Sunday 12 August 2018

OHL Defected 1st round Draft Pick Flashback Trade Tree - Ryan McLeod

Ryan McLeod 



Ryan Mcleod

After a championship season in the GTHL as a minor midget McLeod had made it clear that his preference was to go to the Steelheads with the 5th pick. McLeod however was selected by the Flint Firebirds who had the 3rd selection in that draft.

After a trade was finally facilitated McLeod would join his brother in Mississauga and help lay the foundation for what Steelhead fans hoped would be a championship run.

McLeod would suit up in 62 games as a rookie and add 20 points. The following season he would add antoher 42 and finally last season in his NHL draft year he added 70 points. McLeod has missed only 6 games his entire OHL career which was during his time at the U17 hockey championships.

His 132 points has McLeod sitting 29th all-time in franchise history. He has also played in 32 playoff games for the team and picked up 20 points during their Eastern Conference title run in 2017.



Compensatory Pick

In a first for defected draft pick compensation with McLeod being a top 4 selection the compensatory pick fell to spot number 5 rather than number 4 which would have been 1 spot after the McLeod selection from the previous year. An extra caveat for this pick was the fact that it was Flint's only 1st round selection due to the fact that the OHL took away their 1st round pick as punishment for their owner meddling with the team after he was put on probation by the league.

With the pick the Firebirds selected Ty Dellandrea. A pick that was derided by some fans at the time who were looking to jump on the Firebirds and say nobody would want to commit to the program so they had to reach for their selection. Well Dellandrea got the final laugh as he was taken 13th overall in this past NHL draft by the Dallas Stars. 27 spots higher than Ryan McLeod.

After chipping in with 24 points in 57 games as a rookie, Dellandrea bumped his production to 59 points in 67 games last year while carrying a young Flint offence. On top of that he has worn the Maple Leaf 4 times already in his young career at the U17, Hlinka and twice at the U18.


Trade Compensation


The Firebirds picked up 6 draft picks in return for McLeod. 3 2nd round picks and 3 3rd round picks. What is most unique about these picks however is that Flint is using most of them to draft players rather than trade them away.

The 2nd in 2016 originally belonging to Sudbury was used to select Hunter Holmes while the 3rd belonging to Mississauga was used to select Ryan Littlejohn. Through 2 seasons both players have suited up in 107 OHL games. Holmes has had a little more offensive succes to date picking up 20 points this past season in 40 game season that was stalled by injuries. After picking up 3 as a rookie Littlejohn added 11 last year in his sophomore season.

The lone 2017 selecton was once again a Sudbury 2nd. The Firebirds used this to select their goalie of the future in Luke Cavallin. Cavallin finished with a save percentage of .870 which is respectable for a 16 year old goalie on a young team. He also had the starting nod for his team at the U17 hockey challenge.

The 2018 3rd acquired in the trade was used to select Michael Bianconi who has signed with the program and will be making his debut this upcoming season.

The 2018 second was used along with an OS 2nd in 2019 and a conditional 2nd from Oshawa in 2020 to acquire Kole Sherwood. Sherwood would pick up 85 points in 60 games in his lone season in Flint. He was returned to the OHL the following year by the Columbus Blue Jackets. At this point the Firebirds would move him to Kitchener for 2 2nds a 3rd and a 5th adding more draft picks to the Flint Arsenal.

The 2019 3rd was conditionally sent to London in the Nicholas Mattinen trade. The condition was if he played his OA season. Mattinen was subsequently dealt to Hamilton where a conditional 2nd was part of the deal in the event he plays his OA season.


Overall you would have to say the Firebirds are exstatic with the return of this trade. Not only did they get a bounty in return but they have added some key pieces to a young team that is just waiting to burst out. McLeod helped the Steelheads make it to the OHL finals but you have to wonder if they could have gotten more bang for their buck for the assets. One thing to look out for this season is if they will deal McLeod at the deadline as I am sure there are more than a few teams who would be interested in adding his services

OHL Defected 1st round Draft Pick Flashback Trade Tree - Logan Brown

Logan Brown 




Logan Brown
Son of Former Ottawa 67s coach Jeff Brown. Logan made it apparent almost right away that he was not going to play for the Ice Dogs. After being moved to Windsor, Brown would play 3.5 seasons with the Spits which also included a memorial Cup Championship. At the deadline of his 19 year old season he was moved the the Kitchener Rangers were he would finish his OHL career.

in 182 career OHL games Brown would score 74 goals and add 131 assists to finish with 205 career points. He would add another 37 points in 31 playoff games and lead the OHL in playoff assists in the 2018 playoffs. In the memorial cup for Windsor he would pick up 5 points in 4 games.

Compensatory Draft Pick

With the 7th overall selection in the 2015 OHL priority selection the Niagara Icedogs selected Ben Jones from the Toronto Marlboros program.He only picked up 9 points in his rookie season but in his NHL draft year he saw that shoot up to 50 points from 13 goals and 37 assists. In his 18 year old season he saw another jump as he picked up 30 games and 49 assists. With the Icedogs primed the make a run at the Eastern Conference crown we could be looking at another jump in the statistical producton of Ben Jones. He was a 7th round draft pick of the Las Vegas Golden Knights in 2017. He is currently 18th in career goals (while in Niagara) and 13th in career points (While in Niagara).

