethan Del Mastro (Toronto Marlboros – 12th overall Mississauga Steelheads), Francesco Pinelli (Toronto Red Wings – 13th overall Kitchener Rangers), Danny Zhilkin (Toronto Marlboros -14th overall Guelph Storm), Landon McCallum (Brantford 99’ers – 15th overall Sudbury Wolves), Brett Harrison (London Jr. Knights – 16th overall Oshawa Generals), Jacob Holmes (York-Simcoe Express – 18th overall Soo Greyhounds), Connor Punnett (North Central Predators – 19th overall Saginaw Spirit) and Jack Matier (Team NOHA – 21st overall Ottawa 67’s).

Notable OHL Cup graduates currently playing in the NHL include Dylan Strome (Toronto Marlboros/Chicago Blackhawks), Travis Konecny (Elgin-Middlesex Chiefs/Philadelphia Flyers), Mitch Marner (Vaughan Kings/Toronto Maple Leafs), Connor McDavid (Toronto Marlboros/Edmonton Oilers), Max Domi (Don Mills Flyers/Montreal Canadiens), Sean Monahan (Mississauga Rebels/Calgary Flames), Taylor Hall (Greater Kingston Frontenacs/Arizona Coyotes), Tyler Seguin (Toronto Nationals/Dallas Stars), John Tavares (Toronto Marlboros/Toronto Maple Leafs), P.K Subban (Markham Islanders/New Jersey Devils), and Steven Stamkos (Markham Waxers/Tampa Bay Lightning).

For more information, please visit ohlcup.ca.

67’s’ MITCHELL HOELSCHER NAMED OHL ‘ON THE RUN’ PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Posted on by Dominic Tiano

Hoelscher

Toronto, Ont. – The Ontario Hockey League today announced that New Jersey Devils prospect Mitchell Hoelscher of the Ottawa 67’s is the OHL ‘On the Run’ Player of the Week with a league-leading eight points including five goals and three assists over three games.

Hoelscher becomes the third different Ottawa player to earn the distinction this season, helping the CHL’s top-ranked 67’s take three straight victories to improve to 34-7-0-0. The veteran centreman scored in Friday’s 5-4 shootout win over the Flint Firebirds before registering a career-high four points, collecting a goal and an assist on both the power play and penalty kill in a 5-0 blanking of the Hamilton Bulldogs. Hoelscher wrapped up the weekend with two goals and an assist as Ottawa skated to a 5-3 road win over the Oshawa Generals, maintaining a nine-point cushion atop the Eastern Conference standings.

A soon-to-be 20-year-old native of Elora, Ont., Hoelscher has points in seven of his last eight games, contributing to an overall total of 53 (25-27–53) in 41 games to go with a plus/minus rating of plus-34. The third-year veteran has collected 123 points (48-75–123) over 182 career OHL regular season games and proved valuable in Ottawa’s Eastern Conference title last spring, picking up 13 points (6-7–13) over 18 playoff contests. The Waterloo Wolves Minor Midget graduate was a third round (56th overall) pick in the 2016 OHL Priority Selection. The Devils selected Hoelscher in the sixth round (172nd overall) of the 2018 NHL Draft.

Also considered for the award this week were Carolina Hurricanes first round pick Ryan Suzuki of the Saginaw Spirit who recorded seven points (4-3–7) over three games along with Hoelscher’s Ottawa 67’s teammate Jack Quinn who also put up seven points (5-2–7) over three outings.

• HIGHLIGHTS: Hoelscher scores in win over Flint
• HIGHLIGHTS: Hoelscher’s career-high four point game
• HIGHLIGHTS: Hoelscher scores twice as 67’s beat Generals

