The best are getting better
Top teams loading up with stars before the trade deadline
When a team puts together a winning streak as long as the Soo Greyhounds, they usually end up at the Memorial Cup.
But still, there is so much hope around the rest of the Ontario Hockey League — especially in the Eastern Conference.
“For the first time since I’ve been a coach, it’s the closest the two sides have ever been,” Hamilton bench boss John Gruden said. “There are a lot of good teams in the East and they’re only getting better (through the Jan. 10 trade deadline).
“This is a very under-rated division. It’s going to be hard to win and we want that challenge.”
The Bulldogs were quick out of the trade gate, adding two-thirds of Flint’s top scoring line in Ryan Moore and Nick Caamano. They brought in Riley Stillman from Oshawa to help the back end, too.
But then, the team that knocked the Bulldogs out in Game 7 overtime of the first round last spring — the Kingston Frontenacs — pulled off the massive deal to acquire Memorial Cup champs Gabe Vilardi and Sean Day from Windsor.
Now, it’s Hamilton’s move again — or somebody else’s. Everyone is trying to one-up each other over the next week and make the necessary splash to give them the edge.
“Kingston, with that trade, they’re better,” Gruden said. “We gave ourselves a nice lead (in the standings), but we can’t take anything lightly.”
This has been an unpredictable hockey season.
Teams that were supposed to do a lot of damage — Owen Sound and Mississauga — are near the bottom of the standings.
Even out west, Memorial Cup host Regina is currently eighth in its conference. They need to get moving quickly or they will face a terrible first-round matchup, maybe even worse than Windsor drew in London last spring.
If you were to re-rank the Cup bids over again based on roster right now, Hamilton is the likely winner.
“But I get their point,” Gruden said. “Last year, we didn’t get the results we wanted and it was our first year together. The bid’s done halfway through the year and there are a lot of question marks.
“It takes time and we believe in our group enough.”
A recent loss to Niagara reinforced that they still have work ahead of them. The Bulldogs had been a powerhouse over the past few months before falling 7-3 to the Ice Dogs.
“We didn’t know what to expect this year,” Gruden said. “We traded a bunch of skill and we had six rookies starting in our lineup. But they started to take off and we were finding ways to win. That’s what good teams do.”
The root of that success came from the players themselves. One of the team’s most committed efforts comes from 19-year-old starting goaltender Kaden Fulcher, who has both team goalie coach Nick Grainger and former London netminding guru Bill Dark helping out these days.
“Kaden likes to work — and no one was complaining about longer practising or getting after it,” Gruden said. “There were no issues at all when it came to how much we were doing (to prepare).”
GM Steve Staios and Gruden talk every day. It’s clear the coach’s opinion carries some weight with the re-uniting of his old Firebirds players Will Bitten, Moore and Caamano.
It would be one of the better comeback stories in junior hockey if the ex-Firebirds, who supported their coach through his high-profile dismissal in Flint a couple of years back, were able to solidify the Hamilton franchise with a deep playoff run.
“When I got the news Ryan and Nick were coming, I was pretty excited,” Gruden said. “We had such a strong bond there (in Flint) and for them to come here in this environment with such good people, it’s a lot of fun.
“It’s nice to have those guys back in the locker room. It seems like yesterday (they were together), but we’re in a good spot.”
It might take another big move or two to really feel comfortable — and that’s why this next week is so nerve-wracking.