Trade Compensation




In return for the rights to Logan Brown the Icedogs picked up 3 2nds 2 3rds and a 14th round draft pick. Of the 6 draft picks recieved only one of them was used by the Icedogs. That would be the 2016 2nd belonging to Guelph. With that pick the Icedogs selected Cal Davis.

Cal Davis would play 25 games for the Icedogs before being sent to the Fronts for a 5th round pick in 2019. That 5th round pick was recently used along with Daniel Singer to acquire Ivan Lodnia from the Erie Otters. It should be noted that the pick was conditional so there is a possibility it improves that the Icedogs keep that 5th round selection.

Windsors 2nd in 2017 was used by Sarnia, Guelphs 2nd in 2018 was used by Peterborough. Kitcheners 3rd in 2016 was used by Barrie while the 2018 3rd was used by Oshawa. Finally the 14th round pick in 2017 was used by North Bay.

I was able to trade the 2017 2nd to the Bulldogs as part of the Stephen Harper trade. The 2018 2nd from Guelph was sent to Plymouth as part of the package to acquire Nedelkovic and Wesley. The 2018 3rd was sent to Guelph for Tyler Boston. Boston would suit up in 27 regular season games for the Icedogs and picked up 5 points. He would suit up in another 17 playoff games that year before calling it a career. The 2017 14th round pick was sent along with a 2018 13th round pick to Guelph for a 14th and 15th round selecton in 2016. Those picks were used for Michael Hill who played for Orangeville last year in the OJHL and Riley Girard who played for Pickering also in the OJHL.

Im sure Windsor would do this trade over again. They may not have had the regular season or playoff success they may have hoped for as his time in Windsor coincided with some loaded Western Conference teams. Still they won the Memorial Cup with his help and were able to move him for a 2017 1st round pick in Grayson Ladd and 4 draft picks. As for the Icedogs. They used most of those picks to build their Eastern Conference championship team in 2016. Ben Jones is also a key cog in what could be another Eastern Conference title winning team this upcoming season.


Friday 29 June 2018

OHL Defected 1st round Draft Pick Flashback Trade Tree - Victor Mete

Victor Mete 

Victor Mete

The Owen Sound Attack took Victor Mete 8th overall in the 2014 OHL priority Selection. Mete was a coveted reargaurd who was named to the NHLPA mentorship program after his bantam season. He helped lead the Toronto Jr Canadians to a GTHL title and a 2nd place finish at the OHL cup.

He declined to commit to the Owen Sound Attack stating that he wanted to play for a team where he could continue his private school education and a city that had a university. After refusing to budge on this his rights were moved to the London Knights for a host of draft picks.

While in London Mete would go on to have a stellar career. He would pick up 105 points in 176 games over 3 seasons. He would suit up in 42 playoff games and help lead London to the OHL and Memorial Cup titles. His game progressed so much that he would play in the NHL as a 19 year old thus giving London only 3 years of service.

It could be argued that in Mete's final season in the OHL he was the leagues best defenceman. Ultimately the Max Kaminsky award went to Darren Raddysh after his great offensive year but if you had to choose between either defenceman most would likely go with Mete.

Compensatory Draft Pick

With the 9th pick in the 2015 OHL priority selection the Owen Sound Attack went to the blueline again taking Markus Phillips. 

Phillips has been a very good OHL defenceman picking up 94 points in 197 games. Phillips would also go on to captain his U17 team and was named to team canada's U18 team as an underaged player. The Attack made it to a western conference finals with him and helped push the Greyhounds to 7 games this past season even though the Attack were somewhat lacking between the pipes. In total he has 33 games of playoff experience over his 3 years in the OHL.

Phillips still has another year of eligibility on what should be a good Owen Sound team, especially with Guzda another year older. He should have another impact season for the Attack and anchor their blueline again.

Trade Compensation


In return for Mete the Owen Sound Attack picked up 6 draft picks from London. 3 2nds (Miss '17, Ldn '18, Ldn '19) 2 3rds (Ldn '15, Ldn '16) and a conditional 6th in 2017 that would have become a 3rd if Mete was drafted in the first 2 rounds of the NHL draft. He was taken in round 4 so the conditions were not met.



The Mississauga 2nd in 2017 was eventually sent back to the London Knights for the OA season of Josh Sterk. Sterk brought 4 years of OHL experience to a young Attack team in 2015-16. He would go on to score 9 goals and add 33 assists in 64 games that season for the Attack before adding 4 goals in 5 playoff games that year.

The London 2nd in 2018 was eventually used by Hamilton who got the pick from Sudbury in the Candella trade who got the pick from Owen Sound in the Bowman and Lyszczcarczyk trade. Bowman would suit up in 15 games for Owen Sound and have his worst statistical season. Lyszczarczyk who should be back this year as an OA chipped in with 21 goals and 41 points for the Attack last year but was stellar in the playoffs with 13 points in 11 games.

