Tuesday 31 October 2017

OHL Power Rankings Week 6

We are 21.5% of the way through the schedule and 1.5 months down. The season is starting to take shape as we are starting to get an idea of who the contenders are who are some potential sellers come deadline time. Sarnia continues to put up wins but what is most impressive is their goal differential. While they wont win every remaining game they they are doing it tends to make you believe that they are contenders and will be a force to be reckoned with. Mississauga and London seem to be the biggest disappointments early on but both have started to turn it around the last 2 weeks. Goaltending seems to be an interesting issue among OHL fans. It is the haves and have nots between the pipes because it seems you have a team save percentage either greater than .900 or less than .890.

Quick division hits
The Rangers are an interesting team. They chose not to bring back Jason Fortier after last season and then early this season it was announced that Matthew Barnaby would be leaving. They have gotten fantastic goaltending but their offensive players haven't seem to hit their stride.

The Steelheads are slowly turning things around. Everyone points to McLeod and Tippet being gone as the reasons to their struggles but if you watch them play I think they are really missing Vili Saarjarvi on the blueline. The slow start from Ingham hasn't helped things but he has won 3 straight starts since being named to the OHL-Russia roster.

The only way I can describe the 67's is that they have more depth up front than I pictured at the beginning of the year. Their defence is intriguing and full of potential but seems to be missing something and their goaltending has been inconsistent at best. If they are patient with their young D and continue to foster growth I think this group has the potential to be real scary next season.

The Greyhounds have been consistent in getting results all year. They lost their first real test this season in Sarnia but they controlled the play for most of the game and dominated on the shot clock. The Sting did a great job of capitalizing on their chances while Fazio played fantastic. There have been moments where the Hounds have left points on the board like Barrie and Ottawa but they are doing a great job of augmenting their first year players into the lineup while maintaining their competitiveness from last year. This is a deep team from top to bottom who will continue to get better as their young players gain more experience. They will be scary come January/February.


(1) Sarnia Sting 14-1-0 Power Rank Percentage (PR%) .9175
Sarnia keeps winning and they aren't just squashing road apples either. The hosted the Greyhounds on Friday and skated away with a 6-3 win. One thing that has allowed the Sting to exceed expectations is that all of their returning players are having career years and have boosted their Points per Game average over a year ago.
Games This Week: Nov 2nd @ Pbo; Nov 3rd @ Kgn, Nov 5th @ Ott

(2) Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds 10-3-2 PR% .7180.
Swedish import Rasmus Sandin had his IIHF paperwork come in and made his OHL debut on the weekend playing in both games. Backup goalie Tyler Johnson picked up in the Raaymakers trade from London got his first shutout of the season vs Flint. It  was also the first shutout of his OHL career. Defenceman Conor Timmins has been huge for the Hounds recently. After starting the season with 4 assists in his first 3 games he only had 1 in his next 6. In his last 4 games Timmins has picked up 1 goal and 9 assists and has been a +8. Timmins is getting hot at the right time with the OHL-Russia game coming up and the World Junior camp roster soon to be announced. The Hounds will now lose 2017 draft picks Fowler and Carrol for the next week as they are off to the U17 challenge.
Games This Week: Nov 1 vs Sby; Nov 4 vs Nia; Nov 5 vs NB

(3) Peterborough Petes 10-5-1 PR% .6904
After giving up 10 goals in 3 games this past week you would have to think that Jody Hull will be looking to give backup goalie Hunter Jones a start this upcoming weekend. Likely Sunday vs Mississauga. Im all for riding Dylan Wells if you dont have a capable back up but Jones is an elite prospect and the Petes future in the net. Not to mention you want to make Wells is fresh come playoff time.
Games This Week: Nov 2 vs Sar; Nov 4 vs Bar; Nov 5 @ Miss

(4) Barrie Colts 9-4-1 PR%  .6780
The Colts actually had the league add an instigator to an opponent thus negating an suspension for one of their players. The league offices must have realized they were getting too close to their quote and need a buffer for their next 10 game suspension that will be sent Barrie's way. On the Ice they had a great game against the Hamilton Bulldogs and then a letdown vs the Mississauga Steelheads. They are exceeding expectations with Svechnikov out of the lineup and the stellar play of Leo Lazarev is a big reason why.
Games This Week: Nov 3 @ Ott; Nov 4 @ Ptb

(5) Windsor Spitfires 9-5-1 PR% .6446
With DiPietro, Day, Brown and Luchuk the Spits have a plethora of assets to move at the deadline. A lot has been made of the lack of future draft picks the Spits have but most fans seem to overvalue a draft picks true worth. They will definitely be targeting a 2017 1st round pick with DiPietro and Brown as well as some non committed US prospects. Also a '98 born D will likely be covered who could fill an OA role next year. Needless to say there are plenty of options available for the Spits and their draft cupboard will be filled but so will there roster ready to compete again in the near future.
Games This Week: Nov 2 vs Ham; Nov 4 @ Eri; Nov 5 @ Ham

(6) Owen Sound Attack 8-4-2 PR% .6437
The Owen Sound Attack continue to have issues between the pipes but they were still able to pick up 4 out of a possible 6 points this weekend. Last years OHL champions Erie won in spite of the fact they had mediocre goaltending. That said they still finished 11th in the league in team save percentage. Owen Sound this year sits 17th in the OHL and their .868 save percentage is well below the .892 that Erie sported last season.
Games This Week: Nov 3 @ Miss; Nov 4 vs Ldn

(7) Ottawa 67's 9-6-1 PR% .6339
The 67's are currently 3rd in the OHL with 14 points in their last 10 games. Still not sure what to make of them. I came away impressed with their forward depth after their visit to Sault Ste. Marie but this team tends to either win real close or get blown out of the water which explains their putrid goal differential. They are locked in at home with a 5-0 record but on the road they are 4-6-1 and have somehow managed a -25 goal differential even though they have only lost 3 more than they have won away from the NCR.
Games This Week: Nov 1 vs Kgn; Nov 3 vs Bar; Nov 5 vs Sar

(8) Erie Otters 7-6-1 PR%  .6043
Don't look now but the Otters 6 game point streak is the 2nd longest in the OHL and has allowed them to rebound from their slow start and move up the Power Rankings. Not bad considering the Otters have the worst save % in the OHL. Although it is so bad you have to question if that can be maintained and it is fair to expect a continued rebound which should help the Otters sustain some of their recent success.
Games This Week: Nov 1 vs Kit; Nov 3 vs Osh; Nov 4 vs Wsr

(9) Niagara Icedogs 7-4-3 PR% .6017
A tough stretch for the Icedogs that in the big picture will be a good learning experience for this squad. An OT loss to Ottawa last week before dropping one in a shootout to Oshawa this week and then a pair of regulation losses to Eastern Conference bottom feeders Sudbury and Mississauga. In the 4 games the Icedogs managed only 6 goals. They now have a Northern Ontario road swing to work things out but without Phillip Tomasino who is on his way to the U17
Games This Week: Nov 3 @ Sudbury; Nov 4 @ SSM

(10) Oshawa Generals 8-5-2 PR% .5934
3 games and 3 wins this past week for the Oshawa Generals as it has been all Keyser all the time recently. The Bruins prospect has a save% greater than .900 in 5 of his last 7 starts. They'll need to find a game to sacrifice at some point to give him a breather but till they the Generals seem content on riding the hot hand. Ian Blacker made his season debut on Sunday on the 4th line. Given the glut of quality defenders a trade may be on the horizon for the Generals. Wong and Brewer will be on their way to the U17 this week and will probably be the hardest duo to replace even with the depth the Generals have.
Games This Week: Nov 3 @ Eri; Nov 4 @ Ham; Nov 5 @ Kgn

(11) Guelph Storm 7-6-2 PR% .5677
Last season the Storm ranked 19th in the OHL in team save percentage. This year through a month and a half of hockey they currently sit tied for 7th. I don't think the .921 save percentage that Popovich is sporting is sustainable but he is definitely asserting himself as a bonafide #1 goalie in the OHL and having that between the pipes has been a great benefit to this young Storm squad who have yet to get 100% healthy this season.
Games This Week: Nov 3 @ Kit; Nov 4 @ Fli

(12) Hamilton Bulldogs 6-4-4 PR% .5602
The Bulldogs took quite the tumble in this weeks power rankings after a week they would rather forget. They had 2 great tests against some of the Eastern Conferences best in Barrie and Peterborough and got absolutely thumped in both games losing in Barrie 6-0 and in Peterborough 8-3. Between those two games they lost the lowly but improving London Knights 3-2 at home in a shootout. The offence has still yet to meet expectations but you have to wonder if Staois goes all in. He made a preemptive strike last year getting Bitten. Is there another elite '98 out there he covets?
Games This Week: Nov 2 @ Wsr; Nov 4 vs Osh; Nov 5 vs Wsr

