Swapping sweaters
Top five gems mined at the OHL trade deadline
KITCHENER — A change of scenery.
Some players benefit from it. Others thrive on it. And a few just never seem to find their footing once they swap sweaters.
It has been about a month since the Ontario Hockey League’s trade deadline passed.
A total of 39 players and 76 draft picks changed hands between Jan. 2-10. Enough time has gone by to draw some conclusions.
So here are my top five players that have made a big impact with their new clubs.
Cordell James, Owen Sound: It wasn’t one of the highprofile moves at the deadline but it might be one of the savviest. James had 25 points in 36 games for the Barrie Colts, but the overage forward has 14 points in nine games since joining the Attack. The 20-year-old gives Owen Sound some size, experience and skill up front. The team is 7-1-0-1 since his arrival. Not bad for a guy that only cost the Attack a fourth-round draft pick.
Mitchell Vande Sompel, London: The Knights’ defence was already the envy of most teams before they added Vande Sompel from Oshawa. He didn’t come cheap — two seconds, two thirds and youngster Ian Blacker went to the Gens — but he has been worth every penny. Toss aside the plus of having another puck-moving rearguard to kickstart the rush and his 11 points in a dozen games. His real value has been his mere presence in the wake of a head injury to fellow D-man Victor Mete. London hasn’t missed a beat despite losing Mete for the past 11 games thanks to Vande Sompel.
Allan McShane, Oshawa: Anthony Cirelli was the big name in the megadeal that saw the Canadian world junior forward go from the Gens to Erie for McShane and five draft picks. And Cirelli has delivered with 14 points in a dozen games for the Otters. McShane was Erie’s first-round pick (19th overall) in last year’s OHL draft and a bit of a long play for Oshawa, but is paying immediate dividends with 10 points in 11 games. The Gens shed major talent at the deadline but are first overall in the east. It seems the youth movement is already paying off.
Drake Rymsha, Sarnia: The Sting are slowly making a push up the western conference standings, and Rymsha is a big reason for it. The 18-year-old centre wanted out of Ottawa, and Sarnia paid a handsome price — four high draft picks — to get him. Rymsha is third in team scoring and has a dozen points in 11 games since joining the Sting. His presence has also sparked linemates Troy Lajeunesse and Jordan Kyrou.
Warren Foegele, Erie: Again, Cirelli and demoted NHLer Dylan Strome grabbed the headlines for the Otters in and around the trade deadline. But Foegele may prove to be sleeper, especially in the playoffs. He led Kingston in scoring when the Fronts sent him stateside for prospect Brett Neumann and a third-round pick, and is just better than a point-per-game player for Erie. He’s second on the team in power-play goals, fills out their forward lines and adds leadership.
Honourable mentions: Kirill Maksimov, Niagara IceDogs, Jacob Cascagnette, Mississauga Steelheads and Maurizio Colella, Flint Firebirds.
HOT: Alex DeBrincat, Erie Otters. This segment should really read scorching instead of hot this week. DeBrincat has 18 points in his past five games.
Just give him the OHL scoring leader title, already.
NOT: Luke Opilka, Kitchener Rangers. It has been a rough winter for the Rangers goalie and St. Louis Blues prospect. Opilka has allowed 20 goals in his past four starts, and has logged a save percentage of .837 in that span.
THOUGHT: There was some discussion about cancelling the Canadian Hockey League Top Prospects game in the wake of the horrific terror attack on a Quebec City mosque about a week back. The game went on, and that was the right call. It’s important to mourn the victims but it’s also important to not let violence impede our way of life.
KILLER CLASH: Sarnia Sting at Kitchener Rangers, Sunday 2 p.m. Sixth place in the OHL’s western conference could be on the line by the time the weekend rolls around as seventhseeded Sarnia trails Kitchener by just two points. But finishing seventh may actually be the bigger prize as it’ll likely mean facing Sault Ste. Marie or Windsor in the first round of the playoffs instead of Erie or London.
ICE CHIPS: The leagueleading Erie Otters have a goal differential of plus 92 at home but just plus eight on the road. Talk about a head-scratching statistic … Here are some numbers to digest post-OHL trade deadline: best record and most points Erie (11-1, 22 points), worst record and fewest points Barrie (1-8-3-0, five points), most points by an east team Mississauga (17), on the upswing Kingston (6-3-0-2) and Owen Sound (7-1-0-1), most games played Kitchener and Windsor (13), fewest games played Guelph, Owen Sound and Sudbury (9) … Erie’s Dylan Strome has 41 points in 17 games for a league high 2.4 points per game … Kris Knoblauch is doing another fine job with the Otters but I’d give some coach-ofthe-year consideration to Windsor’s Rocky Thompson, who has the Spits in the hunt despite an injury riddled season … Former Rangers forward and current Kingston coach Paul McFarland joined the OHL’s 100-win club last week during his third season behind the bench … Top five faceoff winners (min 900 attempts): Cliff Pu, London (61.6 per cent), Zach Gallant, Peterborough (60.4), Michael McLeod, Mississauga (60.3), Drake Rymsha, Sarnia (58), and Everett Clark, Flint (56) … I was overwhelmed with the amount of feedback I received from my column on 10 changes I’d make to the OHL. Fans are definitely ready for some tweaks to the league.
CORRECTION: The Rangers play the Niagara IceDogs at the Aud on Tuesday at 7 p.m. not on the road as indicated in Monday’s Record.