With the 3rd in 2015 the Attack selected netminder Riley Daniels. Daniels has only suited up in 11 games over 2 years for the Attack and has mostly been playing in the GOJHL.

The 3rd in 2016 eventually made its way back to London. The Knights acquired it from Flint and I couldnt find out how Flint got ahold of the pick.

As for the 2nd in 2019 the Attack still have that and outside of their 1st it is their only draft pick remaining in the first 4 rounds of that draft.


In the end London got a key player who would help them win a memorial cup title. In fact they are the only team to win an OHL title after acquiring a "defected 1st round pick" Twice with Domi and once with Mete.

The Owen Sound Attack picked up a defender who has brought comparable value to the franchise while acquring a nice cache of assets that they used to augment their roster. They still have a 2nd round pick they have yet to use which should help this team in the coming years as they already have some nice pieces that should keep them competitive.

Sunday 24 June 2018

OHL Defected 1st round Draft Pick Flashback Trade Tree - Adam Bateman

Adam Bateman

Adam Bateman

3 years after Lucas Lessio refused to report the Icedogs took a chance on Don Mills Flyers defenceman Adam Bateman as the team was primed to compete for an OHL title. Bateman was the defence partner of Darnell Nurse in minor midget and was coming off of an OHL Cup finals appearance. Bateman also suited up for Team Ontario at the Canada Winter Games.

As 16 year old he would help Team Ontario claim a bronze medal at the U17 hockey challenge where he added 3 points in 6 games. Over 3 years in Windsor he would pick up 29 points in 163 games before ultimatly taking his game to Saint John in the QMJHL.

Not only did Bateman become the first defected player not to get drafted but he became the first to no finish his career in the OHL. That is not to say Bateman did not have a solid Major Junior career as he finished with 249 games over 5 seasons across the 2 leagues. In the end he was caught in a situation where he didnt develop as planned and due to poor drafting and sanctions against the Spitfires it made sense for them to move on from Bateman.

Compensatory Draft Pick

Due to the fact that Max Domi was also a defected selection from 2011 the Icedogs compensation pick dropped and extra spot and the picked 20th in the 2012 priority selection. With that pick the went to Michigan and drafted defenceman Aaron Haydon.

Haydon would spend 5 seasons in Niagara playing in 278 games for the Icedogs and helped them reach their 2nd OHL Finals and played in 42 playoff games over his 5 years. In fact the 278 career games that Haydon laced up in places him 4th all time in Icedogs history while in Niagara and most by a defenceman. His 42 playoff games is also most all time by a defenceman in Niagara Icedogs history and 6th most among any skater.

This was really the first time it was a slam dunk that the comp pick ended up being a better player than the defected player. You could make a strong argument that Sam Bennett was better than Max Domi but Lessio and Rychel were definitively better OHL players than their comp picks.

Trade Compensation


In return for the rights to Adam Bateman the Icedogs picked up 5 guaranteed draft picks and 1 conditional pick. They never recieved the conditional pick as Bateman needed to suit up for 1 OA game in the OHL and he was out of the league in 3 years.

As for the picks the Icedogs did recieve they were Guelph's 6th in 2012, Peterborough's 2nd in 2014, Sarnia's 2nd in 2015 and Windsors 3rds in 2015 and 2016.



With that 6th round pick in 2012 the drafted a defenceman from the Peterborough minor midget program. He would spend his 16 year old season in the GOJHL for Thorold before exploding onto the scene in 3 seasons with Niagara. That player was current St. Louis Blues defender Vince Dunn. Dunn would play in 183 games with the Icedogs and pick up 132 points. His 132 points has Dunn14th all time among Icedogs skaters and 2nd all time among blueliners. A fantastic pick up with the 6th round pick.

What worked out for the Icedogs about the Bateman situation is the timing of the situation. They had a team that had the core to win a conference championship. What was more valuable than Bateman were the draft picks they got for him as they could trade them to improve their roster and the comp 1st round pick was an asset buffer to help speed up the rebuild.

The 2nd in 2014 belonging to Peterborough was 1 of 3 2nds that were sent to Sarnia for Brett Richie. That 2nd was later dealt by Sarnia to Mississauga for JP Anderson.

The 2015 2nd belonging to Sarnia was sent to Saginaw in the Jamie Oleksiak trade along with a host of other picks. 1 of the other picks was originally acquired by Niagara in the Lessio trade so both the Lessio and Bateman trades had an impact on Niagara getting the neccesairy assets needed to pick up the hulking blueliner.

The Windsor 3rd in 2015 was used by Barrie. I could not find where that pick was moved and how Barrie acquired it.

The 3rd in 2016 was sent to Hamilton as part of the package that brought Stephan Harper to the Icedogs for their most recent OHL finals run.


This trade didnt work out as planned for the Spitfires. They gave up some much needed assets and acquired a player who didnt live up to expectations. It actually was a bit of a trend for a few years for the Spits with their own 1st round picks and lead to some lean years which added to the pain of the traded assets.