(13) Kitchener Rangers 8-6-1 PR% .5598
A weekend split for the Rangers helped snapped a 3 game losing steak as they opened the weekend with a loss to Owen Sound before an uninspiring 2-1 victory over North Bay on Sunday. Newly acquired Kole Sherwood only has 1 assist in 4 games as the offence continues to fail to live up to expectations. Adam Mascherin who at the beginning of the year seemed like a lock for the World Junior Camp is sliding more and more towards bubble status.
Games This Week: Nov 1 @ Eri; Nov 3 vs Gue

(14) Kingston Frontanacs 6-5-3 PR% .5369
The Fronts finally snapped a horrendous stretch that saw them fail to pick up a win in 7 games. The most troubling thing so far this season may be the drop in production from Jason Robertson. After averaging 1.19 PPG as a 17 year old he is down to .93 so far this year as an 18 year old. It is still early in the year and he is averaging 5 shots a game but on a team that lacks offensive depth they need him to continue to push towards career bests.
Games This Week: Nov 1 @ Ott; Nov 3 vs Sar; Nov 5 @ Osh

(15) Mississauga Steelheads 5-9-0 PR% .5109
3 wins in a row for Mississauga which has them tied with Oshawa for the 2nd longest in the league. This weeks wins didnt come against pushovers either as they picked up a W vs Barrie and Niagara. Ingham seems to have put his early struggles behind him and while their scoring ticked up this week they have had strong special teams all year which is something they didnt have last year in their struggles. With 5 games under his belt Owen Tippet is half way to the 10 game NHL threshold. He did score his first NHL but we are likely another 2 or 3 weeks away before anything definitive comes down about where he will finish the season.
Games This Week: Nov 3 vs OS; Nov 4 @ Sby; Nov 5 vs Pbo

(16) London Knights 5-9-1 PR% .4777
The Knights 4 game winning streak was snapped Sunday with a shutout loss in Guelph. Joseph Raaymakers seems to have solidified the team in net while the offence is finally coming along. The big news of the weekend however was that Victor Mete will be playing his 10th game with the Canadians and will likely be in Montreal for the whole season. It will be interesting to see if this team makes a move for a defender or selectively makes some moves to rebuild their asset base for next season.
Games This Week: Nov 3 vs Sag; Nov 4 @ OS

(17) Sudbury Wolves 5-9-2 PR% .4601
The Wolves picked up a big win on the road in Niagara on Saturday but dropped their other 2 games on the week. More concerning however is the health of forward David Levin who was on the receiving end of a Knee on Knee hit from Icedogs forward Kyle Langdon. Langdon escaped supplemental discipline from the league because they dont take those kinds of hits seriously. Initial reports have Levin as week to week.
Games This Week: Nov 1 @ SSM; Nov 3 vs Nia; Nov 4 vs Miss

(18) Flint Firebirds 6-7-1 PR% .4487
After a rough ending to last week with a 6-1 loss to the Windsor Spitfires the Flint Firebirds carried that over with a murderer's row of games this week. A road game in London followed by a home game versus the Greyhounds capped off with a Sunday tilt vs the #1 ranked team in the Country the Sarnia Sting. The Firebirds limped to 3 losses by scores of 8-2, 7-0 and 6-2. This week they get the 19th and 20th ranked teams in the power rankings and it couldn't have come at a better time as this young team looks to right the ship.
Games This Week: Nov 1 @ Sag; Nov 3 vs NB; Nov 4 vs Gue

(19) North Bay Battalion 5-8-2 PR%.3993
The Battalion continue to slump with only 5 points in their last 10 games. However they did have a strong week shutting out Windsor on Thursday before a pair of tough 1 goal losses to strong Western Conference teams in Owen Sound and Kitchener. The goaltending this week was greatly improved but offensive depth questions continue to plague this team as they just dont have the options upfront to compete with most teams.
Games This Week: Nov 3 @ Fli; Nov 4 @ Sag; Nov 5 @ SSM

(20) Saginaw Spirit 3-8-2 PR% .3591
The Spirit held a 2-0 lead over Kingston in the 3rd period on Sunday before dropping the match in Overtime thus snapping their 2 game winning streak over Eastern Conference opponents on Sunday games. The Spirit are quite competitive vs the East holding a 3-3-1 record while struggling immensely vs the West sporting an 0-5-1 record. They get North Bay at home on Sunday which will be the 2nd time in 3 weeks the 19th and 20th place teams in the power rankings face each other. Not sure if it will be a springboard for these two teams like it was for Mississauga and London.
Games This Week: Nov 1 vs Fli; Nov 3 @ Ldn; Nov 4 vs NB

Tuesday 24 October 2017

OHL Power Rankings Week 5

It was a rough weekend for the Eastern Conference as they went 1-7 vs the West. Those 3 days though shouldn't take away from what has been a great improvement over last year for the East. Through 5 weeks of the season the East is 17-19-5 vs the West. The West conversely is 24-13-4 vs the East. While this week prove there is still a bit of a gap between the two conferences it is clearly not as large as in years past as a couple of East teams have improved greatly in the recruiting department as well as asset management.


The rosters for the U17 hockey challenge have been released. 23 players on OHL rosters were selected to participate this year with Saginaw, Oshawa, Flint, Sault Ste. Marie and Mississauga among the teams with 2 players being named.
On team Canada Black you find key names like Tag Bertuzzi, Blake Murray and Phillip Tomasino.
On team Canada Red you will find players like 1st overall pick Ryan Suzuki and scoring sensation Nick Wong.
On team Canada White you will find GTHL player of the year Nicholas Porco as well as Mitchell Brewer and Nathan Staios.

The OHL also announced who would be competing in the OHL-Russia games as part of the CIBC CHL Russia series. This year the games take place in Owen Sound and Sudbury. I'll be at the Sudbury game so I have my fingers crossed it wont be snowing that day. You can find my breakdown of the roster as well as a few players who I feel were snubbed (hint Akil Thomas and Isacc Ratcliffe were the 2 biggest) here so enjoy.


(1) Sarnia Sting 12-1-0 Power Rank Percentage (PR%) .9116
For the third week the Sting are up top of the power rankings. It was a great week for Jordan Kyrou who picked up a Hat-Trick in their first game of the week. His 200th Career point on a goal in game 2 ( you can see the video here) and in his 3rd game of the week he picked up 3 assists to move past Eric Hemelfarb to move into 8th place on the Stings All-time point list. Also stamping their name on the Sting record book was goalie Justin Fazio who with his 64th career win claimed top spot in Sarnia lore.
Games this week: Oct 27th vs SSM; Oct 29 vs Fli

(2) Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds 9-2-2 PR% .7614
A busy week for the Greyhounds as they moved Raaymakers to London for a pair of draft picks that will be used to augment their roster at the trade deadline. They also got a commitment from Rasmus Sandin their 2017 import pick and potential high NHL draft pick. He didnt get into any games this weekend as the Hounds were still waiting on some paper work from the IIHF to make him eligible but that should be in on Monday.
Games this week: Oct 27 @ Sar; Oct 28 @ Fli

(3) Barrie Colts 8-3-1 PR% .7224
Start player and top OHL prospect Andrei Svechnikov broke a bone in his wrist and will be out of the lineup for about 6 weeks. Almost as devastating an injury as when Adam Banks got two handed in Mighty Ducks 2. They ended their week however with a shutout win over Oshawa and traded backup goalie Christian Propp for a trio of draft picks that may be used come deadline day.
Games this week: Oct 26 vs Ham; Oct 28 vs Miss

(4) Niagara Icedogs 7-2-2 PR% .7078
The Niagara Burkes continue to play strong as they now have points in 6 straight games. It is imperative they use the next 6 weeks to try and build a cushion over the Colts due to Barrie's injury issues. Every week that goes by Stephan Dhillon is proving that last season was not an outlier and with the team giving up significantly less shots his GAA has dropped by almost a full goal compared to last year. With Niagara's developing offence that is a recipe for sustained success.
Games this week: Oct 26 vs Osh; Oct 28 vs Sby; Oct 29 @ Miss

(5) Peterborough Petes 8-4-1 PR% .7039
After a big win over the Windsor Spitfires on Thursday that saw Michael DiPietro have a real stinker the hockey gods seemed somewhat vengeful as Wells had a poor start on Saturday and the offence dried up on Sunday versus one of the Wests weaker teams in Saginaw. The Pete's have 2 home games and a rivalry road game in Oshawa this week to right the ship.
Games this week: Oct 26 vs Sag; Oct 27 @ Osh; Oct 29 vs Ham

(6) Hamilton Bulldogs 6-2-3 PR% .6915
The Bulldogs absolutely dominated the Guelph Storm on Friday but ran into an impossibly hot Anthony Popovich and walked away without any points. On Sunday however Kaden Fulcher became the first goalie this year to get 2 shutouts as he turned away all Ottawa shots. The Power Play is slowly starting to pick up steam which will only help the Bulldogs as they have one of the best penalty killing units in the league.
Games this week: Oct 26 @ Bar; Oct 28 vs Ldn; Oct 29 @ Pbo

