EIGHT OHL PLAYERS TO REPRESENT CANADA AT 2021 WORLD JUNIORS

Posted on by Dominic Tiano

Toronto, Ont. – The Ontario Hockey League is pleased to congratulate eight OHL players on being named to Canada’s National Junior Team that will compete in the 2021 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship from December 25, 2020 to January 5, 2021 in Edmonton, Alta.

Following a 26-day selection camp that was interrupted by a mandatory two-week quarantine, 25 players have been named to the final roster including three goaltenders, eight defencemen and 14 forwards.

Three returning OHL players won gold at the 2020 World Juniors including Quinton Byfield (Newmarket, Ont./Sudbury Wolves), Jamie Drysdale (Toronto, Ont./Erie Otters) and Connor McMichael (Ajax, Ont./London Knights).

Joining the three OHL returnees on the roster are defenceman Thomas Harley (Jamesville, N.Y., Mississauga Steelheads) and forwards Cole Perfetti (Pickering, Ont./Saginaw Spirit), Jack Quinn (Cobden, Ont./Ottawa 67’s), Ryan Suzuki (London, Ont./Saginaw Spirit) and Philip Tomasino (Mississauga, Ont./Oshawa Generals).

Back-to-back OHL Coach of the Year Andre Tourigny (Nicolet, Que./Ottawa 67’s) will serve as head coach of Team Canada. He’s joined on staff by 67’s equipment manager Chris Hamilton (Ottawa, Ont./Ottawa 67’s).

The final roster was selected by Scott Salmond (Creston, B.C.), senior vice-president of national teams for Hockey Canada, with assistance from Alan Millar (Tottenham, Ont./Moose Jaw, WHL), the U20 lead for the Program of Excellence management group, and Ben Shutron (Orleans, Ont.), manager of national teams for Hockey Canada. Tourigny and assistant coaches Tyler Dietrich (West Vancouver, B.C./Saskatoon, WHL), Michael Dyck (Lethbridge, Alta./Vancouver, WHL) and Mitch Love (Quesnel, B.C./Saskatoon, WHL) also provided input into the final roster selections.

“This camp has been unconventional from the outset with the number of players invited and the length of camp, along with the schedule adjustment due to our two-week shutdown, but we feel we have selected a group that will give us the best chance to defend our gold medal on home ice,” said Millar. “It is never easy making decisions to trim down a roster, especially when every player handled adversity, faced challenges head on and remained committed to the process through our off-ice workouts and Zoom sessions. We have a lot of people to thank, including the people of Red Deer, the Red Deer Rebels (WHL) and Alberta Health Services, who worked with us to always ensure the health and safety of our athletes, staff and the community at large, and we look forward to representing Canada in Edmonton.”

The 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship begins on Christmas Day with three games before Canada kicks off its tournament schedule on Dec. 26 against Germany at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT. TSN and RDS, the official broadcast partners of Hockey Canada, will broadcast all 28 tournament games and the 10 pre-tournament games that begin Dec. 20. TSN Radio will also provide comprehensive tournament coverage, including all Team Canada pre-tournament and tournament games through to the gold medal game.

Canada has captured 18 gold medals at the IIHF World Junior Championship (1982, 1985, 1988, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2015, 2018, 2020), in addition to 11 silver (1975, 1976, 1977, 1986, 1999, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2010, 2011, 2017) and six bronze (1974, 1978, 1983, 2000, 2001, 2012).

For more information from the International Ice Hockey Federation, please visit the official tournament website at 2021.worldjuniors.hockey.

For more information on Hockey Canada and Canada’s National Junior Team, please visit HockeyCanada.ca or follow along through social media on Facebook, Twitter and Twitter.com/HC_WJC.

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.

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16 OHL Players Recognized as Invitees to Canada’s National Junior Team Sport Chek Summer Development Camp

Posted on by Dominic Tiano

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Calgary, Atla. – The Ontario Hockey League is pleased to announce that 16 OHL players have been invited to attend Hockey Canada’s National Junior Team Sport Chek Summer Development Camp.

The camp roster features two OHL goaltenders, three defencemen and 26 forwards as part of the 41-player roster that will attend the five-day virtual camp taking place July 27-31. The camp will feature various online education sessions with a focus on player development. Hockey Canada announced last month that various programming and training sessions will be held virtually this summer due to the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

“We are excited to begin preparations for the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship with this group of 41 players and our full staff at our online camp, as we believe we have a good mix of veteran leadership and young talent that are eager to represent Canada during the holiday season,” said Scott Salmond, senior vice-president of national teams for Hockey Canada. “We are also pleased to have Michael and Mitch round out the coaching staff, as their Canadian Hockey League and international experience will compliment André’s leadership while we work towards defending our gold medal on home ice.”

The roster for Canada’s National Junior Team Sport Chek Summer Development Camp includes three OHL skaters who helped Canada win gold at the 2020 World Juniors (Byfield, Drysdale, McMichael), six OHL players who were selected at the 2019 NHL Draft (Harley, Clarke, McMichael, Rees, Suzuki, Tomasino), eight OHL players who are eligible for the 2020 NHL Draft (Brochu, Drysdale, O’Rourke, Byfield, Foerster, Perfetti, Perreault, Quinn), one who is eligible in 2021 (Lennox) and one who is eligible in 2022 (Wright).