As for Niagara they picked up a slew of picks and used them smartly to improve their team. They hit a home run with Vince Dunn but that was an exception with a 6th round pick where things fell into place from a development and opportunity point of view. It is easy to look back and judge how a trade worked out but when you make it you don't expect the 6th round pick to have the biggest impact on a teams future. 

Essentially with smart asset management the Icedogs picked up 2 players in the next draft who would go on to have a bigger OHL impact than the player who refused to sign with them. They also went out and used the other picks to acquire 3 different players who would help the team reach 2 different OHL finals. They may not have won the title but only 1 in 20 teams wins the title every year. To be in the final 2 twice in such a short period of time is a heck of an accomplishment and likely wouldnt have been done without the extra assets picked up.

Thursday 21 June 2018

OHL Defected 1st round Draft Pick Flashback Trade Tree - Max Domi


Max Domi 


Max Domi

After a sub .500 season in Kingston the Fronts shuffled head coach Doug Gilmour to the GM post. In his first draft at the helm he selected the son of a former teammate in hopes that he would be able to help turn the fortunes of the franchise around. Domi had just led his Don Mills Flyers to the OHL Cup finals and had been profiled on TSN by Bob McKenzie the previous winter.

It didnt work out as planned for Gilmour and the Fronts as Domi refused to commit. Kingston eventually moved him to the London Knights for 3 2nd round draft picks. 2 in the following draft and another 4 years down the road.

In London Domi would go on to win 2 OHL titles and pick up 331 points in in 224 games and also won the Mickey Renauld Captains award in his final season. He would also add another 60 points in 50 career playoff games in the Green and Gold.

Domi also laced up in 3 straight memorial cups picking up 8 points in 12 games during that tournament. Internationally he would win gold at the Hlinka and the World Juniors while also being named top forward during that World Junior gold run. As a 16 year old he also helped team Ontario pick up a bronze medal at the U17 challenge.

Compensatory Draft Pick

The Fronts picked up the 9th overall pick in the 2012 draft as compensation for not signing Domi who was taken 8th overall. With that selection the Fronts took Sam Bennett a player who somewhat played in the shadow of his minor midget line mates Conner McDavid and Josh Ho-Sang.

As a rookie Bennett would finish the year with 40 points in 60 games. Great production for a 16 year old. To top it off he suited up for Canada's U-18 team as an underage and averaged more than a point per game helping lead Canada to the Gold Medal.

The following season he exploded with 91 points in 57 games. The Fronts however would finish the playoffs in heart break blowing a 3-0 lead to the Peterborough Petes. For Bennett however the year was topped off by winning the CHL top prospect award as he was taken 4th overall by the Calgary Flames.

He would only play 11 more games with the Fronts due to a shoulder injury the next year but picked up 24 points in those 11 games. As a 19 year old Bennett would play with the Flames. In his 2+ seasons in Kingston Bennett would play 128 games and pick up 155 points.


Trade Compensation

As mentioned the Fronts recieved 3 2nds for Domi. They were Erie's 2nd in 2012 which turned out to be the 1st pick in the 2nd round. Guelph's 2nd in 2012 which was traded before the draft and London's 2nd in 2015 which was used by the Fronts.



With Erie's selection the Fronts drafted defenceman Dylan Di Perna. He was one of 3 picks the Fronts had in the first 24 selections of the 2012 draft. Oddly enough Di Perna would suit up in the fewest games (66)for the Fronts out of those 4 picks and was shipped to Kitchener along with a draft pick during his 17 year old season for defenceman Evan McEneny. McEneny would play one and a half seasons for the Fronts and play in 114 games. During his OA year McEneny helped the Fronts hit 84 points which at the time was their most in 14 years.

With Guelph's 2nd in 2012 it highlighted a package that was sent to Niagara along with an 8th and a 3rd for Billy Jenkins and a 10th. I know what you are saying "They had to give up more than a 2nd for Billy Jenkins". Jenkins would suit up in 96 games with Kingston before being sent back to Niagara. This time along with 2 5th round draft picks for 18 year old forward Mackenzie Lemmon. Lemmon would only play 44 games in Kingston and his 19 year old season was over by 6 before he finished it in the OJHL. Needless to say there was some bad juju with that pick.

In 2015 with none of the previous pieces or their branches still baring fruit the Fronts would use London's 2nd to select a young defenceman out of Quinte who suited on for Ontario at the Canada Winter Games. That would be Jakob Brahaney. The young defender has suited up for the Fronts in 136 games during his young career proving to be a more than serviceable defender. With Kingston likely headed towards a rebuild it would not be a surprise to see him shopped this year possibly adding a few more branches to the Max Domi Trade Tree.


How did it work out for the teams involved? Well I dont know if London wins 2 straight OHL titles without Domi. Even if he was only 16 and 17 when it happened.

As for the Fronts? Well the year following the trade they finished 2nd last in the OHL. Since then they have topped 80 points in 3 of 6 seasons, have never finished worse than 6th in the east and have even won their their first 4 playoff rounds since before anyone could remember. They may not have won a title but the return on the Domi trade helped kick start a new attitude in Kingston.

