Cam Allen of the Guelph Storm. Photo by Natalie Shaver/OHL Images
Coming out of the 2021-2022 season, most hockey pundits had Cam Allen of the Guelph Storm as one of the best defencemen available for the 2023 National Hockey League Entry Draft, if not the best available. He was named the OHL Rookie of the year and to the OHL First All-Rookie squad.
That assertion was reinforced at the Hlinka-Gretzky in August as he captained and led Team Canada to a gold medal.
Right shot defencemen with Allen’s tools don’t grow on trees. He’s a very good skater, smart, can quarterback a powerplay, is offensively gifted while strong defensively, he can rush the puck and make excellent passes – he just did it all.
The truth is, things have gone south quickly for Allen this season as it has for his team. While you see glimpses of the talent he possesses, it has become more of a rarity than regular. And his team was supposed to be a young team challenging and instead are fighting for their playoff lives.
There has been discussions in hockey circles wondering how much of Allen’s slide is due to the Storm being a disappointment and vice versa. Some claim that he is doing too much to get his team on track, and if you watch him on a nightly basis, there is some truth to that. His competitive spirit won’t allow him to be any different.
That said, you don’t just lose that talent overnight. It’s still there and at this point I think simple is better for Allen. He needs to stop forcing things and get back to the basics. Once he realizes that he can’t do it on his own, no matter how talented, he and his team will be better off.
He’s out with an injury at this time, and that may just be what he needs. A chance to sit back, watch the game and learn that he can’t do it on his own. The Storm have come on a bit lately in his absence and if he ingests that “simple is better” mentality, he should get back to where he belongs near the top of the rankings among blueliners.
I expect him to do just that with a very strong second half of the season.
Toronto, Ont. – The Ontario Hockey League today announced that defenceman Cam Allen of the Guelph Storm is the 2021-22 recipient of the Emms Family Award handed out annually to the OHL’s Rookie of the Year.
Allen joined the League as the third overall pick in the 2021 OHL Priority Selection, producing 13 goals, 24 assists and 37 points in 65 games along with a plus/minus rating of plus-13 during his 16-year-old season. His 13 goals led OHL rookie blueliners and are a new Storm franchise record by a 16 or 17-year-old rookie defender. His 175 shots on goal were the second-most by an OHL rookie blueliner. Allen will be eligible for the 2023 NHL Draft.
“It’s such an honour to be voted rookie of the year,” said Allen. “The amount of rookies around the league that had phenomenal seasons make this award feel that much more special. As proud as I am, so many people played a role in helping me thrive this season. There are so many people I would like to thank, starting with my parents, my brother and my sister, my billets, my coaches, our team staff, my agent, my trainers and my teammates young and old who all played a part in making this season, not only an enjoyable one, but a learning experience as well. Thank you to the City of Guelph and all the Storm fans that supported me and the team all year. I look forward to improving my game this summer and making noise with the team next season.”
A 5-foot-11, 190Ib. right-shot defenceman from Toronto, one of Allen’s season highlights included his first career hat trick on February 27 against Kitchener. He helped the Storm reach the OHL Playoffs, making his first career postseason appearance.
“Cameron has had an outstanding first year in the OHL,” said Storm Head Coach and General Manager George Burnett. “He has played important minutes in all situations for our club this season and has done so with great success. We look forward to Cameron continuing to lead the way for the Storm in the future.”
Allen follows defender Ryan Merkley (2016-17) and franchise standout Jeff O’Neill (1992-93) as the third player in Storm franchise history to earn OHL Rookie of the Year honours. Other recent award recipients include Shane Wright of the Kingston Frontenacs in 2019-20, Quinton Byfield of the Sudbury Wolves in 2018-19 and Andrei Svechnikov of the Barrie Colts in 2017-18.
The Emms Family Award was donated by Leighton “Hap” Emms, former owner of the Barrie, Niagara Falls, and St. Catharines OHL franchises. The award is selected by all 20 member club General Managers. Teams were asked to submit only one nominee from their own club for consideration on the ballot and were not permitted to vote for the player from their own hockey club.
Allen will be the OHL’s nominee for the CHL Rookie of the Year Award. Sudbury Wolves forward David Goyette was the Eastern Conference finalist for the annual award.
About the Ontario Hockey League The Ontario Hockey League is a proud member of the Canadian Hockey League which is the world’s largest development hockey league with 60 teams in nine Canadian provinces and four American states. In addition to the OHL, the CHL is made up of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League and the Western Hockey League. The CHL supplies more players to the National Hockey League and U SPORTS than any other league.