(7) Owen Sound Attack 6-3-2 PR% .6737
A surprisingly rough visit to the state Pennsylvania as the Attack dropped both games to the talented yet up to this point disappointing Erie Otters. As expected the Attack are a nearly flawless team except for their glaring question mark in goal. That said the chicken littles of the OHL need to calm down. The sky isn't falling it is only October and the team has the highest point percentage in their division. Bowman is more than capable of holding the fort down for the next 2 months till the trade deadline where they can move in on an upgrade. They already gave their defense a boost by picking up Lyle from North Bay for what essentially works out for a 2nd a 5th and a 10th. Erie proved last year you can go all the way with a question mark in goal so whats another 2 months in Owen Sound?
Games this week: Oct 27 @ Kit; Oct 28 vs NB; Oct 29 vs Wsr

(8) Windsor Spitfires 7-4-1 PR% .6157
A tough loss vs Peterborough where they thoroughly outplayed the Petes. They had a strong reply to that poor result by pouring it on vs the Flint Firebirds. One player who has really benefited from a change of scenery and move to Windsor is Luke Kutkevicius. After having to sit through 1.5 years of him as a Hamilton Bulldogs season ticket holder I am quite pleasantly surprised by his early season production.
Games this week: Oct 26 @ NB; Oct 27 @ Sby; Oct 29 @ OS

(9) Ottawa 67s 8-5-1 PR% .6033
How about Kody Clark. Becoming the first player in OHL history to pick up an OT winning goal in 3 consecutive games. Starting last week in Sault Ste. Marie before adding the OT winner in the first 2 games this week. An interesting trend continues for the 67s however as they are fantastic on OT and close 1 goal games but when they lose it tends to be by a healthy margin. Hopefully they can maintain their stellar record in 1 goal games.
Games this week: Oct 28 vs Sag; Oct 29 @ Osh

(10) Flint Firebirds 6-4-1 PR% .5884
A week after being returned to Flint by the Columbus Blue Jackets the Firebirds moved Kole Sherwood to Kitchener for 4 draft picks including 2 2nds. The Firebirds are averaging a healthy 4 goals per game right now so the Firebirds were dealing from a position of strength. The Firebirds have a strong roster of '00 and '01 born players so this should help them add around this young core for a team that should be very dangerous in the coming years.
Games this week: Oct 27 @ Ldn; Oct 28 vs SSM; Oct 29 @ Sar

(11) Kitchener Rangers 7-5-1 PR% .5831
The Kitchener Rangers will likely be without the services of defenceman Giovanni Vallati as he received a head checking major against Oshawa for an elbow to the head of a Gens player. Kole Sherwood was added to the Rangers lineup after a trade with Flint but the teams offence limped to only 2 goals on the weekend. Another tough test this week vs Owen Sound before a very winnable game against North Bay.
Games this week: Oct 27 vs OS; Oct 29 vs NB

(12) Guelph Storm 5-6-1 PR% .5220
The Storm picked up 4 out of a possible 6 points and held the lead going into the 3rd vs the Greyhounds (which lasted only 33 seconds into the final period). Anthony Popvich was huge all weekend for the team starting off with a 45 save 2-1 win vs Hamilton then a 31 save 2-1 win vs Saginaw before turning in another 40 save performance against the Greyhounds in which a tired Storm team could not keep up.
Games this week: Oct 27 vs Eri; Oct 28 @ Eri; Oct 29 vs Ldn

(13) Kingston Frontenacs 5-5-2 PR% .5116
After starting the year 5-1 the Fronts went 0-3-2 during Dunkley's 5 game suspension. He picked up an assist to give the Fronts a 1-0 lead in his first game back before North Bay took control and won the game 8-2. To add salt to the wound the Fronts took an instigator penalty on Daniel Walker after he received a boarding penalty in the 3rd. Walker would go out and score goal 7 and 8 for the Battalion.
Games this week: Oct 27 vs Miss; Oct 29 vs Sag

(14) Oshawa Generals 5-5-2 PR% .4877
The Gens finished with 3 out of a possible 6 points on the weekend. Scoring only 3 goals in the process. They had plenty of chances in their 4-0 loss against Barrie but just couldnt finish it off. Keyser was great all weekend Giving the F-U to anyone who said the Gens had goalie issues last week. The Penalty Kill is slowly coming around but the lack of offence is somewhat worrisome. They showed they could score early in the season but the young players now must develop some consistency because the talent is there on this roster.
Games this week: Oct 26 @ Nia; Oct 27 vs PBO; Oct 29 vs Ott

(15) Sudbury Wolves 4-7-2 PR% .4847
The Wolves added Doug Blaisdell earlier in the week then went out and beat the Soo Greyhounds. They played the Sarnia Sting tight on Friday before ultimately losing but did get their 2nd win of the week vs Kingston on Saturday
Games this week: Oct 27 vs Wsr; Oct 28 @ Nia; Oct 28 @ Eri

(16) Erie Otters 5-6-1 PR% .4830
Two big wins this week as the Attack visited the EIA for 2 games this weekend. A pair of the Otters more intriguing trade assets Ivan Lodnia and Owen Headrick had great weekends and should be coveted commodities in the coming months.
Games this week: Oct 27 @ Gue; Oct 28 vs Gue; Oct 29 vs Sby

(17) North Bay Battalion 4-6-2 PR% .4256
The Battalion seem to believe they have solved their long term goalie issues by signing 2016 draft pick and Telus Cup Bronze medalist Christian Purboo. In the short term they moved disgruntled former 1st round draft pick Brady Lyle to Owen Sound for goaltender Christian Propp who they had picked up from Barrie earlier in the day
Games this week: Oct 26 vs Wsr; Oct 28 @ OS; Oct 29 @ Kit

(18) Saginaw Spirit 3-6-1 PR% .4167
For the 2nd week in a row the Spirit pick up a Sunday road win versus and Eastern Conference opponent. This time it was against the Peterborough Petes who themselves are legitimate contenders. Offence is still a worry for this team as they continue to struggle to score goals. Blade Jenkins however finally picked up his 1st career OHL goal. I cant see him waiting another 10 games to pick up his 2nd.
Games this week: Oct 26 @ Ptb; Oct 28 @ Ott; Oct 29 @ Kgn

(19) London Knights 3-8-1 PR% .3675
The Knights went and made their move for a goalie sending picks and Tyler Johnson to Sault Ste. Marie for Joseph Raaymakers. Raaymakers went out and won both games this weekend allowing only 3 goals and finishing with a .953 save percentage. Max Jones also added 4 goals on the weekend as the offence is starting to show signs of life. It was good while it lasted for the other 19 fan bases in the league but it looks like London has gotten their season back on the right track.
Games this week: Oct 27 vs Fli; Oct 28 @ Ham; Oct 29 @ Gue

(20) Mississauga Steelheads 2-9-0 PR% .3412
A strong showing by the Steelheads on Friday as they thumped the North Bay Battalion. They followed it up with a loss Sunday in an OHL basement battle with the London Knights. Import selection and former Storm forwards Albert Michnac has been stellar this year with 14 points in 11 games. His 1.27 PPG average is more than double what he had last year. Not sure if he can maintain it but he should get enough ice time to atleast stay around a point per game.
Games this week: Oct 27 @ Kgn; Oct 28 @ Bar; Oct 29 vs Nia

Thursday 19 October 2017

OHL vs Russia Roster analysis

With Game 3 of the CIBC CHL vs Russia series in Owen Sound slated to take place in 22 days the roster of players for the OHLs 2 games were released on Wednesday. The rosters were realeased a week earlier than last season and this years team comprises of 4 goalies, 8 defencemen and 16 forwards. Last seasons announcement which came 16 days before the game in North Bay put the OHLs roster at 3 goalies, 9 defencemen and 13 forwards although some were added later as a result if injuries and expanding the rosters a bit.

I will breakdown the roster and look at who should be in a good spot for a World Junior Camp invite, who has an opportunity to really impress in hopes of earning a spot and who is here to gain experience for next year. We are already in mid to late October and the camp invites will be going out in about 6 weeks. Over the last 3 years the OHL has sent on average to the selection camp .66 goalies, 2.33 defencemen and 8.33 forwards. So while some may feel certain players are "destined" to earn a camp invite there really aren't that many to go around.