It was the first trade of a former 1st round draft pick to guarantee 3 2nd round draft picks. The Lessio trade included 3 however 2 of those were conditional. A very small price considering the return that London got from Domi and a great return for Kingston considering you could argue they picked up a better player with their comp pick the following year.

Sunday 17 June 2018

OHL Defected 1st round draft pick Flashback Trade Tree – Kerby Rychel


Kerby Rychel 



Kerby Rychel
Most of us know the story by now. Windsor was going to take Kerby Rychel in the 2nd round of the OHL draft but a day or two before the draft they added some picks by moving back in the 1st round. Barrie which was in the middle of a tension filled OHL championship series saw this as Windsor adding draft picks while still being able to get a border line 1st round talent later in the draft. Barrie decided to take Rychel with the final pick in the 1st round.

Rychel made it clear he would never commit to the Colts. Barrie then traded Rychel to the Steelheads who then moved him to Windsor at the deadline. Rychel would go on to have a fantastic OHL career which included which included a pair of 40 goal seasons, an OHL title and multiple times putting on a team Canada jersey.

He would finish his career with 271 points in 256 games. 122 of those points were goals. He would skate in 42 play off games and finish with 41 points in those contests as well as 7 in 4 memorial cup games with Guelph.

In all in his OHL career Kerby Rychel was traded for 10 2nds 2 3rd and 2 4ths and Brody Milne. A pair if 2nds and Nick Ebert came along with Rychel in separate trades but you could almost ice a team with the picks he was traded for.

Add it all up and it was quite the impressive OHL career for Rychel.

Compensatory Draft Pick
With the 22nd pick in the 2011 OHL Priority Selection (with 2 defected players the Colts comp pick was 22nd rather than 21st) the Barrie Colts selected Alexander Yuill. Yuill was the 2nd of 2 defencemen that the Colts would take in the 1st round. You may have heard of the other Aaron Ekblad. Yuill was the OMHA player of the year his minor midget season. He would go to play 2.5 seasons with the Colts before being dealt to the Belleville Bulls at the trade deadline of his 18 year old season.

Yuill played in 140 games for the Colts over his 2.5 seasons and put up solid numbers for a young defenceman on a team coming off the worst record in the league. He would add 20 points in those 140 games and would have a positive plus/minus every year he suited up for the Colts.

At the 2014 deadline Yuill was moved to the Bulls forward Garret Hooey and a 2016 5th round pick.

Hooey would play 106 games for the Colts and wear an "A" on his sweater his OA season. In those 106 games he would add 66 points and a further 12 in 20 playoff games. That 5th round pick in 2016 was used to select Luke Bignell who after a year in the GOJHL with the Kitchener Dutchmen he would spend the 2017-18 season with the Colts where he would pick up 12 points in 56 games during his rookie campaign.

Trade Compensation



The Majors sent Barrie 3 2nd round draft picks for the rights to Kerby Rychel. The 2nds were in each of the next 2 drafts, 2011, 2012 and a 3rd in 2014. Of course no matter how much research I did I could not confirm if the draft picks belonged to any team other that Mississauga.

Quickly after dealing Rychel to Mississauga the Colts made a second deal. Sending a 2nd (which turned out to be Mississauga's) in 2011 to Sudbury for a former 3rd round pick who had been playing in the OJHL under newly hired Colts head coach Dale Hawerchuck. That forward was Steven Beyers.

Beyers would play his 18,19 and 20 year old seasons for Barrie and turned out to be fantastic value for a traded 2nd round pick. He would finish his OHL career with 185 points in 188 games and was over a point per game as an OA. He helped take the Colts from last place to the OHL finals in 3 years and finished his playoff career with 27 points in 29 games.

Mississauga's 2nd in 2012 ended up being used by Plymouth to select Alex Peters. It was sent to London as part of the Andrea Athanasiou trade.

As for the 3rd in 2014 that ended up being used by Erie to select Shaun Bily


In the end selecting a player who was not going to report turned out fantastic for Barrie. No matter who they selected it wasn't going to help them avoid a last place finish that season and sure wasn't going to have an impact that year that Steven Beyers did who they acquired for one of their draft picks. Both Beyers and Yuill played on their OHL finals team. Their 2012 2nd was the only 2nd sent to London in the Athanasiou trade. As for Mississauga? Well who knows what deals they made with Windsor. They lost the OHL finals but they had some lean years after.


Thursday 14 June 2018

OHL Defected 1st round draft pick Flashback Trade Tree - Lucas Lessio

Lucas Lessio

After Jordan Meyer refused to report to the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds in 2008 the league instituted a rule where teams can trade a draft pick refuses to report and is deemed "Defected" and receive a compensatory 1st round pick the following year.

Since this rule has been placed there have been 13 such instances where a player has refused to report to his drafting team or has yet to report to their drafting team. 10 times the drafting team has deemed him defected 1 other time (Jordan Greenway) a player did not report but his drafting team (Plymouth) kept his rights and 2 times (McBain and Hughes) the player was used with a compensation pick and thus did not qualify for further compensation.