As announced earlier this year, Ottawa 67’s head coach André Tourigny will return to Canada’s National Junior Team and serve as head coach after helping Canada to a gold medal as an assistant coach at the 2020 IIHF World Junior Championship. He was named head coach of the OHL’s 67’s in 2017 and has helped them claim the Hamilton Spectator Trophy twice as back-to-back regular season champions. Tourigny was recently awarded the Matt Leyden Trophy as the OHL’s Coach of the Year for the second consecutive season and was named the CHL Brian Kilrea Coach of the Year presented by Janes.

The 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship is set to take place in Edmonton and Red Deer this December.

OHL Players Invited to Canada’s National Junior Team Sport Chek Summer Development Camp

Goaltenders:
Brett Brochu (London Knights)
Tristan Lennox (Saginaw Spirit)

Defencemen:
Jamie Drysdale (Erie Otters)
Thomas Harley (Mississauga Steelheads)
Ryan O’Rourke (Soo Greyhounds)

Forwards:
Quinton Byfield (Sudbury Wolves)
Graeme Clarke (Ottawa 67’s)
Tyson Foerster (Barrie Colts)
Connor McMichael (London Knights)
Cole Perfetti (Saginaw Spirit)
Jacob Perreault (Sarnia Sting)
Jack Quinn (Ottawa 67’s)
Jamieson Rees (Sarnia Sting)
Ryan Suzuki (Saginaw Spirit)
Philip Tomasino (Oshawa Generals)
Shane Wright (Kingston Frontenacs)

Coaches:
Head Coach – André Tourigny (Ottawa 67’s)

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

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. Last season, more than nine million fans attended CHL games in the regular season, playoffs and at the Memorial Cup Presented by Kia. The CHL supplies more players to the National Hockey League and U Sports than any other league.  For more information visit www.ontariohockeyleague.com.

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)

Ryan Suzuki – Barrie Colts – Player Profile

Posted on by Dominic Tiano

Height: 6’

Weight: 170 pounds

Date of birth: May 28, 2001

Hometown: London, Ontario

Position: Center

Shoots: Left

OHL Draft: 1st overall pick, 2017 Priority Selection

NHL Central Scouting Rankings: Pre-season, November: A prospect. Mid-term: 10th overall, NA

Barrie Colts’ pivot Ryan Suzuki is the younger brother of the Guelph Storm’s Nick Suzuki, who was the 13th overall pick at the 2017 National Hockey League Draft by the Vegas Golden Knights (since traded to the Montreal Canadiens). Many in the scouting community coming into this season believed Ryan would be picked higher then his elder brother come this June in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Ryan played his Minor Midget AAA hockey with the London Jr Knights during the 2016-2017 season amassing 19 goals and 40 assists in 32 games. He would add 9 goals and 13 assists in 11 playoff games, leading the Knights to the Championship. He led the league in assists and points and was named the Alliance Hockey Player of the Year.

Following his Minor Midget season, he would appear in 1 game with the London Nationals of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League scoring 2 goals. And in 6 playoff games he recorded a goal and 3 assists.

Ontario Hockey League Central Scouting had this to say about Ryan:

Ryan is one of the most skilled players in this year’s Priority Selection. He is the type of player that makes

everyone around him better. Ryan is an unselfish player that sees the ice better than most at this age group. He makes plays that a lot of people don’t see developing from the stands and his passes are usually tape to tape. He is a good skater with the ability to beat players off the rush. He is dangerous every time he is on the ice. Ryan will be an offensive force in the OHL.

Ryan Suzuki of the Barrie Colts. Photo by Terry Wilson / OHL Images.
Ryan Suzuki of the Barrie Colts. Photo by Terry Wilson / OHL Images

Ryan appeared in 64 games for the Colts last season compiling 14 goals and 30 assists. He would be named to the OHL Second All-Rookie Team. Ryan would also represent Canada at the World Hockey Challenge Under-17. In 6 games he scored 3 goals and 4 assists, helping Team Red capture a silver medal.

This season began with Ryan representing Canada once again, this time with Team Canada at the Hlinka-Gretzky Cup. He scored once and added 7 helpers and helping Canada win a Gold Medal.

The Colts did not make the playoffs this season, and sadly, Ryan’s OHL season has come to an end. He appeared in 65 games and scored 25 goals and 50 assists.

One area of Ryan’s game that he needs to work on is faceoffs. His game is best suited down the middle so improve on winning 453 of 989 draws (45.8%) is vital.

The second area is learning to be a more selfish player. Possessing the threat that you might shoot to go along with what borders on elite playmaking abilities opens up more possibilities. And Ryan has a very good shot. His shot percentage is at 16.5%, but when you consider he is at 18.2% from the low danger zone areas of the ice (19 of his goals come from that area), then you can see he can beat goaltenders from any area.

As mentioned, Ryan’s playmaking abilities border on elite. He sees the ice extremely well, and sees things developing before they actually do. And he can deliver a tape-to-tape pass or lead a teammate with a pass. The fact that 29 of his assists are primary assists speaks to the fact that he can deliver the disc for a scoring threat.

As much as Ryan is an offensive threat on the powerplay (8 goals and 20 assists) he has shown that he can be a threat when down a man as well, although the numbers don’t reflect that (2 goals, 1 assist). He thinks the game so well and has excellent anticipation that he can steal the puck defending and go on the attack in a flash. Defensively he understands the game and works hard at it. You won’t find many coming back on the backcheck harder then he does.