Goalies

Dylan Wells Peterborough Petes CHL-Russia Series Returnee

This will be the 3rd time that Wells will put on a team OHL jersey for this series having been named in '15-'16 and '16-'17 although he stayed on the bench last season. He had 31 minutes of play in the 2015 game stopping all 10 shots he faced. As for donning the Maple Leaf Wells has done that twice in his career. Once with Team Canada Red at the U17 and again with Team Canada at the Hlinka Tournament where he skated away with a Gold.
WJC Invite Chances: Strong

Michael DiPietro Windsor Spitfires

This will be the first time DiPietro suits up for team OHL in this series. I was rather shocked by his omission last season and felt team Canada should have brought him along to the world juniors as their 3rd goalie for the experience because of his elite play and the strong likely hood that he would be on the team this year and next. Michael has reprasented Canada 3 times in his career. 2015-16 with Team Canada Red at the U17 where he had the lowest G.A.A. in the tournament. That same year he was the 3rd goalie at the U18 championships and that summer he was on team Canada at the Hlinka tournament. If you want more short tournament success look no further than last seasons Memorial Cup where he helped lead the Spits to the title.
WJC Invite Chances: Strong

Matthew Villalta Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds

Not drafted into the OHL but signed as a FA with the Greyhounds after a growth spurt his midget year and a stellar rookie and main camp. Most OHL fans should know the rest of the story by now. Out played Joseph Raaymakers to win over the starters job near the end of the season. Drafted by the LA Kings this past June and now controls the crease in the Soo with the trade of Raaymakers to London this week. The 2016-17 Dinty Moore Trophey winner has never represented Canada before so I am sure this will be an experience he will be looking forward to even if there is a chance he wont get on the ice.
WJC Invite Chances: Not happening. Although if he gets in the game and has a strong showing it will go a long way towards next season

Jacob Ingham Mississauga Steelheads

The Steelheads 2nd year man is not having the strongest of seasons so far with a save percentage of .858 However he was named to the OHLs 1st Team All-Rookie list last season and picked up a Silver Medal in his only other time putting on the Maple Leaf as part of Team Canada Black at last years U17 where he sported a .927 save percentage.
WJC Invite Chances: Not Happening but like Villalta he is here for the expierience and should be a treat in 2 years.

Snubs: There are really no Snubs. This group would have been fine naming the first 3 and having one of them in both games but this way Ingham gets some expierience which should have happened with Dipiertro last season


Defence

Nic Hague Mississauga Steelheads Returnee

For the 2nd year in a row Nic Hague is slated to play in  the series. He was held pointless last season in 2 games and was a -1. He has donned the Maple Leaf twice in his career. The first time was for Team Canada White at the U-17 in 2014-15 while playing out of the GOJHL. He finished with 2 goals in that tournament while in the spring of 2016 he played for Team Canada's entry in the U18 and finished with 2 assists. The hulking blueliner who was a 2nd round pick of the Vegas Golden Knights should seal an invite at the World Junior camp with a strong showing.
WJC Invite Chances: Good

Markus Phillips Owen Sound Attack Returnee

A 4th round pick of the LA Kings this past June Phillips is one of 4 returning blueliners. He was held pointless in his 1 game last year but is no stranger to playing for Team Canada. Twice Phillips has donned the "C" while wearing the red and white. First was as a member of Team Canada at the 2015-16 U17 challenge. That spring he was an underage for Team Canada at the U18 where he picked up 2 assists in 7 games. Later that summer he got a chance to put on the "C" for the 2nd time for Canada's entry into the Hlinka tournament.
WJC Invite Chances: 50/50

Jordan Sambrook Erie Otters Returnee Both Games

Sambrook has never represented Canada in international competition before but he was an injury replacement for last seasons OHL-Russia series. While he doesnt have the international experience others have he was an integral part of the Otters OHL championship team last year and as a 16 year old he helped lead the Toronto Nats the a Telus Cup Championship.
WJC Invite Chances: Above Average

Logan Stanley Kitchener Rangers Returnee

Fresh off an offseason trade with the Spits, Stanley is off to a great start this year with his hometown Rangers. Logan played in 1 game last year but the towering defender has twice before played for Team Canada. 2014-15 at the U17 and 2015-16 with the U18 program. While neither of those teams won a medal Stanley does have a memorial cup title under his belt earned this past May with the Windsor Spitfires.
WJC Invite Chacnes: Good

Evan Bouchard London Knights Both Games

The late birthday defender is one of 2 NHL draft eligible blueliners on the OHL roster. Bouchard won a gold medal in the 2015-16 season suiting up for Team Canada White at the U17. In fact he was the highest scoring defender and names to the tournament all star team. He suited up for Canada again at the 2016 Hlinka where he was pointless in 4 games.
WJC Invite Chances: Will need a strong 2 games

Conor Timmins Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds Both Games

A 2nd round draft pick of the Colorado Avalanche this past June Timmins has never represented Canada at any level. The slick puck moving defender finished 2nd last season among OHL defenders in Even Strength Point trailing only OA and Max Kaminsky winner Darren Raddysh. Timmins gets to suit up in both games and should have a good chance of earning a camp invite with a strong showing.
WJC Invite Chances: Good

Kevin Bahl Ottawa 67s

The towering sophomore defender for the 67s is coming off of a gold medal performance at the Hlinka tournament where he really turned some heads with his play and saw his draft stock shoot up. Outside of the Hlinka tournament he also suited up for one of Team Canada's entry's in the U16 tournament last year in Sault Ste. Marie.
WJC Invite Chances: Not happening but will be on U18 team in spring

Keaton Middleton Saginaw Spirit

The Saginaw captain and Maple Leafs 4th round draft pick is a bit of a surprise selection. Looking to have a strong season in hopes of earning an NHL contract Middleton will definitely be motivated. His only time representing Canada was at the U-17 in 2014.
WJC Invite Chances: Not happening

Snubs
The list I was playing around with this weekend had 9 defencemen on it although 1 was Victor Mete who is still with the Montreal Canadians. The 2 I had on that werent on the team were Owen Sound high scoring defenceman Sean Durzi and Petes defender Matt Timms. Of that pair the most inexcusable omission is Matt Timms. He should be first in line as an injury replacement or just send him to Sudbury where there are currently only 5 defenders slated to play. In the event there is a late injury before the game in Owen Sound Durzi should have the inside track to that spot. In the list I made on the weekend I had about 8 defenders higher than Middleton but that was only because I stopped at 7 dark horse candidates for the game. There are plenty of defenders I would have had over him such as Merkley, Paquette, Hoefenmeyer, Hollowell and Gordeev.

Forwards
Will Bitten Hamilton Bulldogs Returnee (Both Games)

This will be Bitten's 3rd trip to the OHL-Russia series as he has suited up in 3 games over the past 2 seasons. An empty net goal in front of the hometown Hamilton crowd is his only point in the series. The electric forward has put on the Maple Leaf 3 times in his career at the U17, U18 and Hlinka tournament. He has medaled once picking up a gold at the Hlinka in the summer of 2015. He picked up 5 points at the U17 and 8 points at the U18 so he is no stranger to producing on the national stage. Bitten will need a big two games to get off the WJC bubble which is why he will be suiting up in both games.
WJC Invite Chances: Average

Boris Katchouk Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds Returnee (Both Games)

The Greyhounds scoring star and Tampa Bay Lightning 2nd round pick was an injury replacement last year and picked up a goal in Hamilton. A game in which he was one of the better forwards on team OHL. He has only suited up for Canada once picking up a goal and an assist in 5 games at the 2016 U18. He has had good showings in other short tournament formats. As a 16 year old he picked up 6 points in 4 games for the Soo Thunderbirds as they won the Dudley Hewitt Cup to advance to Canada's Jr A championship the RBC Cup. Fluent in Russian and dynamic on the penalty kill he should have a good chance at a camp invite with a strong 2 games.
WJC Invite Chances: Good

Adam Mascherin Kitchener Rangers Returnee

The Rangers prolific scorer and owner of over 200 career OHL points has only worn the Maple Leaf once in his career and that was at the U17 level. Mascherin played in both OHL-Russia games last year picking up a goal in North Bay. Left off the World Junior Camp roster last season inspite of the fact he was among the OHL leaders in points. Will need a strong showing after a slower offensive start to this season.
WJC Invite Chances: Good

Jordan Kyrou Sarnia Sting Returnee

Like Will Bitten this will be Kyrou's 3rd appearence in the OHL-Russia Series. The prolific scorer from the Sarnia Sting already has 1 goal and 2 assists to his name from those 3 games. Kyrou is a bout as close to a lock as you can get for a player who has not been to a WJC camp before. He has donned the Maple Leaf 3 times in his career picking up 4 assists at the U17, 5 goals and 3 assists at the U18 and finally a goal and an assists in 4 Hlinka games on his way to a gold medal. Kyrou should hit the 200 career OHL point mark this weekend and is a viable threat to make Canada's Olympic team assuming David Branch allows CHL players to go to South Korea.
WJC Invite Chances: Lock

Taylor Raddysh Erie Otters Returnee

With Michael McLeod on the shelf with knee surgury/in New Jersey Raddysh is the only returning player on the roster to have played let alone been at the selection camp. This will be Raddysh's 3rd time on the OHL squad playing a game in both 2015 and 2016. In Hamilton last year he was named player of the game picking up 2 goals and an assist. He would pick up a Silver medal in last years U20 tournament adding 5 goals and an assist in 7 games. before that his only other time donning the Maple Leaf was at the U17 level.
WJC Invite Chances: Lock

Givani Smith Guelph Storm Returnee (Both Games)