What does it take to be deemed a "Defected" player and what qualifies a team for compensation. For a player to be dubbed defected he must not show up to training camp and the drafting team must declare him defected. Once this happens the team qualifies for a compensatory 1st round draft pick the following year 1 spot behind where they drafted. They also have a 15 day window from September 1st to 15th where they can trade the player.

A few rules in regards to the compensatory pick. They can not receive a 1st round compensation pick 2 years in a row. If their 1st round is deemed "defected" for a 2nd consecutive year then the drafting team would only be awared a compensatory 2nd round pick the following year. Also as mentioned earlier you can not receive compensation if a compensatory pick chooses not to report.

Every Thursday and Sunday for the next few weeks I will look back at 7 of these picks and see how things turned out for not only the drafting team but also the team that acquired the "Defected" player. The 3 that I wont be looking at will be Nick Ebert who was traded to Windsor after not reporting to Mississauga. Jacob Tortora who went to Kitchener for conditional picks and the Kirill Nihznikov trade which happened so recently and had so many odd conditions on it that I dont want to take the time to research it all.

This isn't really about looking back and who won each trade. When draft picks are involved there are so many variables and ways that you can extract value from them. Drafting, developing, trading picks. Asset management is really a science and not to mention most of the public still vastly over value draft picks. The point of this is to look back and see how the transaction worked out for both teams.

Lucas Lessio

The Icedogs took Lessio 7th overall in the 2009 OHL priority selection. As a 15 year old he amassed 113 points in 72 games with the Toronto Marlboros and was named the MVP of the OHL cup after an 11 point performance in leading the Marlboros to the title. He was committed to the University of Michigan but the Icedogs still took a chance and drafted him. The Icedogs dealt Lessio to the Oshawa Generals once it became obvious he would not suit up for the team. In return for Lessio the Icedogs received a 2nd in 2010 (Oshawa used their own 2nd in 2010 so it is safe to assume the Icedogs received Londons 2nd which Oshawa had acquired in the Tavares trade) and a conditional 15th. That conditional pick became Londons 2nd in 2012 and Oshawas 2nd in 2013 if Lessio played 1 OHL season and 2 3rds Oshawas in 2012 and 2013 and a 4th Oshawas in 2014 if Lessio played 2 seasons in the OHL.

As a 16 year old Lessio suited up for the St. Michael's Buzzers of the OJHL where he picked up 72 points in 41 games while also helping Ontario to a Silver medal at the U17 hockey challenge. The following year he would commit to the Generals where he would play 3 seasons.

While Lessio never lived up to the billing he had coming into the leauge he did have 3 solid seasons with the Generals picking up 150 career points in 167 games although he never averaged more than a point per game in any of his 3 seasons. He would suit up for the Generals in 25 playoff games picking up another 17 points.

The Generals and the Icedogs would actually go on to meet each every year in the playoffs that Lessio was in the league with the Icedogs prevailing in 2 of the 3 seasons.

The Compensatory Pick

The Icedogs recieved the 8th overall pick in 2010 since Lessio was taken 7th overall the year before. That gave them 2 picks in the top 8 as their regular pick was 6th that draft. With the 8th pick they took Luke Mercer from the Toronto Nationals program. The defensive partner of their 6th overall pick Jesse Graham.

Mercer would go on to have a solid career with the Icedogs. He would suit up for Niagara in 5 seasons although his OA season was cut short due to injury. In all he would play in 232 games for the Icedogs and chip in with 85 career points from the blueline. He would also add 35 playoff games chipping in with a further 6 points in helping the Icedogs reach an Eastern Conference finals his rookie year and an OHL final his sophomore year.

The Trade Compensation
In all the Icedogs received 6 draft picks for Lessio. 3 2nds, 2 3rds and a 4th. The 2nds were in the first, third and fourth drafts following the trade which gave them very good present value at the time of the trade. The 3rds where in the third and fourth drafts following the trade and the 4th was five years down the road.




The first 2nd round pick they received came in 2010 and was originally London's 2nd round draft pick. The Icedogs used that pick to draft Joel Wigle. Wigle would go on to play 2.5 seasons with the Icedogs picking up 38 points in 140 games before being moved to the Erie Otters for 2 draft picks. Sarnia's 2nd in 2013 and Erie's 4th in 2015. The Erie selection eventually made its way to Kitchener but the Icedogs used Sarnia's 2013 2nd on defenceman Zach Wilkie.

Zach Wilkie would go on to play parts of 3 seasons patrolling the blueline for the Icedogs. He would skate in 107 regular season contests and pick up 11 points before being moved at the deadline in 2016 along with import Mikael Aagaard for Sudbury import Pavel Jenys.

Jenys would only add 25 points in 42 games for the Icedogs but came on strong in the Playoffs. Jenys would go on to add 17 points in 17 playoff games for the Icedogs helping lead them to their 2nd OHL finals appearance.

London's 2nd in 2012 ended up back in London's hands. Possibly via Owen Sound as the Attack picked up a 2012 2nd for Niagara in the Steven Shipley trade.