He transitions quickly. While he has good speed, I wouldn’t consider him a speedster. He is excellent at puck possession and gaining the zone with possession.

If you follow the independent scouting services available to you, then you will see there is a mixed bag of where Suzuki is ranked. The rankings are anywhere from 12th overall (including TSN’s Bob McKenzie’s ranking) to 23rd. NHL Central Scouting has him 10th among North American skaters and 2nd among OHL skaters, behind defenceman Thomas Harley of the Mississauga Steelheads.

Personally, I think it comes down to Suzuki and Arthur Kaliyev of the Hamilton Bulldogs. Take your pick: The playmaker or the goal scorer.

Stat page from Elite Prospects

 

Rosters Announced for 2019 Sherwin-Williams CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game

Posted on by Dominic Tiano

Toronto, ON – The Canadian Hockey League in association with National Hockey League Central Scouting have announced the rosters for the 2019 Sherwin-Williams CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game which takes place on Wednesday January 23 in Red Deer, Alberta.

Top Prospects Game

The 40 players from across the Western Hockey League, Ontario Hockey League, and Quebec Major Junior Hockey League selected by NHL clubs to compete in the 24th annual showcase of draft eligible talent have been divided into Team Cherry and Team Orr by NHL Central Scouting.

Team Cherry will be coached by Ron MacLean alongside Dave Hunter and Brent Sutter, with Team Orr to be coached by Kelly Hrudey with Robyn Regehr and Marc Habscheid.

NHL Central Scouting ‘A’ rated prospects Bowen Byram (Vancouver Giants), Dylan Cozens (Lethbridge Hurricanes), Nolan Foote (Kelowna Rockets), Arthur Kaliyev (Hamilton Bulldogs), Peyton Krebs (Kootenay ICE), Raphael Lavoie (Halifax Mooseheads), Samuel Poulin (Sherbrooke Phoenix), and Matthew Robertson (Edmonton Oil Kings) headline the Team Cherry roster.  The group also includes World Junior Championship talents in Mads Sogaard (Medicine Hat Tigers) from Denmark, and Valentin Nussbaumer (Shawinigan Cataractes) from Switzerland.  A total of 20 different CHL teams are represented on Team Cherry including eight WHL, six OHL, and six QMJHL clubs.  The home team will feature the host Rebels with forward Oleg Zaytsev.

‘A’ rated prospects on Team Orr include Kirby Dach (Saskatoon Blades), Vladislav Kolyachonok (Flint Firebirds), and Ryan Suzuki (Barrie Colts).  The group also includes Brett Leason (Prince Albert Raiders) who was a member of Canada’s National Junior Team.  The roster breakdown includes nine OHL players, with seven WHL, and four from the QMJHL representing a total of 17 CHL teams.  Kelowna Rockets defencemen Kaedan Korczak and Lassi Thomson will compete together, as will London Knights forwards Matvey Guskov and Connor McMichael, and teammates Nikita Okhotyuk and Graeme Clarke of the Ottawa 67’s.  The Rockets pair will play opposite Foote, Orr forward Josh Williams will face his Tigers teammate Sogaard, and Orr goaltender Hunter Jones will face his Peterborough Petes teammate Nick Robertson on Cherry.

2019 Sherwin-Williams CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game Rosters:

Team Cherry:


Goaltenders:
Taylor Gauthier (Prince George Cougars)
Mads Sogaard (Medicine Hat Tigers)

Defencemen:
Samuel Bolduc (Blainville-Boisbriand Armada)
Bowen Byram (Vancouver Giants)
Billy Constantinou (Kingston Frontenacs)
Thomas Harley (Mississauga Steelheads)
Matthew Robertson (Edmonton Oil Kings)
Michael Vukojevic (Kitchener Rangers)

Forwards:
Maxim Cajkovic (Saint John Sea Dogs)
Dylan Cozens (Lethbridge Hurricanes)
Nolan Foote (Kelowna Rockets)
Arthur Kaliyev (Hamilton Bulldogs)
Peyton Krebs (Kootenay ICE)
Raphaël Lavoie (Halifax Mooseheads)
Nathan Légaré (Baie-Comeau Drakkar)
Valentin Nussbaumer (Shawinigan Cataractes)
Samuel Poulin (Sherbrooke Phoenix)
Jamieson Rees (Sarnia Sting)
Nick Robertson (Peterborough Petes)
Oleg Zaytsev (Red Deer Rebels)

Team Orr:

Goaltenders:
Colten Ellis (Rimouski Océanic)
Hunter Jones (Peterborough Petes)

Defencemen:
Artemi Kniazev (Chicoutimi Saguenéens)
Vladislav Kolyachonok (Flint Firebirds)
Kaedan Korczak (Kelowna Rockets)
Jake Lee (Seattle Thunderbirds)
Nikita Okhotyuk (Ottawa 67’s)
Lassi Thomson (Kelowna Rockets)

Forwards:
Nikita Alexandrov (Charlottetown Islanders)
Joe Carroll (Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds)
Graeme Clarke (Ottawa 67’s)
Kirby Dach (Saskatoon Blades)
Matvey Guskov (London Knights)
Brett Leason (Prince Albert Raiders)
Connor McMichael (London Knights)
Sasha Mutala (Tri-City Americans)
Jakob Pelletier (Moncton Wildcats)
Ryan Suzuki (Barrie Colts)
Philip Tomasino (Niagara IceDogs)
Josh Williams (Medicine Hat Tigers)

The teams are named in recognition of event builders and hockey icons Don Cherry and Bobby Orr who were instrumental in the success of the event when it was first introduced in 1996.  Since 2006, the winning team has been presented with the Don Cherry and Bobby Orr CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game Trophy engraved with the names of every player to ever participate in this prestigious event.  Teams wearing the Orr crest carry an overall record of 13-6 while Team Cherry holds an all-time record of 7-13 with the extra victory opposite Team Davidson in 2005.