Smith has yet to suit up for the Storm this year after suffering a high ankle sprain at Red Wings camp in late September. Smith is a returning player who picked up an assist as well as a pair of minor penalties in 2 games last year. His only time wearing a Maple Leaf was at the U17 level where he was held pointless in 5 games but racked up 16 penalties minutes. He will need to show that he is disciplined enough to warrent an invite to Canada's world junior camp.
WJC Invite Chances: Slim

Alex Formenton London Knights (Both Games)

Formenton has never worn a Maple Leaf at any level but what he does have over everyone else is the fact that he suited up for an NHL game this year with the Ottawa Senators. A 2nd round pick of the Ottawa Senators Formenton was held pointless in 14 playoff games with London Last year. He will need a strong month plus a great showing in these games. That said when was the last time someone with NHL experience didnt get a camp invite?
WJC Invite Chances: Good

Jonah Gadjovich Owen Sound Attack (Both Games)

Recently signed to an ELC by the Vancouver Canucks. Gadjovich has never suited up for Team Canada at any level. He is coming off of a 46 goal campaign last year and is off to another hot start. His familiarity with Nick Suzuki should work in his favour and a strong 2 games are a must to impress WJC assistant coach Trevor Letowski
WJC Invite Chances: below average

Cliff Pu London Knights (Both Games)

Drafted in the 3rd round by the Buffalo Sabres 69th overall in 2016. Pu is off to a slow start like most Knights with only 4 points in 9 games after getting 86 a year ago. Pu has suited up for Canada only once before and that was at the U17 level back in the 2014-15 season.
WJC Invite Chances: Below Average

Nick Suzuki Owen Sound Attack (Both Games)

The 2017 1st round draft pick of the Las Vegas Golden Knights has no reason to believe he wont be at Canada's world junior camp. Leading the OHL in scoring through 4 weeks. He has won a gold medal at the U17 level and has also donned the Maple Leaf at the Hlinka tournament. I expect him to have a pair of big games for team OHL.
WJC invite Chances: Strong

Robert Thomas London Knights

A 1st round pick of the St Louis Blues in 2017 Thomas really turned some heads at their training camp this year. His only Team Canada experience is at the U17 level where he helped Team Canada White win the gold medal. That wasnt his only champion ship that year as he also helped the London Knights with the OHL and Memorial Cup Championships. Not a bad trifecta for a 16 year old.
WJC Invite Chances: Average

MacAuley Carson Sudbury Wolves

The only undrafted player (who is not yet NHL draft eligible) on the OHL roster. Currently recovering from a broken wrist the Sudbury Wolves product is coming off of a 30 goal season. A long shot to get a camp invite but the same thing was said about Marcus Foligno the last time an OHL-Russia game was held in Sudbury.
WJC Invite Chances: Slim

Morgan Frost Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds

As a 4th round pick Frost was never really in the conversation for an U17 or Hlinka spot with Team Canada and thanks to the Greyhounds strong showing last year in the OHL playoffs he didnt get an oppertunity to play in the U18. The Flyers 1st round pick though fought his way into a key role on a deep Hounds team last year and hasnt missed a beat so far this season as an offensive leader.
WJC Invite Chances: Average but strong for next year

Nate Schnarr Guelph Storm

Thanks to the Guelph Storm being a tire fire the last 2 years Nate Schnarr was given the oppertunity to play for Team Canada at the U18 where he finished with 1 assist in 5 games. A 3rd round pick of the Arizona Coyotes Schnarr is more likely an option for next years World Junior team as opposed to this years.
WJC Invite Chances: Slim but good for next year

Jack Studnicka Oshawa Generals

Personally I am a big fan of the Oshawa centre and would not be shocked if he does in fact get a world junior invite. He has suited up for Canada 3 times in international competition. He picked up 5 points at the 2015 U17 before suiting up for Canada at the Hlinka in the summer of 2016. There he was held pointless in 4 games but joined Canada late into the U18 after the Generals were elimated in the playoffs last year and picked up 3 goals in 3 games.
WJC Invite Chances: Slim but strong for next season

Jonathan Ang Peterborough Petes (Both Games)

The Peterborough forward and Florida Panthers 4th round pick will be playing in both games this year. He has only reprasented canada once and that was at the U17 level where he picked up 3 goals and 1 assist in 5 games. Ang will have to show a commitment to discipline in these 2 games and an ability to play more than an offensive role as he is farther down the offensive ladder her than in Peterborough.
WJC Invite Chances: Slim

Snubs:
How in the world is Akil Thomas not on this team? In fact how is it that there are zero nhl draft eligible forwards on this team. Raddysh, Bitten and Kyrou all played as 17 year olds and I am sure it was a great expierience and helped aid in their development. There are a few players on this team who could take a back seat to someone like Thomas who I would argue at 17 is better than a few of these players. Hancock was another player I had on my list but with the amount of Attack players on the roster already im more open to looking past his ommision. I am surprised that Issac Ratcliff got the nod over Nate Schnarr and Entwhistles ommission is somewhat puzzling. Needless to say there are plenty of viable options to fill in as injury replacements this year and with Smith and Carson banged up we could see some.

Breakdown of Roster by OHL Team
Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds - 4
London Knights - 4
Owen Sound Attack - 3
Mississauga Steelheads - 2
Peterborough Petes - 2
Erie Otters - 2
Kitchener Rangers - 2
Guelph Storm - 2
Hamilton Bulldogs - 1
Sarnia Sting - 1
Ottawa 67's - 1
Saginaw Spirit - 1
Windsor Spitfires - 1
Sudbury Wolves - 1

Breakdown by NHL Draft Rights
Draft Eligible - 3
Undrafted - 1
Florida - 2
Las Vegas - 2
Vancouver - 2
St. Louis - 2
Detroit - 2
Tampa Bay - 2
Las Angeles - 2
Edmonton - 1
Toronto - 1
Montreal - 1
Arizona - 1
Philadelphia - 1
Colorado - 1
Winnipeg - 1
Buffalo - 1
Ottawa - 1

Breakdown by NHL Draft Round 
Round 1 - 4
Round 2 - 9
Round 3 - 5
Round 4 - 3
Round 5 - 2

Monday 16 October 2017

OHL Power Rankings Week 4

After an almost full week which included 29 OHL games and 18 of the 20 teams playing 3 during the week we are starting to see teams reach the 10 game mark. The standings have its share of expected early contenders as well as a few surprises. The scoring race is also a nice mix of expected leaders and quickly developing surprises. The league continues to crack down on head checks but there has been a surprising amount of slew foot majors. You can check out my suspension tracker here

With less than a month till the OHL vs Russia games some players are making a strong case for inclusion like Attack defender Sean Durzi who has 17 points in 9 games and Greyhounds defender Mac Hollowell who has 12 in 5 games. While draft eligible stars like Akil Thomas and Barret Hayton are among the top forwards in the OHL and deserve a shot at that roster before being a serious WJC threat next year as 18 year olds.

Speaking of the World Junior camp OHL fans should keep an eye on Thursdays match up between Peterbough and Windsor as 2 hopefuls between the pipes will be battling it out as Dylan Wells visits Michael DiPietro.

Speaking of Dipietro the Spits continue to put up good showings. Mind you the 18 year old goalie right now is making a pretty strong case for the OHLs most outstanding player. With a .946 save percentage he is allowing a Spits team that has been outplayed to stay competitive against anyone in the league. It has also allowed the Spits to stay above water as they have gotten Sean Day back and are hoping to get Logan Brown back soon as well. The question is do they move DiPietro now or next season. He is arguably the 1 goalie who would justify an exceedingly large return. In my opinion there are really only 3 teams right now that make sense as potential landing spots for Dipietro and they are Owen Sound, Guelph and Oshawa. Owen Sound obviously would become the overwhelming favourites this year if they picked up DiPietro. They could also move him next year to recoup some of the assets he cost. Guelph and Oshawa make sense because these two teams as of right now have lineups that make them the early favorites for next season. Would they pull the trigger early or wait another year when the cost is a little lower. A dark horse though is Ottawa. They are loaded in picks from 2 years of trading with Sarnia and have an intriguingly competitive lineup but with 2 major questions marks manning the crease for them.

North Bay seems to be falling back to earth after an early hot start. Luke Burghardt was held pointless in 3 games this week and was a -8 after starting the year with 11 points in his first 6 games. The lack of depth in North Bay is starting to become evident with the 2 gut wrenching losses this weekend after blowing 3rd period leads. Between the pipes neither of their goalies have SV% above .860. Cam Dineen is a bonafide super star on the backend and while they have some nice blueline depth among their top 6. Up front however this team will continue to struggle to score goals. They will need to win with defence and will need to get more out of their goaltending.

