OHL This Week for May 28 to June 5, 2017

Toronto, ON – It’s the final edition of ‘OHL This Week’ for the 2016-17 season!  All of the champions have been crowned, the action on-ice is complete, but  another season is just around the corner.

Here’s a look at what’s been happening around the league:
WINDSOR SPITFIRES ARE 2017 MASTERCARD MEMORIAL CUP CHAMPIONS:

For the third time in franchise history the Windsor Spitfires are Mastercard Memorial Cup champions. Fourth-year veteran Aaron Luchuk scored the game winner 5:07 into the third period as the host Spitfires defeated the OHL champion Erie Otters 4-3 before a capacity crowd of 6,519 at the WFCU Centre. Read more / Highlights / Photo Gallery

SPITFIRES CELEBRATE MASTERCARD MEMORIAL CUP TITLE:

Less than 72 hours after hoisting the Memorial Cup on home ice, the Windsor Spitfires took the streets to celebrate the franchise’s third championship with fans, parading the prestigious trophy down Ouellette Avenue. They couldn’t have asked for better weather either as the sun shone down on the lengthy caravan that greeted supporters down a stretch headed toward the banks of the Detroit River. Watch

LOTS OF #MCMEMORIALCUP LOVE FOR @SPITSHOCKEY:

Social media provides a platform to share moments and emotions with the world. The Windsor Spitfires 2017 Mastercard Memorial Cup title flooded digital devices with content celebrating the team’s historic win on home ice. Read more

DiPIETRO DELIVERED FOR SPITFIRES:

2017 NHL Draft prospect Michael DiPietro led the Windsor Spitfires to the ultimate prize with a sensational Mastercard Memorial Cup performance. The native of nearby Amherstburg hoisted the Memorial Cup on home ice while also becoming one of the few 17-year-olds to earn the Hap Emms Memorial Trophy as the tournament’s most outstanding goaltender. Read more

SADNESS SHADOWS SUCCESS AS OTTERS REFLECT ON SEASON:

While the home team celebrated on the ice, the OHL champion Erie Otters reflected on a disappointing end to an otherwise successful season. The legacy this group of Otters players leaves behind is considerable. The much talked-about four 50-win campaigns, two OHL final appearances and one Robertson Cup speak for themselves. When the dust settles, as many as a half-dozen Otters are expected to one day suit up in the NHL. Read more

OHL TAKES CLEAN SWEEP OF MASTERCARD MEMORIAL CUP AWARDS & ALL-STARS:

Erie Otters teammates Dylan Strome and Anthony Cirelli along with Windsor Spitfires goaltender Michael DiPietro all received Mastercard Memorial Cup awards while DiPietro and five other OHL players were named to the tournament all-star team. Read more

DeBRINCAT, McNIVEN, SUZUKI, McGILL AND CHMELEVSKI EARN CHL AWARDS:

Erie Otters forward Alex DeBrincat, the Owen Sound Attack trio of Michael McNiven, Nick Suzuki and coach Ryan McGill as well as Ottawa 67’s forward Sasha Chmelevski all earned CHL Awards handed out at the 2017 Mastercard Memorial Cup in Windsor. Read more / Photo Gallery

22 OHL PLAYERS INVITED TO 2017 NHL SCOUTING COMBINE:

22 OHL players have been invited to the 2017 NHL Scouting Combine that is being held from Monday May 29th to Saturday June 3rd at First Niagara Center and the nearby Harbor Center in Buffalo, NY. The list of OHL invitees includes 16 forwards, five defencemen and one goaltender. OHL talent represents 21% of the 104 players invited to attend the event. Read more

ETHAN KEPPEN COMMITS TO FIREBIRDS:

The Flint Firebirds have received a commitment from 2017 first round (10th overall) selection Ethan Keppen. A native of Whitby, Ont., Keppen earned 35 points (14G, 21A) in 33 games played last season with the Toronto Nationals Minor Midget AAA Hockey Club. Read more

TOP PICKS ROWE AND PERROTT COMMIT TO KNIGHTS:

The London Knights have received commitments from 2017 first round (18th overall) selection Lucas Rowe and second round (34th overall) pick Andrew Perrott. Rowe helped lead the Mississauga Reps to an OHL Cup Championship when they defeated the Toronto Nationals by a 3-2 score.  Rowe will wear number 21 for the Knights this season. Perrott spent last season playing for his hometown Detroit HoneyBaked 16U, where the 6’0” 195-pound defenceman recorded 25 points in 46 games.  Perrott will wear number 24 for the Knights this season. Read more

CLARKE AND ANDREE COMMIT TO 67’s:

The Ottawa 67’s have received commitments from 2017 first round (6th overall) selection Graeme Clarke and 2016 12th round selection Cedrick Andree. An Ottawa native, Clarke was touted as the best pure goal scorer in the draft and prior to his first development camp with the hockey club, Clarke was on the gold medal-winning team at the OHL Gold Cup. Andree was a twelfth round selection in 2016 and spent the past year playing in the United States at The Gunnery Prep School and also practiced with the 67’s at various points throughout the year. Read more