OTR_2017_Logo

2019-20 OHL ‘On the Run’ Players of the Week – Regular Season:
Jan. 15 – Jan. 19: Mitchell Hoelscher (Ottawa 67’s)
Jan. 8 – Jan. 12: Philip Tomasino (Oshawa Generals)
Dec. 30 – Jan. 5: Jacob Ingham (Kitchener Rangers)
Dec. 18 – Dec. 29: Joseph Garreffa (Ottawa 67’s)
Dec. 10 – Dec. 15: Jacob Ingham (Kitchener Rangers)
Dec. 4 – Dec. 8: Ty Dellandrea (Flint Firebirds)
Nov. 27 – Dec. 1: Marco Rossi (Ottawa 67’s)
Nov. 19 – Nov. 24: Riley McCourt (Flint Firebirds)
Nov. 13 – Nov. 17: Jan Jenik (Hamilton Bulldogs)
Nov. 5 – Nov. 10: Cam Hillis (Guelph Storm)
Oct. 30 – Nov. 3: Connor McMichael (London Knights)
Oct. 23 – Oct. 27: Nico Daws (Guelph Storm)
Oct. 14 – Oct. 20: Hunter Jones (Peterborough Petes)
Oct. 9 – Oct. 13: Mack Guzda (Owen Sound Attack)
Oct. 3 – Oct. 6: Philip Tomasino (Niagara IceDogs)
Sept. 26 – Sept. 29: Connor McMichael (London Knights)
Sept. 19 – Sept. 22: Semyon Der-Arguchintsev (Peterborough Petes)

Tyler Tullio – Oshawa Generals – Player Profile

Posted on by Dominic Tiano

Height: 5’11”

Weight: 166 pounds

Date of birth: April 5, 2002

Hometown: Lakeshore, Ontario

Position: Right

Shoots: Center/Wing

OHL Draft: Round 1, 11th overall, 2018 Priority Selection

NHL Central Scouting Rankings

Pre-season November Mid-term Final
C Prospect B Prospect 54 N.A. 52 N.A.

 

Tyler “Ty” Tullio played his minor midget AAA for the Vaughan Kings during the 2017-2018 season in which he scored 38 goals and 51 assists in 50 games. He would also add 5 goals and 5 assists in 7 games for the Kings at the OHL Cup.

Tullio would be selected 11th overall at the 2018 Ontario Hockey League Priority Selection by the Oshawa Generals, owned by his father Rocco. Whether that had any bearing on the selection is irrelevant. Tullio was absolutely deserving. At the time of the draft, this is what OHL Central Scouting had to say about Tullio:

Tyler is a competitive player that would do almost anything to score a goal or win a hockey game. He is a good skater that can beat defenders wide and win loose puck battles all over the ice. He possesses a junior level shot already. It’s hard, accurate and he gets it on net very quickly. Tyler competes very hard each shift and isn’t shy to battle against the bigger defenders and usually comes out with the puck. He is a ‘Gamer’ and the type of player you win with.

Ty Tullio of the Oshawa Generals. Photo by Terry Wilson / OHL Images.
Ty Tullio of the Oshawa Generals. Photo by Terry Wilson / OHL Images

Tullio made the Generals roster out of camp for the 2018-2019 season. He played in 60 games scoring 15 goals and 42 points and was named to the Second All-Rookie squad. Tullio also represented Canada at the World Hockey Challenge Under-17 and in 5 games contributed a helper for Team Black.

Through 40 games this season, Tullio has registered 18 goals and 44 points already surpassing his totals from a year ago.

At 5’11” and just 166 pounds, Tullio needs to add some much-needed muscle. It’s hard to imagine how Central Scouting’s scouting report on him could have possibly been the case with his frame. But make no mistake about it, it is pretty much deadly accurate.

Tullio’s work ethic is as good as it gets and it is contagious. When teammates see him giving his all with each shift, they just want to carry it on. He’s always willing to battle to get positioning with much bigger opponents. He does not shy away from getting in on the forecheck and causing havoc for defenders.

He’s a very good skater with good speed. He’s willing to take on defenders wide but knows his limits. He maneuvers with relative ease and has good edgework. He gets in on battles quickly and surprisingly, wins many of those battles. I can only imagine how much better he’ll be when he adds that strength/bulk.

You’ve also got to like Tullio’s shot. He has a very quick and deadly release and gets a lot behind his shot with accuracy. But he’s not just a shooter. He always seems to make the right play when dishing to teammates. He sees the ice so well and sees plays developing, but he won’t force a play if he’s not sure it’s there.

I think one area he needs to improve on his decisions without the puck. That’s not to say he makes bad decisions, but in certain situations he could be more assertive in his decision making. He’s still very you with an April birthdate and the majority of his draft class are older. The issue should become a non-issue as he gets older.

