OHL preview
Mississauga team to beat in OHL’s East
KITCHENER — The script was familiar.
For the second year in a row, the Ontario Hockey League’s Eastern Conference champions started out slow before making their move.
Two years back it was the Niagara IceDogs that limped along before reaching the league final and losing to the London Knights.
Last season, the Mississauga Steelheads were swimming upstream until the second half when they made their push. They, too, lost in the final, this time to Erie.
Right now, the picture in the east is a bit foggy.
The power could shift depending which players return to junior from NHL camps.
Regardless, last season’s top teams should all be in the running yet again.
FAVOURITE: Mississauga Steelheads. Some key pieces from last year’s squad are gone but there is enough left over to help the Trout to back-to-back east titles. There have star players at every position with the Brothers McLeod — Michael and Ryan — and sniper Owen Tippett up front, Nic Hague in the back end and Jacob Ingham in net. Depth is a concern but Missy is sitting pretty.
NEXT IN LINE: Hamilton Bulldogs. Belleville is ancient history. This is year three in Steeltown and it’s time for the ’Dogs to make a move. Some character guys graduated but there might not be a more balanced attack in the east. The entire defensive group is back, and the only real question is whether or not Kaden Fulcher can carry the load in net. Anything less than a top three finish would be a disappointment.
DARK HORSE: Oshawa Generals. The team bid — and lost — to host the Memorial Cup so the club was clearly building for this season. There are some exciting young players that are complemented by savvy veterans which make for a good mix. Goaltending is the biggest question mark.
MOVING FORWARD: Niagara IceDogs. Team staff is talking about a top three finish. That might be a tad optimistic for the young pups but strides should be made from last season’s eighthplace finish. They have one of the better goalies in the conference in Stephen Dhillon and a top dog in forward Akil Thomas.
FALLING BACK: Sudbury Wolves. The fire power is there but there are red flags elsewhere. The team has a new coach, bid farewell to four regular defencemen and is relying on a sophomore goalie. That doesn’t exactly scream improvement.
Barrie Colts
GM: Jason Ford Coach: Dale Hawerchuk Last season: 17-44-6-1 Ice chips: All eyes are on first overall pick F Ryan Suzuki. … Colts also banking on Russian
forwards Andrei Svechnikov and Alexey Lipanov, both first-round picks in the CHL’s import draft. … F Lucas Chiodo and F Zach Magwood are 25-goal threats. … Look for F Jason Willms to take a step forward. … Acquired OA G Leo Lazarev from Ottawa. Key loss: F Anthony Stefano led team with 56 points. Big question: Can youngsters get Colts into the playoffs?
Hamilton Bulldogs
GM: Steve Staios Coach: John Gruden Last season: 33-27-4-4 Ice chips: Former Sudbury boss David Matsos joins bench as an associate coach. … Matt Strome, Will Bitten and Brandon Saigeon are an underrated trio of forwards. … It’s G Kaden Fulcher’s time to shine with veteran Dawson Carty gone. … Nine Bulldogs were invited to NHL camps. … D Ben Gleason is the rock in the back end. Key loss: F Michael Cramarossa had a team-high 36 assists. Big question: Can Hamilton shed its middle-of-the-pack tag?
Kingston Frontenacs
GM: Darren Keily Coach: Jay Varady Last season: 33-26-5-4
Ice chips: F Jason Robertson a candidate to finish top five in OHL scoring. … Fear Finn F Linus
Nyman and D Eemeli Rasanen, two of the better imports in the league. … Ex-coach Paul
McFarland is now an assistant with the Florida Panthers. … Look for F Nathan Dunkley to play a bigger role. … OA candidate G
Jeremy Helvig played most minutes in OHL last season (3,446). Key loss: D Stephen Desrocher was a leader on and off the ice. Big question: Does OHL’s lowest scoring team have the guns to compete?