ARTHUR KALIYEV COMMITS TO BULLDOGS:

The Hamilton Bulldogs have received a commitment from 2017 second round (26th overall) selection Arthur Kaliyev. The Russian-born Kaliyev played last season for the Detroit Compuware U16 where he scored 13 goals and 5 assists, for 18 points in 19 games. He then went on to lead the team to the USA Hockey Youth Tier 1 U16 National championship where he led the tournament in scoring. Read more

IAN MARTIN COMMITS TO ICEDOGS:

The Niagara IceDogs have received a commitment from 2017 third round (51st overall) selection Ian Martin. The 5-foot-10 forward shined in Minor Midget this past season, posting 15 goals in just 22 games as a member of the Ajax-Pickering Raiders. Read more

OTTERS PROSPECT DEVELOPMENT CAMP JUNE 3-4:

The OHL champions welcome prospects to the city this weekend for the club’s annual Development Camp which includes fitness testing, on-ice sessions, and scrimmages at Mercyhurst Ice Center.  All on-ice activities are open to the public.  For more information visit ottershockey.com.


OHL COACHES CONFERENCE SET FOR JUNE 3RD:

The 2017 OHL Coaches Conference is under a month away, taking place on Saturday June 3rd on the campus of UOIT in Oshawa. Many of the guest speakers for the 4th annual installment of the day-long conference have been confirmed and will provide minor hockey coaches the opportunity to learn from OHL, AHL, and NHL personnel in an interactive professional development day. Read more

OHL ALUMNI GOLF TOURNAMENT FAST APPROACHING:

The 2017 OHL Alumni Association Golf Tournament is fast approaching! The 2nd annual event is set to take place on Monday June 5th at the Devil’s Pulpit, one of Canada’s most acclaimed private golf clubs located in Caledon, Ont. This event is one of several networking events focused on bringing together former players from all generations.  Proceeds from the tournament will be donated to the Gudbranson Stem Cell Research Grant, which helps fund research for Stem Cell Treatments. Space is limited! Read more

BIG FATHER’S DAY SAVINGS AT OHLSHOP.COM

Don’t miss out on Father’s Day deals at OHLShop.com! Until Father’s Day use the promo code ‘DAD25’ to get a 25% discount off the full men’s collection. Visit OHLShop.com to get in on the savings.

2017-18 OHL REGULAR SEASON SCHEDULE:

The 2017-18 Ontario Hockey League regular season schedule will be announced the week of June 5 beginning with home opener details published on Monday afternoon, followed by a full schedule release on Tuesday morning.  Keep track of the action online using #OHLOpeningWeek.

ALUMNI NOTES:

14 OHL graduates competing in Stanley Cup Final: A total of 14 OHL graduates, eight from the Pittsburgh Penguins and six from the Nashville Predators, will battle in the 2017 Stanley Cup Final of the NHL Playoffs. The Western Conference champion Predators advanced to their ever first Stanley Cup Final following a series win over the Anaheim Ducks. Nashville has had strong OHL alumni contributions from defencemen Ryan Ellis (Windsor Spitfires) and P.K. Subban (Belleville Bulls) while forwards James Neal (Plymouth Whalers) and Austin Watson (London Knights) have also factored into the team’s success. Predators captain Mike Fisher (Sudbury Wolves) has been limited by injuries of late while defenceman Yannick Weber (Kitchener Rangers) has skated in all 16 of the club’s playoff contests. Read more

22 OHL graduates competing in Calder Cup Final: A total of 22 OHL graduates, 12 from the Grand Rapids Griffins and 10 from the Syracuse Crunch, will battle in the 2017 Calder Cup Final of the AHL Playoffs. The Western Conference champion Griffins advanced to their first Calder Cup Final since 2013 with a 4-1 series victory over the San Jose Barracuda. Graduate Eric Tangradi (Belleville Bulls) is tied for the Grand Rapids team lead in playoff scoring with 15 points (2-13–15) while Tyler Bertuzzi (Guelph Storm) has also been impressive with 13 points (6-7–13). The Eastern Conference crunch advanced to their first Final since 2013 with a 4-1 series victory over the Providence Bruins. Graduates Slater Koekkoek (Windsor Spitfires), Jake Dotchin (Barrie Colts) and Dominik Masin (Peterborough Petes) have been regulars on the Syracuse blue line. Read more

4 Former OHL officials working 2017 Stanley Cup Final: Four former OHL officials have been assigned to work the Stanley Cup Final of the 2017 NHL Playoffs. Referees Dan O’Halloran and Kevin Pollock are joined by OHL playing and officiating graduate Scott Cherrey and Brad Kovachik on the lines.

2017 MASTERCARD MEMORIAL CUP FINAL:

Sunday May 28th:
Windsor Spitfires 4 vs. Erie Otters 3 – Highlights

Advertisement

Mississauga Reps are 2017 OHL Cup powered by Under Armour Champions

OHL Cup

Toronto, ON – The first all-Wild Card Championship Final in OHL Cup history didn’t disappoint.