I’m also not sure I agree or disagree with Central Scouting ranking Tullio 54th among North American Skaters. That puts him in the middle of the third round for the National Hockey League Draft. NHL Central Scouting had him listed as a C Prospect in the preseason which means a fourth, fifth or sixth rounder (we had him as a B Prospect). So, he has climbed on their rankings.

The problem is this: The second round of the NHL Draft group is very deep, not with just OHL players, but from all over the world. It’s going to be a tough group to break into.

Cole Perfetti – Saginaw Spirit – Player Profile

Posted on by Dominic Tiano

Height: 5’10”

Weight: 180 pounds

Date of birth: January 1, 2002

Hometown: Whitby, Ontario

Position: Left Wing

Shoots: Left

OHL Draft: Round 1, 5th overall, 2018 Priority Selection

NHL Central Scouting Rankings

Pre-season November Mid-term Final
A Prospect A Prospect 4 N.A. 5 N.A.

 

Cole Perfetti played his Minor Midget AAA hockey with the Vaughan Kings during the 2017-2018 season where he played in 64 games accumulating 52 goals and 73 assists. He would add 5 goals and 5 assists in 7 OHL Cup games and named to the al-star team (3 goals and 5 assists in 5 games the previous year) and 4 goals and 2 helpers while representing Team Red at the OHL Gold Cup. Once his season was over, he would dress in 5 Ontario Junior Hockey League games with the Whitby Fury, scoring twice and adding 4 assists.

The potential in Perfetti was obvious and the Spirit selected him with the fifth overall pick at the 2018 Ontario Hockey League’s Priority Selection. This is what OHL Central Scouting had to say about him:

Cole is a gifted and offensively dangerous player that can take control of a game with a single shift. He has deceiving speed as he looks as if he is not moving and then next thing you know he has just walked around a defenceman. He is quick in and out of holes and is hard to stay with because he is so good on his edges. He is a pure playmaker and sees the ice better than some people do from the stands. Cole is creative and can make something out of nothing. He is always around the puck.

Only Quinton Byfield (Sudbury), Evan Vierling (Flint), Will Cuylle (Peterborough and now with Windsor), and Jamie Drysdale (Erie)were selected ahead of Perfetti. Byfield, Drysdale and Perfetti are ranked in the top 4 North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting on their mid-term release.

Cole Perfetti of the Saginaw Spirit. Photo by Luke Durda/OHL Images
Cole Perfetti of the Saginaw Spirit. Photo by Luke Durda/OHL Images

Perfetti took the OHL by storm a season ago leading all rookies in goals (37) and points (74) and being named to the OHL First All Rookie squad. He would continue that performance through 16 playoff games in which he scored 8 goals and 6 assists. He would also Represent Canada White at the World Hockey Challenge Under-17, leading the tournament in assists (7) and contributing two goals.

Coming into this season Perfetti would represent Canada once again at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup and put up a spectacular performance with 8 goals and 12 points in 5 games, both tops in the tournament. But it wasn’t enough as Canada captured a silver medal.

As of today, Perfetti sits second in the OHL scoring race with 24 goals and 48 assists, second only to fellow draft eligible player from Ottawa, Marco Rossi.

There is so much to like about Perfetti’s game, one doesn’t know where to begin. At the top has to be his never-ending willingness to give it 100% each and every shift. He’s not one to give up on a play, and his relentless pursuit of the puck goes almost unmatched in the OHL. But there’s also a consistency factor with Perfetti, and maybe that is due to his work ethic.

Through 41 games this season, Perfetti has gone back-to-back games without registering a point just once, and that was way back on November 2 and 9. He has been kept off the score sheet on just 5 other occasions and has had multi-point games in 23 contests. That’s all fine from the blue line in. However, I think that consistency lacks in the defensive zone. He will come back hard on the backcheck but on rare occasions he lets his teammates “deal with it” instead of continuing to apply back pressure.

That said, Perfetti is an extremely intelligent player with maybe the highest hockey smarts in the draft class. He understands, reads and reacts to situations as quick as anyone in the game. His anticipation skills are off the charts. He needs to get stronger which will help him in different situations but it’s those hockey smarts that allow him to be a puck possession beast either by himself or using his teammates.

Perfetti’s goal production has taken a bit of a dip. And we’re not sure why, but he’s making the offense up by setting up teammates. He has an unbelievable shot with one of the best releases in the draft class. Yet, his shooting percentage has dropped from 22.4% a year ago to 14.5% this season. If that trend continues, he will be hard pressed to surpass the 37 goals from a year ago.