The 2019 Sherwin-Williams CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game is proudly supported by title partner Sherwin-Williams, and CHL associate sponsors CIBC, Kia Canada, Cooper Tires, and Kubota Canada.  The game will be broadcast live across Canada on Sportsnet and TVA Sports, and in the United States on NHL Network.

Tickets are still available and can be purchased via reddeerrebels.com or ticketsalberta.com.  For further ticket details please contact the Rebels office at 403-341-6000.

For more event information please visit http://sherwin-williamstopprospects.ca.

40 Players Selected for 2019 Sherwin-Williams CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game

Posted on by Dominic Tiano

Toronto, ON – The Canadian Hockey League in association with National Hockey League Central Scouting announce today the 40 players that will compete in the 2019 Sherwin-Williams CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game.

The 24th annual showcase of the CHL’s top prospects eligible for the NHL Draft will be played on Wednesday January 23, 2019, at the ENMAX Centrium, home of the Western Hockey League’s Red Deer Rebels.  The 40 competing players were chosen by NHL clubs and include talent from across the WHL, the Ontario Hockey League, and Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.

“The Sherwin-Williams CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game provides scouts and general managers the unique opportunity to evaluate talent competing in a best-on-best showcase,” said Dan Marr, NHL Central Scouting Director. “All 31 NHL clubs contributed to the roster selection and have a great interest in this priority scouting event to see which players can elevate their game under the spotlight.”

Headlining the talent in Alberta will be 11 CHL players identified by NHL Central Scouting as potential first round candidates in their November ‘Players to Watch’ list.  Six of those players hail from WHL clubs including forwards Dylan Cozens of the Lethbridge Hurricanes, Kirby Dach of the Saskatoon Blades, Nolan Foote of the Kelowna Rockets, and Peyton Krebs of the Kootenay ICE, along with defencemen Bowen Byram of the Vancouver Giants, and Matthew Robertson of the Edmonton Oil Kings.  Additional ‘A’ rated players competing in the event include OHL forwards Arthur Kaliyev of the Hamilton Bulldogs and Ryan Suzuki of the Barrie Colts, defenceman Vladislav Kolyachonok of the Flint Firebirds, plus QMJHL forwards Raphael Lavoie of the Halifax Mooseheads and Samuel Poulin of the Sherbrooke Phoenix.

33 of the CHL’s 60 member clubs will be represented in the game with a total of 16 WHL players from 12 different teams, 15 OHL players from 12 teams, and nine QMJHL players each from a different organization.  Kelowna leads the way with three players selected followed by the London Knights, Medicine Hat Tigers, Ottawa 67’s, Peterborough Petes, and Seattle Thunderbirds each with two.  The host Rebels will be represented in the game by forward Oleg Zaytsev.

2019 Sherwin-Williams CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game Roster:

Goaltenders:
Colten Ellis (Rimouski Océanic)
Taylor Gauthier (Prince George Cougars)
Hunter Jones (Peterborough Petes)
Mads Sogaard (Medicine Hat Tigers)

Defencemen:
Samuel Bolduc (Blainville-Boisbriand Armada)
Bowen Byram (Vancouver Giants)
Billy Constantinou (Kingston Frontenacs)
Thomas Harley (Mississauga Steelheads)
Artemi Kniazev (Chicoutimi Saguenéens)
Vladislav Kolyachonok (Flint Firebirds)
Kaedan Korczak (Kelowna Rockets)
Jake Lee (Seattle Thunderbirds)
Nikita Okhotyuk (Ottawa 67’s)
Matthew Robertson (Edmonton Oil Kings)
Lassi Thomson (Kelowna Rockets)
Michael Vukojevic (Kitchener Rangers)

Forwards:
Nikita Alexandrov (Charlottetown Islanders)
Maxim Cajkovic (Saint John Sea Dogs)
Joe Carroll (Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds)
Graeme Clarke (Ottawa 67’s)
Dylan Cozens (Lethbridge Hurricanes)
Kirby Dach (Saskatoon Blades)
Nolan Foote (Kelowna Rockets)
Matvey Guskov (London Knights)
Dillon Hamaliuk (Seattle Thunderbirds)
Arthur Kaliyev (Hamilton Bulldogs)
Peyton Krebs (Kootenay ICE)
Raphaël Lavoie (Halifax Mooseheads)
Brett Leason (Prince Albert Raiders)
Nathan Légaré (Baie-Comeau Drakkar)
Connor McMichael (London Knights)
Sasha Mutala (Tri-City Americans)
Jakob Pelletier (Moncton Wildcats)
Samuel Poulin (Sherbrooke Phoenix)
Jamieson Rees (Sarnia Sting)
Nick Robertson (Peterborough Petes)
Ryan Suzuki (Barrie Colts)
Philip Tomasino (Niagara IceDogs)
Josh Williams (Medicine Hat Tigers)
Oleg Zaytsev (Red Deer Rebels)

The 40 players will be divided into Team Cherry and Team Orr by NHL Central Scouting prior to the event.  Coaching staffs for both teams will also be announced at a later date.