The Owen Sound Attack are sporting the best power play in the league which shouldnt be a surprise given their talent. 8 players are averaging a point per game for the Attack so far in this young season with 2016 1st round pick Aiden Dundas not far behind with 8 in 9 games. 8 different players have scored power play goals and 11 different players are averaging more than 2 shots per game. The one question mark remains in net. While Zack Bowman has gotten the job done so far he is sporting a .883 save percentage. That could become an issue come playoff time when teams are more evenly matched. Based on how they have played so far this season this Owen Sound team will be a tough team to keep pace with through the season as their depth is enviable to say the least.

In Oshawa a 2-4-1 stretch after an opening weekend sweep has tempered expectations some. Some of that poor stretch can be attributed to starting goalie Kyle Keyser being injured. The offence is still averaging close to 5 goals per game, in fact their 4.77 goals per game has them tied for 3rd in the league. Right now the most likely fix would be ab upgrade at the backup goalie position. One name I threw out last week was Mario Culina who is currently playing for Ryerson University. While an OA backup may not be ideal his memorial cup experience could be a good thing to have in a crease shared with Kyle Keyser. There are no guarantees that he would leave Ryerson and it is just speculation that this is something that Oshawa would look into but this would be a rather prudent fix for Oshawa that will allow them to continue to build for the next 2 seasons.

(1) Sarnia Sting 9-1 Power Rank Percentage (PR%) .8610

The Sting continue to role as they picked up another 6 points on the weekend. Their offence is averaging a healthy 5.1 goals per game which sits them 2nd in the league behind only Owen Sound and their goalies are giving up only 2.5 per game which is the fewest per game. One player whose play seems to have done a 180 is Adam Ruzicka. Usually you see a big improvement in an imports 2nd year in the CHL and Ruzicka is showing that. With 15 points in 10 games he is doubling his points per game from last year but more importantly he is a +12 when he was a -15 last year and is averaging 4.3 shots per game. More comfortable in North America and not just on the ice but with a year to adjust to a new Culture we are seeing a new Adam Ruzicka and the Sting are reaping the benefits.
Games this Week Oct 19 @ NB; Oct 20 @ Sby; Oct 21 @ Bar


(2) Owen Sound Attack 6-1-2 PR% .7615

Owen Sound flexed its offence muscle this weekend scoring 21 goals in 3 games including a 12 goal explosion vs the Oshawa Generals where they victimized the leagues worst penalty kill for 5 goals. We all know the big 3 that returned up front for the Attack this year but one question at the begining of the year was who was going to replace the offence on the blueline that graduated once Santino Centorame finished his OA season? Sean Durzi has answered that question as the 19 year old rearguard has picked up 17 points in 9 games this year and sits 2nd in the OHL in scoring. He has 5 multi point games and points in 8 straight as he helps lead the charge for the leagues best offence.
Games This Week: Oct 21 @ Eri; Oct 22 @ Eri

(3) Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds 7-1-2 PR% .7518

The Greyhounds have points in all games since a season opening loss to Oshawa but like their last OT failure this one felt like a missed opportunity. The Greyhounds led by 2 goals at 3 different points versus Ottawa before finally squandering the lead with less than a minute to go in the 2nd period. They finished with 5 out of 6 points but it should have been more. The Hounds dropped to 2-1-2 vs the East this year and while the East is much stronger this season it is something that needs to be improved. One player who had a strong showing this week and is likely the favourite for player of the week is 19 year old defenceman Mac Hollowell who finished with 8 points in 3 games. The veteren blue liner now has 12 points in 5 games this season. Not bad for a player who had his summer derailed a bit after breaking his fibula at the Maple Leafs prospect camp.
Games this Week: Oct 18 @ Sby; Oct 20 vs Kgn; Oct 22 vs Gue

(4) Barrie Colts 7-2-1 PR% .7365

Ive talked a lot about the stellar play of the Russian players on the Colts roster and the teams struggle with suspensions but on a team with limited depth there is one player who has really stepped up for them this season. That player is former 15th round OHL priority selection pick Lucas Chiodo. His 53 points in 68 games last year alone was fantastic value for a 15th round pick. This season he has stepped it up even more with 14 points in 10 games. His 77 points is most by a 15th round draft pick since Niagara pick Blake Siebenaler finished his OHL career with 96 in 199 career games.
Games This Week: Oct 21 vs Sar; Oct 22 @ OSH

(5) Peterborough Petes 7-2-1 PR% .7291

Gogolev, Der-arguchinstev, Korostelev and Babinsev. The PMC has more Russian influence than the White House and for the Petes it is working out fantastically. After scoring 5 goals in 53 games last year Gogolev has already equaled that in 10 games. Der-Arguchinstev is averaging .6 points per game this year which is an increase over last year. Korostelev has 7 points in 6 games where the Petes are 5-0-1 and Babinsev has adjusted quite well to life in Peterborough with solid play through 10 games for an import rookie. Their upcoming 3 game Western road trip will be an important step for the Petes as they look to take the next step in contender status.
Games This Week: Oct 19 @ Wsr; Oct 21 @ Fli; Oct 22 @ Sag

(6) Niagara Icedogs 6-2-1 PR% .7139

The Icedogs now have points in 4 straight games and if it wasnt for an atrocious 1st period in Erie on Sunday it would likely be 4 straight wins. The young team showed resilience in fighting back and earning the point after spotting the Otters a 4-1 opening period lead. On player who deserves some spotlight is 3rd year forward Ben Jones who 12 points in 9 games this season after a 3 point outburst versus the Otters which was his 2nd 3 point game of the year. Jones has also won 63.5% of his faceoffs this year which is 2nd in the league to Sarnia center Drake Rymsha.
Games This Week: Oct 19 vs Miss; Oct 22 vs Ott

(7) Kitchener Rangers 7-3-1 PR% .6984

After dropping the opening game of their 3 in 3 road trip through Northern Ontario and Michigan on Friday to Sault Ste. Marie the Rangers bounced back and picked up wins in Flint and Saginaw. Connar Bunnaman seems to have found his offensive mojo as he exploded for 7 points (5-2) on the road trip after opening the year with only a pair of assists in 6 games. They get the Knights at home this week who will have some reinforcements as Alex Formenton has been returned by the Ottawa Senators.
Games This Week: Oct 20 vs Ldn; Oct 21 vs Osh

(8) Hamilton Bulldogs 5-1-3 PR% .6808

Since opening the season with a lose the Bulldogs have points in their last 8. All have been 1 goal games except for their 2-0 win over Mississauga. They are starting to score more goals which is a plus. Brandon Saigeon looks to be 100% healthy and is starting to realize the potential he showed that made him a top OHL draft pick. The team showed great resiliency with a pair of 3rd period comebacks on the weekend. With a road game in Guelph and a home game vs Ottawa this week they have a very good chance at continuing their winning ways.
Games This Week: Oct Oct 20 @ Gue; Oct 22 vs Ott

(9) Kingston Frontenacs 5-2-2 PR% .6658

The Fronts had a rough week picking up only 2 out of 6 possible points. 2nd year forward Nathan Dunkley served the first 3 of a 5 game suspension and the team looked stagnant on offence because of it picking up only 6 goals in the 3 games and being out played for most of the weekend. With a Northern Ontario road trip coming up they could be in for another long weekend.
Games This Week: Oct 20 @ SSM; Oct 21 @ Sby; Oct 22 @ North Bay

(10) Windsor Spitfires 6-3-1 PR% .6557

I don't want to keep talking about DiPietro so I will keep his praise short this week. He was stellar once again keeping the Spits in it vs Sarnia and helping them pick up a pair of wins against London including on Saturday night when the Spits were outshot 39-11. When Logan Brown returns given the way the team has played so far you could argue that this team has enough pieces to compete for home ice in the West. With the dearth of talent returning next season though it wont be enough to not sell off. Dipietro, Brown and Day will all fetch big returns but arguable the most intriguing piece is OA captain Aaron Luchuk. The veteran of 216 OHL games picked up his 150th career point this weekend and now has 9 goals and 6 assists on the season. He scores in all situations and is great on the faceoff circle.
Games This Week: Oct 19 vs Pbo; Oct 22 @ Fli

(11) Flint Firebirds  5-3-1 PR% .6246

It was a good week for the Firebirds as they thumped Guelph and Mississauga before playing the Rangers tight, ultimately dropping that game 5-3 after giving up 2 late goals. The Bluejackets have assigned Kole Sherwood to the Firebirds so they have just added an 85 point player for a 2nd round draft pick as per the condition of their original trade with London. Sherwood now gives the Firebirds 5 OAs so you can expect some moves coming up but they have a very strong group of forwards that should allow them to continue to fill the net.
Games This Week: Oct 21 vs PBO; Oct 22 vs Wsr

(12) Ottawa 67's 6-4-1 PR% .5992

The 67s are an interesting team. In their 4 regulation losses they have been outscored 29-5. The other 7 games including their 6 wins have all been 1 goal games including a 4-1 record in extra time. I don't think the issue is all goaltending as their defence seemed overwhelmed at times vs Sault Ste. Marie. They have some young and exciting pieces on their blueline but it seems like they are missing something back there. On big plus I got while watching the 67s is that their forward depth is greater than I expected. They are a fantastic fore checking team and do a great job of applying pressure and taking advantage of their chances. This upcoming week is an interesting gift from the schedule makers. A home game Friday vs Oshawa and then a long bus trip to Niagara the next night for a game against the Icedogs before wrapping up their weekend vs Hamilton.
Games This Week: Oct 20 vs Osh; Oct 21 @ Nia; Oct 22 @ Ham