If there is one area that we would like to see Perfetti improve it is in his foot speed. He is a very good skater with excellent agility and edge work, but we would like to see him a little quicker in his first few steps and top end speed with a separation gear. I’m willing to bet he puts in the necessary work and will do so when he gains some lower body strength.

OHL’ers finish 1 through 5 at the Top Prospects Sport Testing Combine

Posted on by Dominic Tiano
Top Prospects Skills
Top Prospects compete at the Sports Testing Combine prior to the Top Prospects Game. Photo by Brandon Taylor / CHL Images

On-Ice Tests:

30M Forward Skate:
1 – Jacob Perreault (Sarnia Sting)
2 – Jean-Luc Foudy (Windsor Spitfires)
3 – Thimo Nickl (Drummondville Voltigeurs)

30M Forward Skate with Puck:
1 – Jacob Perreault (Sarnia Sting)
2 – Jean-Luc Foudy (Windsor Spitfires)
3 – Jamie Drysdale (Erie Otters)

30M Backward Skate:
1 – Jamie Drysdale (Erie Otters)
2 – Seth Jarvis (Portland Winterhawks)
3 – Dawson Mercer (Chicoutimi Sagueneens)

30M Backward Skate with Puck:
1 – Jamie Drysdale (Erie Otters)
2 – Dawson Mercer (Chicoutimi Sagueneens)
3 – Ridly Greig (Brandon Wheat Kings)

Reaction:
1 – Jacob Perreault (Sarnia Sting)
2 – Vasily Ponomarev (Shawinigan Cataractes)
3 – Seth Jarvis (Portland Winterhawks)

Reaction with Puck:
1 – Jean-Luc Foudy (Windsor Spitfires)
2 – Jaromir Pytlik (Soo Greyhounds)
3 – Quinton Byfield (Sudbury Wolves)

Weave Agility:
1 – Dawson Mercer (Chicoutimi Sagueneens)
2 – Jacob Perreault (Sarnia Sting)
3 – Jean-Luc Foudy (Windsor Spitfires)

Weave Agility with Puck:
1 – Jacob Perreault (Sarnia Sting)
2 – Quinton Byfield (Sudbury Wolves)
3 – Jean-Luc Foudy (Windsor Spitfires)

Transition Agility:
1 – Jean-Luc Foudy (Windsor Spitfires)
2 – Quinton Byfield (Sudbury Wolves)
3 – Kaiden Guhle (Prince Albert Raiders)

Transition Agility with Puck:
1 – Jean-Luc Foudy (Windsor Spitfires)
2 – Dawson Mercer (Chicoutimi Sagueneens)
3 – Jacob Perreault (Sarnia Sting)

Off-Ice Tests:

Vertical Jump:
1 – Jamie Drysdale (Erie Otters)
2 – Jack Quinn (Ottawa 67’s)
3 – Jean-Luc Foudy (Windsor Spitfires)

Broad Jump:
1 – Thimo Nickl (Drummondville Voltigeurs)
2 –Quinton Byfield (Sudbury Wolves)
3 – Jack Quinn (Ottawa 67’s)

Medicine Ball Toss:
1 – Quinton Byfield (Sudbury Wolves)
1 – Jack Finley (Spokane Chiefs)
3 – Vasily Ponomarev (Shawinigan Cataractes)

Grip Left:
1 – Samuel Hlavaj (Sherbrooke Phoenix)
2 – Thimo Nickl (Drummondville Voltigeurs)
3 – Brock Gould (Moose Jaw Warriors)

Grip Right:
1 – Jack Finley (Spokane Chiefs)
2 – Will Cuylle (Windsor Spitfires)
3 – Jacob Perreault (Sarnia Sting)

Pro-Agility Left:
1 – Antonio Stranges (London Knights)
2 – Dylan Garand (Kamloops Blazers)
3 – Ridly Greig (Brandon Wheat Kings)

Pro-Agility Right:
1 – Antonio Stranges (London Knights)
2 – Jack Finley (Spokane Chiefs)
3 – Dylan Garand (Kamloops Blazers)

Sport Testing scores provide valuable performance benchmarks to coaches and players at all levels of hockey with data collected at the Kubota CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game shared with NHL Central Scouting and distributed to all 31 NHL teams.