10 CHL players from last year’s game in Guelph were chosen in the first round of the 2018 NHL Draft led by Barrie’s Andrei Svechnikov picked second overall by the Carolina Hurricanes.  In 23 years, a total of 317 CHL players from this event have been chosen by NHL clubs in the first round of the NHL Draft representing over 45% of all players selected.  Since the event was first introduced in 1996 the game has featured 14 players selected with the first overall pick in the NHL Draft including Nico Hischier, Connor McDavid, Aaron Ekblad, Nathan MacKinnon, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Taylor Hall, John Tavares, Steven Stamkos, Patrick Kane, Marc-Andre Fleury, Rick Nash, Vincent Lecavalier, Joe Thornton, and Chris Phillips.


The 2019 Sherwin-Williams CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game is proudly supported by title partner Sherwin-Williams, and CHL associate sponsors CIBC, Kia Canada, Cooper Tires, and Kubota Canada.  The game will be broadcast live across Canada on Sportsnet and TVA Sports, and in the United States on NHL Network.

Tickets are still available and can be purchased via reddeerrebels.com or ticketsalberta.com.  For further ticket details please contact the Rebels office at 403-341-6000.

For more event information please visit http://sherwin-williamstopprospects.ca.

OHL’s Draft Eligible Statistical Leaders as of November

Posted on by Dominic Tiano

It was supposed to be a two-horse race between Ryan Suzuki of the Barrie Colts and Arthur Kaliyev of the Hamilton Bulldogs, two OHL’ers expected to go in the first round of the 2019 National Hockey League Draft in June from Vancouver, British Columbia.

It’s still early, just passing the one-third mark of the season, so there is still a lot of hockey remaining to be played, but Kaliyev has put a little distance between himself and Suzuki – for the moment. But the gap between the points leader – Kaliyev (40 points in 26 games) and Suzuki (32 points in 24 games) is greater then the gap between Suzuki and third place Cole MacKay of the Sault Ste Marie Greyhounds (27 points in 27 games).

Arthur Kaliyev of the Hamilton Bulldogs. Photo by Terry Wilson / OHL Images.
Arthur Kaliyev of the Hamilton Bulldogs. Photo by Terry Wilson / OHL Images.

It’s also no surprise that Kaliyev, the best pure scorer in the draft class, leads in goals with 21. What may surprise some people is that Connor McMichael of the London Knights is just 4 behind the goal scoring leader. There’s a drop off to the third-place skater, Philip Tomasino of the Niagara IceDogs with 11 goals.

Among defencemen, Thomas Harley of the Mississauga Steelheads and Billy Constantinou of the Kingston Frontenacs continue to be offensive sparkplugs. Harley leads defender with 22 points in 27 games while Constantinou comes in second with 19 points in 26 games. They are trailed by four defencemen with 12 points.

In the crease, Hunter Jones of the Peterborough Petes leads netminders in goals-against-average, save percentage, games played, minutes played, wins and tied with Mack Guzda of the Owen Sound Attack in shutouts.

Here are the statistical leaders in a variety of categories. Always refer to the OHL website for official stats.