Dennis Golovatchev scored with nine seconds remaining in the third period to give the Mississauga Reps their first ever OHL Cup Powered by Under Armour Championship with a 3-2 win over the Toronto Nationals at the Mattamy Athletic Centre.

Golovatchev wristed a quick release past Nationals goaltender Zach Roy off an offensive zone faceoff win by linemate Lucas Rowe, making the Reps the second Wild Card entry following the 2010 Mississauga Rebels to ever hoist the OHL Cup.

“We’ve worked on that faceoff play all season,” said Golovatchev following his late-game heroics. “We pulled it off perfectly. Rowe won it back to me and I just shot the puck.”

The winner came two minutes after the Nationals fought back to tie the score at two on a goal by Brandon Coe.

“We didn’t want to go into overtime because we knew it was going to be nerve-wracking,” said Golovatchev of the feeling on the Reps’ bench. “When coach put me on, we said ‘number two’ – that’s our faceoff play, and it worked.”

OHL Cup Champs
The Mississauga Reps defeated the Toronto Nationals 3-2 in the championship game of the 2017 OHL Cup at Mattamy Athletic Centre in Toronto on Monday March 20, 2017. Photo by Aaron Bell/OHL Images

Mississauga carried the play for much of the game, outshooting the Nats 41-26 as Toronto goaltender Zach Roy turned in a solid performance to keep his team in the game to the bitter end.

The Reps were presented with the OHL Cup Trophy by OHL Commissioner David Branch, GTHL Vice President Ken Smith as well as Canadian hockey icon Don Cherry of Hockey Night in Canada.

OHL Cup scoring leader Mike Petizian earned Reps Player of the Game honours with a goal and an assist before being named the MVP of the 2017 OHL Cup Powered by Under Armour, recording five goals, eight assists and 13 points over seven contests.

“It’s been a tough go,” said Petizian,” but the guys never quit. I love how we battled back.”

Reps head coach Harry Evans echoed those remarks, admiring his team’s resilience.

“This team has never let me down,” he said “They’ve got no quit in them. Our goal all along was to get to this point. We took some lumps along the way but we got here.

“We had a long, hard road, but the kids stuck together. I give them credit. They really took it upon themselves to put in the work and we got the job done.”

The Reps started from behind as the  Nationals got on the board first, capitalizing 9:27 into the opening frame as Rory Graham got his stick on a Carter Schott point shot, tipping the puck past an outstretched Ryan Dugas in the Mississauga goal.

The game opened up in the second as both teams got creative.

Mississauga carried the play early on, forcing Roy into some difficult saves before finally getting on the board with 3:11 left on the clock.

Petizian set up linemate Aaron Jamieson in the slot, dishing a behind-the-back feed through the middle as Jamieson didn’t hesitate, beating Roy with a quick release to make it a 1-1 game.

The Reps outshot the Nationals 19-8 in the second, ending the frame on a two-man advantage that featured numerous big saves from Roy to keep the score knotted at one.

Mississauga’s five-on-three advantage carried over into the third and the Reps capitalized on a fresh sheet of ice as Petizian continued his torrid scoring pace.

Taking a feed through the middle from Lucas Rowe, Petizian stepped into a one-timer that beat Roy over the glove just 48 seconds in to give the Reps a 2-1 lead.

The Reps would hold that lead until the twelfth minute of the third period as Nationals leading scorer Ethan Keppen won a board battle off the forecheck before finding an oncoming Brandon Coe all alone in the slot to tie the score at two with 2:12 remaining.

Just when it looked as though the OHL Cup Final would require overtime for a third straight year, Golovatchev stepped up off the faceoff to rip a wrister into the back of the net.

The Toronto Nationals end their 2017 OHL Cup Showcase with an overall record of 5-2-0. They were led in scoring by Ethan Keppen who recorded a goal and seven assists for eight points in seven games.

Nationals goaltender Zach Roy earned Player of the Game honours for his team and was named to the Gatorade OHL Cup All-Star Team sporting a 1.43 goals-against average, .959 save percentage and two shutouts while leading all goaltenders with 315 minutes played.

The OHL Cup Champion Mississauga Reps wrap up their unforgettable showcase with a record of 6-0-1, outscoring opponents 24-12. They were led in scoring by Petizian while Jamieson Rees also recorded over a point-per-game with five goals, four assists and nine points in seven games.

Six players from the 2017 OHL Cup were also named to the Gatorade All-Star Team, a selection of the annual showcase’s top performers as chosen by OHL Central Scouting.

Three players from the Championship Final including Mississauga forwards Jamieson Rees and Mike Petizian joined Ethan Keppen, Robert Calisti and Zach Roy of the Nationals in the list of standouts. Mississauga Rebels blueliner Anthony Aguanno rounded out the selections.

The 2017 OHL Cup Championship Final was played before an enthusiastic crowd at the Mattamy Athletic Centre in downtown Toronto and was broadcast to a national audience on Sportsnet Ontario.

The showcase provides fans and scouts one last opportunity to see many of the top minor midget aged players from across Ontario and parts of the United States compete for the OHL Cup performing against the best competition prior to the 2017 OHL Priority Selection.

For more information, please visit ohlcup.ca.