Read full article here

Foerster, Zary power Team White to victory at Kubota CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game

Posted on by Dominic Tiano

HAMILTON — Three-point efforts from Barrie Colts right-wing Tyson Foerster and Kamloops Blazers centre Connor Zary lifted Team White to a 5-3 win at the 2020 Kubota CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game in Hamilton on Thursday.

Trailing 2-1 after 20 minutes of action, Foerster put up back-to-back markers to open the middle frame with each drawing a helper from Zary. Team White’s scoring succession continued just over three minutes after Foerster’s second of the night when Brandon Wheat Kings blue-liner Braden Schneider skated in to the right circle before grabbing a quick pass from Foerster and netting the eventual game winner.

Tyson Foerster To Prospects Game
Tyson Foerster of the Barrie Colts competes at the Top Prospects Sport Testing Combine. Photo by Brandon Taylor / CHL Images

“I think my linemates and everyone was really skilled out there. We had some really good chemistry and I was able to find the net,” Foerster said postgame. “I think Zary is really skilled and made some great passes. He’s really smart and I was glad to have him as my centerman.”

The 41st ranked prospect in NHL Central Scouting’s Midterm Report, Foerster was honoured as Team White’s Player of the Game following the victory.

“I felt good out there and as the game went on it just got better, so it was a good game tonight,” added Zary, who ranked 12th in the midterm assessment. “Obviously something clicked there tonight (with Foerster) and everything worked out well.”

Also lighting the lamp for Team White on Thursday included Prince Albert Raiders defenceman Kaiden Guhle and Saginaw Spirit centre Cole Perfetti, while finding the scoresheet for the opposition was Saint John Sea Dogs blue-liner Jeremie Poirier, Chicoutimi Sagueneens centre Dawson Mercer, and Ottawa 67’s right-wing Jack Quinn.

“It was a tough loss but it was a good experience,” said Quinn, the ninth-ranked North American skater and Team Red’s Player of the Game. “I wanted to showcase myself like everyone else, work hard, and compete hard, and I think that’s what I did. I wasn’t expecting (to win Player of the Game) but it’s definitely a pretty big honour.”

Between the pipes, Victoria Royals netminder Brock Gould impressed in playing the full 60 minutes for Team Red after top-ranked goaltender Nico Daws of the Guelph Storm suffered an upper-body injury in warm-up. In all, Gould wrapped up the night with 27 saves, coming just two short of the event record set by Roberto Luongo (Val-d’Or Foreurs) in 1997. At the opposite end for Team White, Samuel Hlavaj (Sherbrooke Phoenix) stopped 11 of 13 shots while Dylan Garand (Kamloops Blazers) turned aside 10 of 11 pucks.

The 25th edition of the annual prospect showcase paid tribute to former NHL Director of Central Scouting Jim Gregory, a longtime builder of the sport and former Ontario Hockey League general manager who passed away in October at age 83. In honour of his significant impact, in the 2012 the Canadian Hockey League announced that the Player of the Game awards at the annual Top Prospects Game would be named in his honour, while this season the OHL also launched the Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award in recognition of the GM who best excels in his role.

The 2020 Kubota CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game marked another successful event that drew more than 300 talent evaluators from hockey’s highest level and a crowd of over 6,400 enthusiastic junior hockey supporters to Hamilton in what was ultimately another instant classic.

Game Summary
Highlights

For more information please visit http://kubotatopprospects.ca.

CHL player suspended eight games for inadvertent violation of anti-doping rule

Posted on by Dominic Tiano

(Toronto, Ontario – January 16, 2020) – The Canadian Hockey League (CHL) today announced that Dylan Myskiw a goaltender with the London Knights has been suspended for eight games following a violation of the CHL Drug Education & Anti-Doping Policy. This was the result of a urine sample during in-competition doping control which revealed the presence of a prohibited substance found within a post-workout supplement. The supplement was purchased from a reliable commercial vendor and unbeknownst to the player contained the prohibited substances.

The player and the team cooperated thoroughly throughout the investigative process.

The CHL in conjunction with the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport (CCES) is committed to the ongoing education of all our players relative to drug-free sport and look forward to continuing to work with CCES and our teams to support the health and welfare of all players.