Points Leaders
Player Team GP G A Pts
Arthur Kaliyev Hamilton Bulldogs 26 21 19 40
Ryan Suzuki Barrie Colts 24 8 24 32
Cole MacKay Soo Greyhounds 27 10 17 27
Connor McMichael London Knights 25 17 9 26
Philip Tomasino Niagara Ice Dogs 26 11 13 24
Thomas Harley Mississauga Steelheads 27 4 18 22
Eric Uba Flint Firebirds 27 11 10 21
Kyen Sopa Niagara Ice Dogs 26 11 8 19
Danil Antropov Oshawa Generals 26 7 12 19
Billy Constantinou Kingston Frontenacs 26 5 14 19
Goal Scoring Leaders
Player Team GP G GPG
Arthur Kaliyev Hamilton Bulldogs 26 21 0.81
Connor McMichael London Knights 25 17 0.68
Philip Tomasino Niagara Ice Dogs 26 11 0.42
Eric Uba Flint Firebirds 27 11 0.41
Kyen Sopa Niagara Ice Dogs 26 11 0.42
Cole MacKay Soo Greyhounds 27 10 0.37
Nicholas Porco Saginaw Spirit 26 10 0.38
Graeme Clarke Ottawa 67’s 22 10 0.45
Petr Cajka Erie Otters 27 9 0.33
Daniel D’Amico Windsor Spitfires 26 9 0.35
Assist Leaders
Player Team GP A APG
Ryan Suzuki Barrie Colts 24 24 1.00
Arthur Kaliyev Hamilton Bulldogs 26 19 0.73
Thomas Harley Mississauga Steelheads 27 18 0.67
Cole MacKay Soo Greyhounds 27 17 0.63
Billy Constantinou Kingston Frontenacs 26 14 0.54
Philip Tomasino Niagara Ice Dogs 26 13 0.50
Keean Washkurak Mississauga Steelheads 25 12 0.48
Danil Antropov Oshawa Generals 26 12 0.46
Matvey Guskov London Knights 25 11 0.44
Mason Millman Saginaw Spirit 26 11 0.42
Defencemen Point Leaders
Player Team GP G A Pts
Thomas Harley Mississauga Steelheads 27 4 18 22
Billy Constantinou Kingston Frontenacs 26 5 14 19
Mason Millman Saginaw Spirit 26 1 11 12
Simon Rose North Bay Battalion 26 1 11 12
Jack York Kitchener Rangers 26 1 11 12
Nathan Staios Windsor Spitfires 27 1 11 12
Grayson Ladd Windsor Spitfires 26 2 9 11
Liam Ross Sudbury Wolves 26 3 7 10
Plus/Minus Leaders
Player Team GP +/-
Lucas Peric Ottawa 67’s 28 +16
Ashton Reesor Sarnia Sting 26 +14
Louka Henault Windsor Spitfires 25 +8
Grayson Ladd Windsor Spitfires 26 +8
Mathew Hill Barrie Colts 23 +6
Nathan Allensen Barrie Colts 25 +6
Jacob LeGuerrier Soo Greyhounds 27 +6
Nikita Okhotyuk Ottawa 67’s 17 +4
Mason Howard Niagara Ice Dogs 20 +4
Billy Constantinou Kingston Frontenacs 26 +4
Penalty Minutes Leaders
Player Team GP PIM M/G
Brendan Kischnick Erie Otters 17 27 1.59
Nathan Allensen Barrie Colts 25 27 1.08
Michael Vukojevic Kitchener Rangers 27 27 1.00
Jacob LeGuerrier Soo Greyhounds 27 26 0.96
Matthew Hill Barrie Colts 23 23 1.00
Evan Brand Kingston Frontenacs 27 20 0.74
Billy Constantinou Kingston Frontenacs 26 18 0.69
Faceoff Leaders  (minimum 90 faceoffs)
Player Team GP FOA FOW %
Tye Kartye Soo Greyhounds 23 151 85 56.3
Connor McMichael London Knights 25 252 139 55.2
Camaryn Baber Saginaw Spirit 17 114 61 53.5
Philip Tomasino Niagara Ice Dogs 26 228 119 52.2
Tim Fleischer Hamilton Bulldogs 26 178 90 50.6
Keean Washkurak Mississauga Steelheads 25 328 165 50.3
Blake Murray Sudbury Wolves 25 292 147 50.3
Longest Goal Scoring Streak
Player Team From To Gms Goals
Arthur Kaliyev Hamilton Bulldogs 10/13 10/19 4 7
Arthur Kaliyev Hamilton Bulldogs 9/21 9/30 4 6
Nicholas Porco Saginaw Spirit 10/5 10/13 4 4
Tag Bertuzzi Guelph Storm 10/5 10/13 4 4
Kyen Sopa Niagara Ice Dogs 10/4 10/13 4 4
Longest Assist Streak
Player Team From To Gms Assts
Philip Tomasino Niagara Ice Dogs 11/9 11/17 4 4
Arthur Kaliyev Hamilton Bulldogs 9/21 9/30 3 4
Ryan Suzuki Barrie Colts 9/20 9/27 3 7
Keean Washkurak Mississauga Steelheads 9/23 9/30 3 5
Danil Antropov Oshawa Generals 9/27 9/30 3 3
Longest Point Streak
Player Team From To Gms Pts
Ryan Suzuki Barrie Colts 9/20 10/7 7 15
Arthur Kaliyev Hamilton Bulldogs 10/13 10/20 7 11
Philip Tomasino Niagara Ice Dogs 11/2 11/23 7 11
Nicholas Porco Saginaw Spirit 11/3 11/14 6 6
Danil Antropov Oshawa Generals 9/27 10/6 5 7
Shots On Goal Leaders
Player Team GP SOG
Arthur Kaliyev Hamilton Bulldogs 26 113
Connor McMichael London Knights 25 81
Philip Tomasino Niagara Ice Dogs 26 72
Petr Cajka Erie Otters 27 68
Eric Uba Flint Firebirds 27 66
Goals Against Average (minimum 612 minutes)
Player Team GP Min GA Avg
Hunter Jones Peterborough Petes 26 1425 63 2.65
Zachary Roy Hamilton Bulldogs 14 825 42 3.05
Mack Guzda Owen Sound Attack 22 1221 68 3.34
Ethan Langevin Sarnia Sting 16 851 50 3.53
Luke Cavallin Flint Firebirds 17 759 71 5.61
Save Percentage Minimum 612 minutes)
Player Team GP SH  SVS SV%
Hunter Jones Peterborough Petes 26 822 759 0.923
Zachary Roy Hamilton Bulldogs 14 426 384 0.901
Mack Guzda Owen Sound Attack 22 585 517 0.884
Ethan Langevin Sarnia Sting 16 403 353 0.876
Luke Cavallin Flint Firebirds 17 487 416 0.854
Goaltending Leaders – Wins
Player Team GP W L OL
Hunter Jones Peterborough Petes 26 15 11 0
Mack Guzda Owen Sound Attack 22 10 8 2
Zachary Roy Hamilton Bulldogs 14 7 7 0
Ethan Langevin Sarnia Sting 16 6 7 1
Ryan Dugas Kingston Frontenacs 12 5 3 1
Goaltending Leaders – Shutouts
Player Team GP SO
Mack Guzda Owen Sound Attack 22 2
Hunter Jones Peterborough Petes 26 2
Kari Piiroinen Windsor Spitfires 9 1
Ryan Dugas Kingston Frontenacs 12 1

