Over the next 5 days I will be posting
what IMO would be the 1st and 2nd team all
stars for each age group in the OHL. The OA group ('96) followed by
'97, '98, '99 and '00. Sure the league has it's regular 1st
team all starts but how would they look if compared with their own
age group? I tried to take into consideration impact on the season as
well as sample size. I expect quite a few varying opinions on this
and would love to hear what your 1st and 2nd
team all stars would look like.
1st Team
G Jeremy Brodeur Oshawa Generals
Without a doubt the top OA goalie in
the league this year. Brodeur was one of the driving reasons behind
the Generals fast start and the main reason they stayed within
striking distance of 1st after selling at the deadline. He
finished 4th in the league in Save Percentage, 8th
in GAA and 8th in minutes played. Brodeur has really
developed these last 3 years in the league and really stood out this
season.
D Darren Raddysh Erie Otters
The veteran blueliner came into this
season with 210 career games under his belt and with a previous
career high of 48 points in a a season. Raddysh smashed that total
and in the process became the highest scoring Dman in Erie Otters
history. His 81 points were most among OHL dmen this season and his
1.31 points per game was good enough for 12th in the
league among all skaters.
D Ryan Mantha Niagara IceDogs
The veteran defenceman from the Icedogs
who was spurned by the New York Rangers in the offseason came into
this season with vengeance. He finished the year with 58 points in 65
games and led the OHL in shots with 317. What is more impressive in
all of this is that not only was Mantha an offensive catalyst for the
Icedogs but he also had to be a shutdown defender on a young team
that was often over matched on most nights.
F Bobby MacIntyre Soo Greyhounds
Most people know the story by now how
Kyle Raftis picked up MacIntyre for a mid round pick from the
Steelheads. He had a career year last year but really shone for the
Hounds in their upset of Sarnia. MacIntyre took it to another level
early in the season when Speers and Senyshyn were out of the lineup
and carried that through the year finishing as the Hounds leading
scorer. His 9 short handed points were 2nd in the OHL this
year
F Spencer Watson Mississauga Steelheads
Picked up by the Steelheads from the
Frontneacs mid season while he was still recovering from offseason
surgery. His return sparked the then underachieving Steelheads picked
by many to win the East to jump from last to first in their division.
Watson finished 13th in the league in points per game and
his production really helped balance the Mississauga lineup when they
needed it most. Didn't play as many games as a few others on the list but he had such a large impact on the fish.
F Warren Foegele Erie Otters
An offensive catalyst for the
offensively starved Frontneacs early in the season. Foegele was traded
at the deadline to the Otters where he has continued to thrive in a
secondary role. While he has been a point per game player what really
separates Foegele is his defensive play as he is an elite penalty
killer but also is a dominant force on the faceoff circle.
2nd Team
G Dawson Carty Hamilton Bulldogs
Split the season between Kitchener and
Hamilton. The Bulldogs were really struggling in December and the
pick up of Carty helped solidify the team between the pipes and help
take some of the load off of Kaden Fulcher. His numbers may not jump
out at you but his solid play helped lead to plenty of victories.
D Santino Centorame Owen Sound Attack
What a season by the Attack defenceman.
One of the leading catalyst behind a continually developing and
evolving offensive attack. Centorame led all OHL skaters with 38
power play assists this season and his 66 assists were 2nd
behind Otters forwards Taylor Raddysh. An elite OHL play-maker who is
a very underrated defender in his own zone.
D Stephen Desrochers Kingston
Frontneacs
Leafs 2015 draft pick has done all he
could to earn an NHL contract so far as he has been nothing short of
stellar for the Frontneacs. A leader on a young blueline he has
brought stability in both the offensive and defensive zones this
season. Outside of the play of Helvig Desrochers is one of the
leading reasons this Kingston team was able to secure home ice
advantage in the 1st round of the playoffs.
F JJ Piccinich London Knights
Another Maple Leafs draft pick to crack
this team. Piccinich has been a valuable contributor for the London
Knights picking up career highs in assists and points. With the
graduation of their top line last season there was more pressure on
Piccinich to produce this year and he did not disappoint for the
Green and Gold as he was able to contribute in all facets of the
game.
F Steven Lorentz Peterborough Petes
A Carolina Hurricanes 2015 draft pick
Lorentz is a leader on and off the ice for the Petes. He set career
highs across the board this season and was a driving force behind
their 1st regular season conference championship in years.
His elite results in the face-off circle are another accomplishment
not to be overlooked
F Hayden Hodgson Saginaw Spirit
Picked up at the 2016 deadline by the
Spirit Hodgson was a bright spot in an otherwise dreary season for
the Spirit which saw them move their star in Mitchell Stephens at the
deadline as well as 3 recent high round draft picks throughout the
season. His totals smashed his career highs as Hodgson did everything
he could to push Saginaw into the playoffs. A push that ultimately
fells short.
Difficult Omissions
Medric Mercier – Oshawa Generals
Led all OHL Dmen in goals with 22 this
past season. In fact since heading to Oshawa from Sault Ste. Marie
early in the season his .83 points per game would be good enough for
12th among all OHL D.
Mathieu Henderson – Flint Firebirds
Henderson finished 9th among
OHL Dmen in scoring and was named OHL Defenceman of the month for
September/October. His contributions on the blueline for Flint along
with that of fellow OA Alex Peters were huge and imperative for coach
Ryan Oulahan to lean on as the younger players developed.
Nick Petti – Hamilton Bulldogs
Injuries hurt him this season but Petti
is such an integral part of the Hamilton offence. The Bulldogs really
struggle when he is out of the lineup and when he is healthy and
available it is a different team as his play tend to infect all 4
lines.
Earlier in the season Brock Otten wrote his yearly top OA Free Agents post. Most of the players on this list cracked that one. In fact the #1 on that list Ryan Mantha signed with the Edmonton Oilers shortly after its release. Always one of Brock's best yearly posts.
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