(13) Oshawa Generals 4-4-1 PR% .5265

The Generals are giving up 5 goals a game this year and have an absolutely atrocious penalty kill. They got victimized for 12 goals vs Owen Sound this weekend. I still feel however that goalie Kyle Keyser has been a bright spot for the Generals. He has a .905 SV% when you take out the Owen Sound thumping and has looked solid in most of his games. It is his first foray into being a number one goalie and has been progressing rather nicely. He is a goalie who should have a firm grip on the starting job.
Games This Week: Oct 20 @ Ott; Oct 21 vs Kit; Oct 22 vs Bar

(14) North Bay Battalion 3-4-2 PR% .4996

What a rough week to be a Battalion fan! First they blow a 2 goal 3rd period lead to Barrie on Saturday by giving up 4 in the final period including a short handed game winner with less than 2 minutes to go. On Sunday they fought back vs Hamilton and took a 3-2 lead before giving up the tying goal with less than 2 minutes to go and the winning goal in the final minute.
Games This Week: Oct 19 vs Sar; Oct 20 @ Miss; Oct 22 vs Kgn

(15) Guelph Storm 3-5-1 PR% .4590
The Guelph Power Play has outscored their opponents 8-4 so far this season. Unfortunately at even strength on on the penalty kill they have been outscored by 16 goals which has led to some rather ugly +/- on the team. This team has the depth to do better at even strength so I have a hard time believing this disparity will be sustained but it is a cause for worry.
Games This Week: Oct 20 vs Ham; Oct 21 @ Sag; Oct 22 @ SSM

(16) Erie Otters 3-6-1 PR% .4367

The Otters picked up a win for the 2nd week in a row. Not sure if it will happen for a 3rd week in a row as they get 2 games vs Owen Sound next weekend. Ivan Lodnia has goals in 4 straight games for the Otters and Kyle Maksimovich is closing in on 200 career OHL points. With 15 goals in their last 4 games it seems the Otters offence is starting to turn the corner.
Games This Week: Oct 21 vs OS; Oct 22 vs OS

(17) Sudbury Wolves 2-6-2 PR% .4079

Dmitry Sokolov seemed to wake up with 4 goals and 2 assist in 2 games this weekend before being a healthy scratch Sunday for disciplinary reasons vs Oshawa. It left a glaring hole in the Wolves lineup and Oshawa cruised to victory. Outside of his 4 point game vs Ottawa this year David Levin has 4 points in his other 9 games this season and is a -7 in those contests.
Games This Week: Oct 18 vs SSM; Oct 20 vs Sar; Oct 21 vs Kgn

(18) Saginaw Spirit 2-5-1 PR% .3761

It was another difficult week for the Spirit. They blew a 3-1 lead vs SSM, blew a 2-1 3rd period lead vs Kitchener, then on Sunday they blew another 2-1 3rd period lead before salvaging their weekend with 2 late goals to reclaim the win. This Spirit team Came out flying in each game outshooting their opponents in the 1st period in each game (21-10, 12-5, 14-8). The hot starts are a positive for sure but they will need to learn how to close better.
Games This Week: Oct 21 vs Gue; Oct 22 vs PBO

(19) Mississauga Steelheads 1-7-0 PR% .2771

The Steelheads Dropped all 3 games this week, a thumping at the hands of Sarnia, a loss to Flint and a missed opportunity vs Saginaw. In all this sets up the OHLs turd cup on Sunday when London comes to visit. On the NHL front they received some bad news as Michael McLeod had knee surgery which will inevitably delay his return to Mississauga. I would expect New Jersey to take their time with his rehab and keep him around as long as possible. Owen Tippet continues to be a healthy scratch for the Panthers so either he will be returned shortly or Steelheads fans will just have to wait longer for his 10 games.
Games This Week: Oct 19 @ Nia; Oct 20 vs NB; Oct 22 vs LDN

(20) London Knights 1-8-1 PR% .2687

The Knights dropped a pair to the Windsor Spitfires although they completely outplayed them in 1 games. They fought back vs Owen Sound on Sunday before ultimately dropping the game in OT. Alex Formenton will be returning this week from Ottawa as the Knights are slowly getting players back from NHL camp. Mete is still the biggest hole in their lineup and his 35 minutes a game will be a big boost if the Canadians return him. Till then Defence and goaltending will continue to be a weakness.
Games This Week: Oct 20 @ Kit; Oct 22 @ Miss

Tuesday 10 October 2017

OHL Power Rankings Week 3

With 3 games on Monday the rankings come a day late this week. The league though still named their player of the week Monday before the 3 Thanksgiving games played. Maybe they feel the week ended on Sunday but heading into this week the only player to get a major and not get suspended plays for the London Knights so whose judgement do you really trust here?

The coming week will be quite the busy one for the OHL as 18 of the 20 teams in the league will be playing 3 games. The only 2 teams that will be playing 2 will be Barrie and Niagara. That means 29 games will be played from Wednesday to Sunday which should keep OHL fans busy and happy.


Guelph is one team whose early season jump so far seems to be one that can really be sustainable. They have a great top 9 now that they are healthy and it seems that Merkley and Lalonde are getting better every game. There are still people who bemoan some of the things that Merkley does but there are aspects of his game that you cant teach. In my eyes he is the best Ontario born prospect in the OHL right now and if you are an NHL team that passes on him all I have to do is ask what are you doing to improve your player development system because if you pass on Merkley you must not believe in it.


Barrie have some serious electricity in their offence this year but boy what did they ever do to David Branch to make him come down on them so hard with suspensions year after year. I know every fan base will say Branch hates there team and will say he hits every team hard but the Knights but the Colts must have a special suspension dart board in his office. Already with 4 suspensions this year (including preseason) and I a really curious to see how many man games they can lose this year at the hands of Branch


Kingston, man I really enjoy watching this team. I think their top 6 is vastly underrated. Young no doubt but vastly underrated. Their Defense has plenty of high end talent that can soak up high leveraged minutes and they have a great tandem of goalies. 3 divisional games this week will allow them a chance to really assert themselves with the rest of the conference early on in this season.


Saginaw has had quite the difficult start to the Troy Smith era as special teams issues have really torpedoed this young team early. They are a -5 on special teams but a slightly more respectable -1 at even strength. The offensive struggles were predictable given that their leading returning scorer picked up only 47 points last season. This team will need to find away to get some offence out of their younger players but with their painful lack of depth there wont be many easy situations for these players to get things going.


(1) Sarnia Sting 6-1-0 Power Ranking Percentage (PR%) .814

The Sting are off to a great start and one of the main reasons is the production from converted OA defenceman Jordan Ernst who has 6 goals and 3 assists this year and has taken 30 shots in 7 games. Star forward Jordan Kyrou continues to put up the points and now sits at 190 for his OHL career. If he keeps up his pace he should become the 3rd player from the 2014 priority selection to hit 200 career OHL points. You have to consider him as close to a lock as possible for the World Junior Championships this year but what about the Olympics? If Cory Conacher is considered an intriguing Olympic option than how can you not look at a player like Jordan Kyrou. Will David Branch step in his way?
Games this Week: Oct 13 vs Miss; Oct 14 vs Gue; Oct 15 @ Wsr

(2) Kingston Frontenacs 5-1-0 PR% .783

The Fronts continue to find ways to win as they have a perfect week even if it only consisted of 1 game. One bright spot that shines a light on the Fronts early season success is that in their last 2 games the have had 3 players pick up 2 goal games and not one of them was named Jason Robertson. The young scoring depth is chipping in earlier than expected and the hope is that they continue to grow as a unit.
Games this Week: Oct 12 @ Ptb; Oct 13 vs Ptb; Oct 14 @ Ham

(3) Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds 5-1-1 PR% .744

After finishing last season with the best record on the road the Greyhounds continue to assert themselves as the most dominant road warriors since Hawk and Animal as they sport a 4-0-1 record away from the Essar Centre. Boris Katchouk is another player who is staking claim to a world junior spot early in the season. The 4th year forward is finally the focal point of the Hounds offence and after a pair of 2 goal games this weekend has 8 on the season to go along with 3 assists. He is scoring in all situations with a pair of OT winners a short handed marker and one on the power play. What he was missing was a 5 on 5 goal which was the situation all his goals were this weekend.
Games this Week: Oct 11 vs Sag; Oct 13 vs Kit; Oct 15 vs Ott