OHL Writers’ Draft Eligible Player of the Month for October

Posted on by Dominic Tiano

When it comes to draft eligible players from the 2018-2019 Ontario Hockey League season, most of the attention will be focused around Ryan Suzuki of the Barrie Colts and Arthur Kaliyev of the Hamilton Bulldogs, and rightfully so.

Unless you are the most ardent follower, then a young netminder from the Peterborough Petes being named our draft eligible player of the month may come as a surprise to you. That young netminder is none other than Hunter Jones.

Don’t be fooled by his 6-5-0 record during the month of October. The Petes have suffered through some key injuries and had it not been for Jones, that record could have been worse. In those eleven contests in October, Jones posted a remarkable .939 save percentage.

Goalie #29 Hunter Jones of the Peterborough Petes
Goalie Hunter Jones of the Peterborough Petes. Photo courtesy of OHL Images

As of today, no goaltender has played more minutes then Jones (897) including some seasoned veterans: Jacob Ingham (780), Cedrick Andree (755), Matthew Villalta (719) and Michael DiPietro (641). Jones has also faced more rubber (527) then any other goaltender, 127 more then Ingham and stopped more shots (491), 130 more then Stephen Dhillon of the Niagara Ice Dogs.

Jones currently sits forth in goals against average among goaltenders with four or more starts with a 2.41 goals-against average. He currently sits second in save percentage at .931.

Jones was the OHL goaltender of the week and runner up to the CHL goaltender of the week for the week of October 8-14 – he was both the OHL and CHL goaltender of the week on opening week.

His performance earned him an invitation to participate for Team OHL in the upcoming Canada-Russia Super Series, a precursor to the World Junior Championships.

Also considered were Suzuki, who posted 2 goals and 11 assists in 9 games, Kaliyev and his 7 goals and 4 assists in 11 games and Cole MacKay of the Soo Greyhounds who recorded 2 goals and 10 assists in 11 games.

Bloodlines Trickle Through the Ontario Hockey League

Posted on by Dominic Tiano

 

Family Tree

It’s happening more and more when the National Hockey League Draft takes place in late June. Grandsons, sons, brothers and cousins of former NHL’ers and other professional leagues from around the world look to carve their own niche and it all begins with hearing their names called on the draft floor, which takes place in Vancouver, British Columbia on June 21-22, 2019.

There is no shortage of Ontario Hockey League players that will be in that position. A total of 17 players eligible for the draft for the first time have had a relative play in the NHL, drafted by an NHL squad, or played some form of professional hockey.

Today, we take a look at those players beginning with the Barrie Colts. The Colts have 3 players with bloodlines. Defenceman Victor Hadfield is the grandson on former NHL’er Vic Hadfield who appeared in 1002 NHL games with the New York Rangers and Pittsburgh Penguins.

Center Ryan Suzuki is the younger brother of Nick Suzuki, a first round pick of the Vegas Golden Knights, selected thirteenth overall in 2017 and later traded to the Montreal Canadiens. Finally, goaltender Luke Cavallin is the son of Mark who played professional hockey in Germany and represented Canada internationally in 25 contests. He also has a younger brother Adam playing Bantam Hockey.

The Guelph Storm also have a trio with hockey in their blood and hockey fans will certainly recognize two of the names. Centreman Mason Primeau is the son of Wayne Primeau and nephew of Keith Primeau. Wayne played in 774 NHL games with the Buffalo Sabres, Tampa Bay Lightning, Pittsburgh Penguins, San Jose Sharks, Boston Bruins, Calgary Flames and Toronto Maple Leafs. Keith appeared in 909 games with the Detroit Red Wings, Hartford Whalers/Carolina Hurricanes and Philadelphia Flyers.

Left Winger Tag Bertuzzi is the son of former NHL’er Todd Bertuzzi. His NHL career consisted of 1159 games with the New York Islanders, Vancouver Canucks, Florida Panthers, Anaheim Ducks, Calgary Flames and Detroit Red Wings. He is also the cousin of Tyler Bertuzzi who has thus far played in 58 NHL games with the Detroit Red Wings.

German born Hamilton Bulldogs’ forward Tim Fleischer has a brother Marc, who is just three years older and trying to make Germany’s top league.

Kitchener Rangers’ blueliner Jack York is the son of former NHL’er Jason York, who played a total of 757 games for Detroit, Anaheim Ducks, Ottawa Senators, Nashville Predators and Boston. The elder York also spent the lockout year in the Swiss League. Jack also has a younger brother Matthew playing in the CCHL.

For the London Knights, defenceman Andrew Perrott is the son of Nathan Perrott, a forward with 89 NHL games experience, who also played 266 American Hockey League games and 168 International Hockey League games.