Mississauga Steelheads
GM/coach: James Richmond Last season: 34-21-6-7 Ice chips: Traded three high draft picks to acquire D Merrick Rippon from Kitchener in the offseason. … D Nic Hague a true No. 1 blueliner. … G Jacob Ingham will be the main man in net. … Former GM James Boyd now in Ottawa. … Overage F Jacob Cascagnette resurrected his career in Missy after being acquired from Kitchener. Key loss: F Spencer Watson averaged 1.3 points per game. Big question: Will F Michael McLeod crack the NHL as a 19year-old?
Niagara IceDogs
GM: Joey Burke Coach: Billy Burke Last season: 23-35-6-4
Ice chips: G Stephen Dhillon was one of the busiest goaltenders in the league with 59 appearances last season. …
F Akil Thomas ready for a spike in points. … Fourteen rookies hit the ice last season. … F Kirill
Maksimov had 22 points in 29 games after trade with Saginaw. … Rookie C Phil Tomasino was the fifth overall pick in the OHL draft.
Key loss: D Ryan Mantha gave the young ’Dogs a veteran presence.
Big question: Can young Burke brothers turn Niagara into a contender?
North Bay Battalion
GM/coach: Stan Butler Last season: 24-38-4-2
Ice chips: F Brett McKenzie was fifth overall in the OHL with 287 shots on net. … Scoring could be a challenge with just four players in double-digit goals returning. … Add forwards Luke Burghardt and Luke Moncada from Guelph via trade. … The return of rearguards Cam Dineen and Riley
Bruce are a big boost after missing much of last season with injuries. Key loss: G Brent Moran was the main man in net. Big question: Is goalie Julian Sime the solution between the pipes?
Oshawa Generals
GM: Roger Hunt Coach: Bob Jones Last season: 40-23-3-2 Ice chips: Intriguing sophomore
forwards Allan McShane, Danil Antropov and Serron Noel are the building blocks of the future. … Highly touted Swiss D-man Nico Gross battled mono in the summer. … Top six scoring forwards from last season are all back. … Boston Bruins pick Jack Studnicka had 17 points in 11 playoffs games. … Best PK in the east last season at 83.1 per cent. Key loss: G Jeremy Brodeur tied for third in OHL with 33 wins. Big question: Can G Kyle Keyser fill Brodeur’s shoes?
Ottawa 67’s
GM: James Boyd Coach: Andre Tourigny Last season: 26-34-7-1 Ice chips: Head coach Jeff Brown and assistant Mike Eastwood have moved on. … F Kody Clark is the son of Leafs great Wendel and heading into his NHL draft year. … D Kevin Bahl won gold with Canada at the Ivan Hlinka tourney. … F Sasha Chmelevski is on the radar for the U.S. for the upcoming world juniors. … Sophomore D
Carter Robertson and Peter Stratis are the future on the back end. Key loss: F Artur Tyanulin led club with 85 points and 24 goals. Big question: How will young team react to new GM and coach?
Peterborough Petes
GM: Mike Oke Coach: Jody Hull Last season: 42-21-2-3 Ice chips: Former Rangers F Mike Duco and ex-CHL defenceman of the year Derrick Walser join bench as assistant coaches. … G Dylan Wells one of the busiest and best returning goalies in OHL. … Departure of Matt Spencer and Kyle Jenkins leave a hole on the blue line. … Team needs F Jonathan Ang to take the next step offensively. Key loss: Leafs pick F Nikita Korostelev had a team-high 64 points. Big question: Do Petes have enough left to challenge for conference title?
Sudbury Wolves
GM: Rob Papineau Coach: Cory Stillman Last season: 27-34-7-0 Ice chips: Last year’s second overall pick D Owen Lalonde got his wish — a trade out of town. … F Dmitry Sokolov tied for the league lead in PP goals (17) last season. … OA candidate F Liam Dunda left the team for a gig with Moncton in the QMJHL. … Defence will be a challenge with four key contributors moving on. … F Michael Pezzetta’s breakout is long overdue.
Key loss: D Kyle Capobianco held the blue line together and played point on the PP.
Big question: Can Wolves stop the exodus of top players?
Check Wednesday’s Record for the OHL’s Western Conference preview.