Oshawa's 2nd in 2013 ended up in the hands of the Sarnia Sting as part of the Ritchie trade

Oshawa's 3rd in 2013 ended up with the Saginaw Spirit as part of the Oleksiak trade

Oshawa's 3rd in 2014 was turned into defenceman Ryan Sarris. Drafted out of the Whitby Wildcats system Sarris was never really able to make a dent in a deep Icedogs D-core and ended up only playing 2 games for the Icedogs before bouncing around the OJHL and GOJHL to end his junior career.

Oshawa's 4th in 2014 was turned into Kyle Langdon. The gritty forward who could be back as an OA this year has suited up for 174 games in an Icedogs jersey while picking up 43 points. He has also chipped in with 5 points in 24 playoff games.

In all the Icedogs added 697 games of service with the Draft picks from the Lessio trade and 3 of the players drafted or acquired for drafted players suited up in the OHL finals. The Icedogs also used 3 of the draft picks in packages to acquire 3 other players who helped them reach their first OHL finals.

From the Icedogs perspective this was a win. The 2009 draft wasnt the strongest and they were able to maximize their return. It should be noted however they benefited from drafting arguably the best player in the draft in the 2nd round in Dougie Hamilton and picked up the 2nd best player in Ryan Strome at the deadline when they moved Alex Peiterangelo to the Barrie Colts.

For the Generals on paper it doesn't look like the biggest bang for their buck but bringing in Lessio helped coincided with the team turning things around post Tavares. They progressively got better before finally breaking out after Lessio left and winning the Memorial Cup. 



Sunday 10 June 2018

Potential OHL Head Coaching Candidates

Over the past few summers I have been posting lists of potential HC candidates who could fill roles in the OHL. It seems that head coach turnover is happening quicker and quicker but more so due to coaches getting plucked from the OHL to fill roles in the AHL. Not all on this list I feel would warrant HC interest this year, rather some I find to be head coaching prospects who could find themselves in the head role within the next few years.

Here is my list from the summer of 2016 which was more geared towards the Bulldogs opening and my list from last summer.


Jr A and Jr B coaches

BCHL - Jason Fortier - Coquitlam Express

Jason has been on my list every year so someone please hire this man so I can stop putting him on. He is a 2 time OJHL coach of the year as he took the Toronto Patrots to back to back Buckland cup titles. He also helped guided the Toronto Titans midget program to the Telus Cup. In 2015-16 he moved to Rouyn-Noranda where he was an assistant coach and helping lead the Huskies to the QMJHL title. in 2016-17 he was off the Kitchener where he lasted a year as their HC. Half way through last year he was hired by Coquitlam in the BCHL where he took a team that was 3-21-1-1 and had them finish 12-17-0-3 the rest of the way.

OJHL - Greg Walters - Georgetown Raiders (rumoured to be in line for the Generals job)

Former assistant coach with the Sarnia Sting from '02-'10. Since 2010-11 He has been the GM and Head Coach of the Georgetown Raiders. He has twice won the coach of the year award in the OJHL and in 2016-17 was named the CJHL coach of the year. Recent players that Walters has helped develop under his watch include David Miller, Michael McNiven, Santino Centorami, Darren Raddysh and current University of Michigan goalie Jack Lafontaine. While the Raiders may be considered the London Knights of the OJHL Western Conference due to their resource advantage it shouldn't take away from the job that Walters has been able to do from a development perspective.

OJHL - John Druce - Wellington Dukes

Druce took over as head coach of the Cobourg Cougars for hte start of the 2016-17 season. As hosts of the RBC cup he led the to the title. He led Cobourg to a 39-11-4 record in the regular season. Midway through the '17-'18 season he was let go by Cobourg after new management decided they wanted to bring someone else in. On January 5th he was brought in as head coach of the Wellington Dukes and led them to the OJHL title.

CCHL - Jason Clarke - Charelton Place Canadians.

Led the Charelton Place Canadians to a 52-5-4 record this year. In his time with the Canadians he has led them to 4 CCHL titles, 3 Fred Page Cup titles and they are a 3 time RBC cup finalist. He has also twice been head coach of Team Canada East for the World Jr A challenge. He has had unparalleled success in on of Canada's best Jr A leagues and would be a coup for whoever can pry him away and have him help lead their OHL team.

GOJHL - Jason Brooks - Listowel Cyclones

Former Head Coach and GM of the Guelph Storm. Spent time as an assistant with the Niagara Icedogs before back issues forced him to step away from the game. Returned to the bench after a 1 year hiatus as HC of the Listowel Cyclones of the GOJHL. in his 4 years at the helm he has led them to a GOJHL title and was named midwest conference coach of the year in 2016-17. He has OHL HC experience and had good successes in that role. It looks like his health issues are in the past and could be primed to make a return to the OHL.

GOJHL - Ken Peroff - Ancaster Avalanche

Ken will not be named a HC this summer. That said he is a name that you should remember. The former Battalion defender had a great first season has head coach in Ancaster. If he doesnt garner interest this year his name will definitely come up for Assistant positions next summer. He is a coach who has the development potential to nab a head coaching position in the next 5 years or so.