(4) Niagara Icedogs 5-2-0 PR% .709

There has been some impressive production this season through the first 3 weeks by what seems like a bumbper crop of '01 players. One high pick whose production seems to be flying a bit under the radar is that of Philip Tomasino. Currently sitting tops among '01 forwards with a +5 the electric young skater has 4 points and has taken 10 shots. He is a player who is sticking out every game like Akil Thomas did last year and is one of the many reasons to watch these young Dogs play.
Games this Week: Oct 13 v@Gue; Oct 14 @ Eri

(5) Barrie Colts 5-2-0-1 PR% .703

With 32 goals this year the Colts sit 2nd in the OHL in goals through 3 weeks. Star import Andrei Svechnikov has been as advertised and is almost unstoppable at this level it seems. The suspensions however keep adding up as the Colts will without Ben Hawerchuk and Justin Murray for an extended period of time. Depth is an issue with this team so you have to wonder how much longer they can keep this up with such important depth pieces being forced out of the lineup.
Games this Week: Oct 12 vs Eri; Oct 14 vs NB

(6) Owen Sound Attack 3-1-2 PR% .677

The Attack were all set to claim top spot in the power rankings till they dropped their Monday game to the Rangers. I blame all the tryptophan in the turkey. They will have to settle for 6th but Nick Suzuki did claim player of the week honours and they absolutely blitzed a tired Spits team on Saturday who were playing a goalie making his league debut. There 4.6 goals a game are among the leaders in the OHL
Games this Week: Oct 11 vs Eri; Oct 14 vs Osh; Oct 15 @ Ldn

(7) Kitchener Rangers 5-2-1 PR% .668

How about the play of OA goalie Anthony Dumont-Bouchard. picked up for a 14th round pick from the Barrie Colts he has raced out to a 5-0 record with a 1.80 GAA and a .940 save percentage. Almost enough to make you forget about the fact that Assistant coach Matthew Barnaby and the team parted ways this week. That news of course puts be in a bit of a pickle. How am I supposed to get my Matthew Barnaby jersey signed now?
Games this Week: Oct 13 @SSM; Oct 14@ Sag; Oct 15 @ Fli

(8) Peterborough Petes 4-2-1 PR% .662

The Petes continue to pick up points as they are 3-0-1 in their last 4. They however continue to give an obscene amount of shots. Dylan Wells has faced 231 shots so far through 6 games which averages out to 38.5. He will be a tired man come March if this keeps up. On the brightside is Nikita Korostolev has not missed a beat with 5 points in his first 3 games back. Hunter Jones also picked up his first win on Monday and picked up a power play assist in the process. He now has more power play assists than all but 5 members of the 2017-18 London Knights
Games this Week: Oct 12 vs Kgn; Oct 13 @ Kgn; Oct 14 vs Sby

(9) Windsor Spitfires 4-2-1 PR% .659

DiPietro stood on his head and helped the Spits earn 1 point vs the Greyhounds on Thursday. Absolutly stole a point vs Guelph on Friday before resting for 40 minutes on Saturday while the Owen Sound Attack welcomed Brock Baier to the OHL. Still only 1 goal has been scored on him this season while the Spits have been shorthanded. Which makes me wonder is there a goalie in the OHL who far and a way makes a teams penalty kill go from mediocre to world class just by being in the net? What are some of the biggest gaps in recent memory between a starter and a back up. If I ever won lotto max this is the type of useless information I would investigate.
Games this Week: Oct 12 vs Ldn; Oct 13 @ Ldn ; Oct 15 vs Sar

(10) Guelph Storm 3-2-1 PR% .617

Much to the chagrin of Steve McLean the Storm dropped game 2 of the OHL Fan Boys cup vs the Spits on Friday. They did however look great vs the Rangers the next night. With the return of Nate Schnarr (inj) and McEwan (Pro Camp) to their lineup this team has gotten a lot more dangerous. This teams Top 9 is among the best in the OHL.
Games this Week: Oct 11 @ Fli; Oct 13 vs Nia; Oct 14 @ Sar

(11) North Bay Battalion 3-2-1 PR% .59187

The fact that 50% of the goals have been scored by only 2 players is starting to catch up with the Battalion. They will need more players to step up but you really have to wonder if the talent is there on this roster. One player who has had some great production this year is the pride of New Liskard Ontario Justin Brazeau. The hulking forward has 7 points in 6 games this year and will need to keep up the pace while the rest of the scoring depth figures things out. The addition of OA Brett McKenzie who was returned from pro camp will certainly help however.
Games This Week: Oct 12 vs Ott; Oct 14 @ Bar; Oct 15 vs Ham

(12) Oshawa Generals 3-2-1 PR% .59183
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The Generals seem to have weathered the storm that was Kyle Keysers injury. The need for a improvement at the backup position is something that is on the mind of Generals fans. The pickings are slim out there but with their depth you have to wonder if trading one of their OAs is an option and bringing in a guy like Mario Culina makes sense.
Games This Week: Oct 13 vs Ham; Oct 14 @ OS; Oct 15 vs Sby

(13) Flint Firebirds 3-2-1 PR% .589

A winless 3 game Eastern Ontario roadtrip drop the Firebirds from 1st down to 13th. They did a good job of earning a point against the 67s after falling behind early and likely would have picked up 2 points had Olivier Trembley not played so fantastically. Still lots to like about this Firebirds team and a 3 game homestand this weekend is the perfect time to stem the bleeding
Games This Week: Oct 11 vs Gue; Oct 14 vs Miss; Oct 15 vs Kit

(14) Hamilton Bulldogs 2-1-3 PR% .580

The good news is the Bulldogs found a way to score more than 3 goals in a game on Thanksgiving. The bad news is the spotted the Sting a 4 goal lead in the 1st period. The Bulldogs have now dropped 3 straight games in extra time and outside of their 5 goal explosion in the final 2 periods vs Sarnia they still have some rather large question marks on offence. From a fan perspective the development of this team the last 2 years has not been all that inspiring.
Games this Week: Oct 13 @ Osh; Oct 14 vs Kgn; Oct 15 @ NB

(15) Ottawa 67s 4-3-1 PR% .562

With 40 goals allowed the 67s proudly lead the OHL in that category. In spite of the -14 goal differentual the 67s are miraculasly sporting a winning record (thank you OT loser point). The big bright spot this weekend however was the play of Olivier Trembley who junior hockey fans in the NCR can thank for their 4 point weekend after wins over Peterborough and Flint.
Games This Week: Oct 12 @ NB; Oct 13 @ Sby; Oct 15 @ SSM

(16) Erie Otters 2-4-1 PR% .444

The Otters claimed the Western Conference's Turd cup on Saturday night as the spanked the London Knights at the EIA. Still plenty of pieces on this team to like but for a team that is looking to restock the cupboard in terms of future assets the play of Ivan Lodnia has to be a little concerning.
Games This Week: Oct 11 @ OS; Oct 12 @ Bar; Oct 14 vs Nia

(17) Sudbury Wolves 1-4-2 PR% .380

The Wolves picked up thier first win of the season on the road with a big win over the Niagara Icedogs. They followed that up by dropping the Eastern Conferences Turd cup with a loss in Mississauga the following night. The future though continues to look bright as Blake Murray continues to be among the leaders in points among '01 born rookies.
Games this Week: Oct 13 vs Ott; Oct 14 @ PTB; Oct 15 @ Osh

(18) Saginaw Spirit 1-3-1 PR% .373

The law of averages tells us that the power play and penalty kill of Saginaw can not be this bad for that much longer. They are due for a break out in that aspect of their game. One player who has really stood out so far is OA Marcus Crawford. Moving in on his 200th career game the blueliner is averaging 5 shots a game and has a focal point for the spirit when they have been trying to generate offence. An intriguing trade chip if they ever go that route but in the meantime his has exceptional value in terms of insulating their young D-core and allowing them to develop
Games this Week: Oct 11 @ SSM; Oct 14 vs Kit; Oct 15 vs Miss

(19) Mississauga Steelheads 1-4-0 PR% .348

The Steelheads picked up their 1st win of the season! Their reward is a trip to Sarnia to face the powerful Sting. After that they finish a 3 in 3 with a pair of games in Michigan. Import Albert Michnac exploded with a 4 point game. On Sunday they Steelheads moved surplus D Austin Omanski to the Petes for a pair of 4th round picks. With Hague, Moverare, Rippon and Gibson firmly entrenched in their top 4 it made sense to move the 19 year old and open up some development time for their younger players on their 3rd pair.
Games this Week: Oct 13 @ Sar; Oct 14 @ Fli; Oct 15 @ Sag

(20) London Knights 1-6-0 PR% .256

The good news for 95% of the OHL fanbases is that the London Knights are in last place in these rankings. The bad news is that it likely wont last for long. Well I wouldnt bet on it anyways but hey if they do finish last at least they would get a generational player like Quinton Byfield without him holding the league hostage and demanding where he plays. The brightside for Knights fans is that Sam Militic returned from the AHL and they picked up underrated OA Tyler Rollo who could be a point per game player for the Knights.
Games this Week: Oct 12 @ Wsr; Oct 13 vs Wsr; Oct 15 vs OS