Toronto, Ont. – The Ontario Hockey League is pleased to congratulate 24 OHL players named by Hockey Canada to the Under-17 roster set to participate at the inaugural Capital City Challenge, a four-team tournament featuring three men’s under-17 teams and Canada’s National Women’s Team to take place November 26 to December 1 at TD Place in Ottawa.
The 66 players named to compete in the event will be divided into three teams – Team Canada Black, Team Canada Red and Team Canada White – and will compete against Canada’s National Women’s Team as part of its centralization schedule. The rosters for Team Canada Black, Team Canada Red and Team Canada White will be unveiled in the coming weeks.
The under-17 roster was selected by Scott Salmond (Creston, B.C.), senior vice-president of hockey operations, Alan Millar (Tottenham, Ont.), director of player personnel, and Byron Bonora (Brooks, Alta.), head scout for the U17 program. U17 Program of Excellence management group lead Philippe Boucher (Saint-Apollinaire, Que./Drummondville, QMJHL) and manager of hockey operations Benoit Roy (Sudbury, Ont.), as well as regional scouts Pierre Cholette (Quebec), Rob Simpson (Ontario), Darren Sutherland (Atlantic) and Darrell Woodley (Ontario), also provided input with support from Hockey Canada’s 13 Members.
“We are excited to unveil the 66 players that will suit up for our three men’s under-17 teams at the Capital City Challenge and have the unique opportunity to compete against Canada’s National Women’s Team in Ottawa,” said Salmond. “Although this has not been a traditional year for our Program of Excellence and the under-17 group, we are excited to introduce these athletes to an event that replicates short-term, international competition.”
In addition to the 24 OHL players selected, a total of nine OHL hockey operations personnel have been named to the staffs of the three Canadian squads including Team Red director of operations Kyle Raftis (Soo Greyhounds), Team White head coach Rob Wilson (Peterborough Petes), assistant Chad Wiseman (Guelph Storm) and Team Black assistant coach Jordan Smith (Soo Greyhounds).
24 OHL Players Named to 2021 Capital City Challenge:
*player committed to Ontario Hockey League club
Goaltenders (3): Joseph Costanzo (Niagara IceDogs) Nathaniel Day (Flint Firebirds) Mason Vaccari (Kingston Frontenacs)*
Forwards (15): Denver Barkey (London Knights) Chris Barlas (Ottawa 67’s) Colby Barlow (Owen Sound Attack) Easton Cowan (London Knights)* Nick Lardis (Peterborough Petes) Luke McNamara (Saginaw Spirit) Ethan Miedema (Windsor Spitfires) Luke Misa (Mississauga Steelheads) Owen Outwater (North Bay Battalion) Alex Pharand (Hamilton Bulldogs) Luca Pinelli (Ottawa 67’s) Carson Rehkopf (Kitchener Rangers) Calum Ritchie (Oshawa Generals) Matthew Soto (Kingston Frontenacs) Carey Terrance (Erie Otters)
Team Staff (Canada Black): Assistant Coach – Jordan Smith (Soo Greyhounds) Athletic Therapist – Marie-Pierre Néron (Ottawa 67’s)
Team Staff (Canada Red): Director of Operations – Kyle Raftis (Soo Greyhounds) Goaltending Coach – Franky Palazzese (Sarnia Sting) Video Coach – Nick Biamonte (Guelph Storm) Equipment Manager – Spencer Stehouwer (Sarnia Sting) Team Physician – Dr. Wanda Millard (London Knights)
Team Staff (Canada White): Head Coach – Rob Wilson (Peterborough Petes) Assistant Coach – Chad Wiseman (Guelph Storm)
The Capital City Challenge opens on Nov. 26 at TD Place Arena, home of the Ottawa 67’s. Canada’s centralization roster will face Team Canada White in the tournament opener at 12 p.m. ET, followed by Team Canada Black taking on Team Canada Red at 7 p.m. ET.
Full-event ticket packages can be purchased for $80 (plus applicable fees) starting Monday, Nov. 8, while single-game tickets will be available starting as low as $5 at HockeyCanada.ca/Tickets.
For more information on Hockey Canada and the Capital City Challenge, please visit HockeyCanada.ca, or follow along via social media on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and by using #OurGameIsBack.
About the Ontario Hockey League The Ontario Hockey League is a proud member of the Canadian Hockey League which is the world’s largest development hockey league with 60 teams in nine Canadian provinces and four American states. In addition to the OHL, the CHL is made up of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League and the Western Hockey League. The CHL supplies more players to the National Hockey League and U SPORTS than any other league.
OHL Writers 