University Hockey

OUA - Marty Williamson - Brock Badgers

Former HC of the Niagara Icedogs and the Barrie Colts. His teams have made  3 OHL finals appearances. He was named OUA West coach of the year last season has been know to be interested in OHL openings in the past. The one question mark Williamson has is his health as he missed a significant chunk of time his final year in Niagara due to health concerns.

OUA - Brett Gibson - Queens Golden Gaels
Gibson has been the head coach at Queens since 05-06. He was hired after spending a year as an assistant coach with the Kingston Frontenacs. He is a 2 time OUA East coach of the year winner ('07-'08 and '13-'14) and a 1 time winner of the Father George Kehoe Memorial Award (CIS Coach of the Year). He also helped lead Canada to a bronze medal at the 2016-17 universiade. He was also an assistant coach on Team Canada White at last years U-17 challenge.

Former OHL Head Coachs

Bob Jones - Oshawa Generals/Windsor Spitfires

Jones has been coaching in the OHL since 1994-95 when he was an assistant with his hometown Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. He was an associate coach with the Windsor Spitfires when they won back to back memorial cup titles. He spent 1 year has HC of Windsor where his claim to fame was getting into a bar fight in SSM and having his Mem Cup ring tossed into the St. Mary's river. he has most recently been HC in Oshawa where he helped lead the Young Oshawa Generals to a Division title in 2016-17. He missed all of last year due to health issues but says he has returned to health. His work with that young Generals squad from 2 years ago and the development they saw should make him an intriguing option.

OHL Assistant Coaches.

Jordan Smith - Sudbury Wolves

Just finished his first season in Sudbury as an associate coach with the Wolves. Before that he spent 4 years as the head coach of the Soo Thunderbirds of the NOJHL. He was NOJHL coach of the year in 2013-14 and won the league title in 14-15 and 15-16. Some of the players developed under his watch with the Thunderbirds include Medric Mercier, Boris Katchouk and Mario Culina as well as the Pilon brothers.

Dave Matsos - Hamilton Bulldogs

Played in 3 memorial cups in the 90's as a member of the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. Got his coaching start in the EIHL before coming back to the OHL as an assistant coach with the Windsor Spitfires for 3 years starting in 2010. From there he moved on to Sudbury eventually becoming a mid-season coaching replacement in January 2015. He held the position for 2.5 seasons before being replaced upon an ownership change. This past season he was an associate coach with the Hamilton Bulldogs as they claimed the OHL title.

BJ Adams - Erie Otters

Has spent the past 3 seasons as a member of the Erie Otters coaching staff. The most recent season as an associate coach. He was also an assistant on Team Canada Red at the U17 hockey challenge. Before joining the Otters Adams was an assistant coach with Cansius College for 5 seasons.

Dylan Hunter - London Knights

The former Knights captain has been an assistant for 7 years. He does not get the respect he deserves due to his last name but he has done a fantastic job during his time in London and deserves consideration for HC jobs in the OHL. 3 OHL titles as an assistant coach and 1 OHL title as a player. Has also spent time with Hockey Canada as he was an assistant coach at last years U17 development camp

Ryan Ward - Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds

Ward has spent the past 2 seasons as an assistant with the Greyhounds under Drew Bannister. Before that he was a video coach with the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Toronto Marlies.  from 08-09 to 11-12 he was a video coach with the New York Islanders and was twice brought on by USA hockey to be a video coach with the World Championship team. Ryan Ward is a name to keep an eye on maybe not this year but definitely in the next few as he is building himself quite the resume.

Mario Duhamel - Ottawa 67's 

An assistant with the Ottawa 67s the past season he has 4 years of HC experience with Drummondville in the QMJHL as well as half a season with Gatineau. He was also an assistant GM with Rouyn-Noranda when they won the Q title in 15-16. He spent 2 years as a video coach with the Colorado Avalance and on 3 times has been an assistant with Hockey Canada at the U17, U18 and U20 levels. Im not sure if he would take a HC job in the OHL but he would be one of the first 3 people I would call.

Jake Grimes - Guelph Storm 

Grimes Spent 3 years as a HC at the Jr B level with Strathroy, London and Petrolia before joining the Belleville Bulls in 2004-05. Grimes would spend 11 years in Belleville before joining The Petes staff upon the Bulls move to Hamilton. After 2 years in Peterborough Grimes moved to Guelph this past year where he rejoined George Burnett as an associate coach with the Guelph Storm. Grimes has also been apart of the U17 program 4 times. Twice as an Assistant and twice as the Head Coach. He has 3 golds and 1 Silver to show for his time working with Team Ontario.

Ryan Kuwabara - Saginaw Spirit

The Hamilton Ontario native suited up for Japan at the Nagano Olympics and also played for that country at 5 world championships. After a pro career in Japan he returned to Hamilton eventually becoming the Head Coach of the Ancaster Avalanche of the GOJHL. Always at a resource disadvantage compared to divisional rivals St. Catherines and Caledonia. The Avalanche were always competitive under his watch. It was enough to catch the eye of Bulldogs associate coach Troy Smith who brought Kuwabra with him to Saginaw last year when he became the head coach for the Spirit. I dont know if he is on the radar quite yet for a head job in the OHL but it is a name that will garner more interest over the next few years.