Also from the Knights, is centreman Matvey Guskov. His father Alexander never played in the NHL but competed in 294 Kontinental Hockey League games and 468 games in the top Russian League (prior to the formation of the KHL). He also appeared in 54 international contests for the Russians.

Oshawa Generals right wing Danil Antropov is the son of former NHL’er Nik Antropov, a veteran of 788 NHL games with the Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Rangers, Atlanta Thrashers and Winnipeg Jets.  Nik also played in 168 KHL games over his career.

Mack Guzda is a goaltender with the Owen Sound Attack and the son of a former goaltender Brad Guzda. The elder puck stopper never did play in the NHL but spent his career bouncing around the AHL, ECHL and IHL. He is also the cousin of Jeff Woywitka who played in 278 NHL games as well as 355 AHL games and a couple of seasons in Germany.

Peterborough Petes centreman Nick Robertson is the younger brother of Kingston Frontenacs scoring star and the 37th overall pick at the 2017 NHL draft Jason Robertson. They also have an older brother Michael currently playing at the University of Southern California.

That brings us to Nathan Staios, a defenceman with the Windsor Spitfires and the son of the current General Manager of the Hamilton Bulldogs, Steve Staios. Steve had a long career, appearing in 1001 NHL games with the Boston Bruins, Vancouver Canucks, Atlanta Thrashers, Edmonton Oilers, Calgary Flames and New York Islanders. He also appeared in 64 AHL games and 104 IHL games.

44 OHL’ers Named On NHL Central Scouting’s Players to Watch List

Posted on by Dominic Tiano

If you are a fan of the Ontario Hockey League and the National Hockey League Draft is your thing, you might want to wait until day two of the two day event to be held June 21 and 22 from Vancouver, British Columbia.

The 2019 draft is considered to be a strong and deep draft with strength at every position. While it is still very early, the fact that this could be a down year for the OHL as it pertains to the draft is proving to be just that.

Just two OHL’ers, Ryan Suzuki of the Barrie Colts and Arthur Kaliyev of the Hamilton Bulldogs are listed on NHL Central Scouting’s players to watch list as “A prospects.” An A prospect is considered to have first round potential.

Mack Guzda of the Owen Sound Attack. Photo by Terry Wilson / OHL Images.
Mack Guzda of the Owen Sound Attack. Photo by Terry Wilson / OHL Images.

It gets slightly better for “B prospects”, typically considered to have second and third round potential. That list includes goaltender Mack Guzda of the Owen Sound Attack, widely considered the top goaltender available from the OHL.

The OHL could be hard pressed to reach the 35 players selected from their league in 2018 and might be closer to the all time low of 31 selected at the 2015 NHL Draft. It’s a far cry from the 56 drafted in 1999. In the past 28 years, on average, 43 players have been drafted from the OHL.

Here are the OHL players listed on Central Scouting list:

A KALIYEV ARTHUR HAMILTON OHL RW
A SUZUKI RYAN BARRIE OHL C
B CARROLL JOSEPH SAULT STE. MARIE OHL C
B CLARKE GRAEME OTTAWA OHL RW
B CONSTANTINOU WILLIAM NIAGARA OHL D
B GUSKOV MATVEI LONDON OHL C
B GUZDA MACK OWEN SOUND OHL G
B HARLEY THOMAS MISSISSAUGA OHL D
B KOLYACHONOK VLADISLAV LONDON OHL D
B OKHOTYUK NIKITA OTTAWA OHL D
B REES JAMIESON SARNIA OHL C
B ROBERTSON NICHOLAS PETERBOROUGH OHL LW
B TOMASINO PHILIP NIAGARA OHL C
C ALLENSEN NATHAN BARRIE OHL D
C ANTROPOV DANIL OSHAWA OHL LW
C BERTUZZI TAG GUELPH OHL C
C BIGNELL LUKE BARRIE OHL C
C BREWER MITCHELL OSHAWA OHL D
C CAVALLIN LUKE FLINT OHL G
C CERMAK ERIK PETERBOROUGH OHL LW
C DAWS NICOLAS GUELPH OHL G
C DUNKLEY NATHAN LONDON OHL C
C EGGENBERGER NANDO OSHAWA OHL LW
C EVERETT CALEB SAGINAW OHL D
C GOGOLEV PAVEL PETERBOROUGH OHL RW
C HILL MATHEW BARRIE OHL D
C JONES HUNTER PETERBOROUGH OHL G
C KEPPEN ETHAN FLINT OHL LW
C LADD GRAYSON WINDSOR OHL D
C LEGUERRIER JACOB SAULT STE. MARIE OHL D
C MCMICHAEL CONNOR LONDON OHL C
C MURRAY BLAKE SUDBURY OHL C
C PERROTT ANDREW LONDON OHL D
C PIIROINEN KARI WINDSOR OHL G
C PORCO NICHOLAS SAGINAW OHL LW
C PRIMEAU MASON GUELPH OHL C
C ROBERTSON CARTER OWEN SOUND OHL D
C ROSS LIAM SUDBURY OHL D
C SCHWINDT COLE MISSISSAUGA OHL C
C STARIKOV LEV WINDSOR OHL D
C STEVENSON KEEGAN GUELPH OHL LW
C STRUTHERS MATTHEW NORTH BAY OHL C
C VUKOJEVIC MICHAEL KITCHENER OHL D
C WASHKURAK KEEAN MISSISSAUGA OHL C