By Steve Fitzsimmons /
It has been a great start to the OHL campaign, with compelling stories all over the place. Whether it’s the great race between Taylor Hall and Tyler Seguin for the scoring lead, or the great crop of rookies who are showing their skill set, it has been fun to watch. As always, Hockey Now keeps you on top of the latest news and notes from around the league. We also want to send out our best wishes for a speedy recovery to Kitchener Rangers rookie defencemen Ben Fanelli, who suffered serious head and facial injuries in a game last week.
London Knights
Rookie D Scott Harrington has finally returned from injury to make his seasonal debut and has looked very good in seven games with the team, registering three assists and a plus-6 rating. Harrington was the Knights first round draft pick in the 2009 OHL Entry Draft...C Jared Knight has been one of the team’s more productive players, notching seven goals and 11 points in 16 games and is a very impressive plus-9. He is well ahead of his pace of last year, which saw him score 15 goals as a rookie.
Soo Greyhounds
G Robin Lehner, a second round NHL pick of the Ottawa Senators has been playing some excellent hockey for the club, with a .923 save percentage and 2.84 GAA...Rookie C Nick Cousins has been a solid contributor to the club so far, with four points in his last three games and has three goals and 10 points in 18 games so far. Cousins starred at the OHL Cup last season for his Quinte club, helping them to a third place finish at the famed tournament that OHL Scouts mark on their calendar every year.
Guelph Storm
RW Taylor Beck has been playing the best hockey of his OHL career,
with 11 goals and 28 points in 16 games and is an impressive plus-8. He has stepped up his level of play with several regulars out of the line-up with injury...Hard working rookie C Connor Tresham scored his first OHL goal last week versus Barrie. He then followed that up with a key shootout goal against London the following game.
Sarnia Sting
Rookie C Brandon Alderson is establishing himself as a player who comes through in the clutch already in his OHL career. With six goals in his first 16 games, Alderson has managed three game winning goals, which ranks second in the OHL in that category. He has also shown solid ability defensively...G Adam Courchaine has brought a stabilizing presence in goal for the club, having now appeared in eight games and sports a .914 save percentage.
Windsor Spitfires
The team has added RW Kenny Ryan to the fold. He was originally a seventh round pick of the club in 2007 and played last season for the US Under-18 National Development system, registering 27 goals and 49 points in 62 games. He was selected in the second round of the NHL Draft by the Toronto Maple Leafs. He decided in favour of the Spitfires over Boston College and has made an immediate impact, registering six points in his first six OHL games.
Plymouth Whalers
C Tyler Seguin has been ultra impressive in the early part of the season, battling with Taylor Hall for the OHL Scoring lead. But as impressive as his 18 goals and 34 points in 17 games is, his play without the puck and on the defensive side of the game is just as solid. Seguin is expected to be one of the top prospects for the 2010 NHL Draft…LW A.J. Jenks has been a serious contributor to the Whalers, with six goals and 14 points in 13 games and is a plus-4. He struggled at times last season but is showed renewed confidence and using his size very effectively.
Erie Otters
Second year RW Anthony Luciani has been making the most of his opportunity to play more minutes, with a great start of 12 goals and 18 points in 17 outings, already setting new career highs in goals and points. Last year he had six goals and 14 points in 59 appearances. The Maple, Ontario native has been one of the OHL’s top surprises so far...C Zach Torquato is starting to find the range for the club. He is usually a point a game type and has six goals and 15 points in 17 games, but has seven points in his last four games.
Kitchener Rangers
C Jeff Skinner has been a model of consistency for the club so far, including a span of scoring goals in six straight games. Eligible for the 2010 NHL Draft, Skinner has notched 13 goals and 23 points in 16 games so far and should be highly ranked when NHL Central Scouting comes out with their initial list...LW Jeremy Morin has been one of the OHL’s top snipers, with 14 goals in 16 games. With a wicked hard and accurate shot, Morin looks poised for 40- to 50-goal campaign.
Saginaw Spirit
LW Jordan Skellett is finally realizing his solid potential in his fifth and final OHL season. The London native has been sizzling, with seven goals and 29 points in 16 games, good enough for third place among OHL players in points. He’s well on pace to destroy his career high of 45 points...Defencemen T.J. Brodie and Nick Crawford are both doing their part from the back end offensively, with both averaging over a point a game, helping Saginaw stay in the playoff hunt in the ultra tough Western Conference.
Owen Sound Attack
After trading several draft picks for D Jesse Blacker and C Ben Dubois, the team got a few back when they dealt Mike Lomas to Peterboro for a third and seventh draft choice in 2010 and a conditional fourth round pick in 2011…The Attack are expecting rookie import RW Roman Berdnikov to be able to play in the next week or so. They feel he can make an immediate contribution offensively to the club...C Joey Hishon is lost to the team for 6-8 weeks with a broken foot suffered in a recent game.
Mississauga St. Mike’s Majors
Improvement from second-year players has contributed significantly to the rise in fortunes for this club. LW Devante Smith-Pelly has become a very dangerous OHL sniper, with nine goals and 17 points in 16 games. On top of that he’s playing great defensive hockey with a plus-15 ranking. Last year as a rookie, Smith-Pelly had 13 goals and 25 points in 57 games...Another second-year player showing substantial improvement is LW William Wallen. He only played 30 games last season due to health issues, but has eight goals and 16 points in 16 games this season and looks far more comfortable and confident than he did last year.
Oshawa Generals
Rookie C Boone Jenner has been opening eyes around the league with his high talent level. The 6-0, 193-pound Dorchester-native has a wicked shot and has scored eight goals in his first 17 OHL games…C Jeff Hayes has to be a feel good story for OHL watchers. One of the smallest players in the league, but with a big heart, he has worked hard for several seasons for everything he gets. His hard work is paying off. After registering 23 points in 67 games last year, Hayes has surged to nine goals and 19 points in 17 games this season.
Brampton Battalion
C Cody Hodgson is getting better with his back injury and should be able to play for the team very soon. Don’t expect Hodgson to remain with the Battalion past the trade deadline in January though, as he instantly becomes the most sought after player in the OHL...LW Stephon Thorne has shown great improvement in his game from his rookie year last season. He has played very solidly with four goals and eight points in 16 games and is plus-5.
Barrie Colts
Rookie C Alexander Burmistov continues his high level of offensive output, with 8 goals and 23 points in 17 games. The Kazan, Russia native is draft eligible for the 2010 NHL Draft…C Taylor Carnevale has certainly found things this year to his liking in Barrie, with nine goals and 21 points in 17 games and is playing well without the puck also. He’s on pace to shatter his career high of 40 points last season.
Oshawa Generals
Rookie C Boone Jenner has been opening eyes around the league with his high talent level. The 6-0, 193-pound Dorchester-native has a wicked shot and has scored eight goals in his first 17 OHL games…C Jeff Hayes has to b |