The OHL 21: Befuddling basement dwellers
KITCHENER — Things have to turn around in London and Mississauga, right?
Both clubs were in the conversation for conference titles this season but are looking up from the basement in the Ontario Hockey League standings.
London has won one game. One game! Mississauga is no better.
There are excuses. High profile players that were expected back with the team have either moved on or are still trying out for National Hockey League teams.
And, of course, the season is young, but even saying that is pushing it as we’re a seventh of the way through the schedule.
This I know, fans of opposing teams don’t mind the slide one bit, especially in London’s case.
This I also know, if the struggles continue, there sure will be some intriguing names on the trade market. Now, on to the OHL 21. 1. Teams I severely underestimated coming into the season — Barrie (3-0) last week, Peterborough (4-0) and Windsor (2-1). The success sure puts the Spits in an awkward position as the team needs to recoup some draft picks but is right in the mix in the west.
2. Erie Otters goalie Troy Timpano did not return to the bench after playing two periods in Saturday’s 5-4 overtime win against Niagara but the overage netminder was back at practice on Tuesday, according to the team.
3. The Flint Firebirds had to make a move. The flock had five overage players in forwards Ryan Moore, Kole Sherwood, Maurizio Colella, Luke Kirwan and goalie Garrett Forrest. Ultimately, they can only keep three. So Sherwood to Kitchener it was.
4. Defence was supposed to be one of Guelph’s strengths this season but the Storm has been outscored 16-3 in the past three games — all losses. Maybe it’s just a rut but more was expected with Ryan Merkley and Owen Lalonde in the back end.
5. Hamilton Bulldogs forward Will Bitten is currently riding an eight-game point scoring streak (three goals, six assists). He came to Steeltown last September for goalie Connor Hicks (without a team), blueliner Fedor Gordeev (in Flint) and two second round picks. In hindsight, that’s a great deal for the ’Dogs.
6. The Kingston Frontenacs salvaged a couple of points for making it to overtime but lost all three games last week after winning five of their first six tilts to start the season. The team gave up 47 and 52 shots in two of the losses.
7. The Kitchener Rangers still own the OHL rights to forward Jacob Tortora. If they pry him away from Boston College — where he has two points in two games — they’ll owe Barrie three second round draft picks. I think the three seconds are better spent elsewhere at this point.
8. Speaking of those Rangers, they added another threat up front by acquiring Sherwood from Flint for two seconds, a third and a fifth-round draft pick. They added a top-10 OHL scorer from last season without giving up a prospect. That’s a win.
9. Here is some good news for last-place London. The Knights picked up another second round pick when Sherwood was assigned to Flint last week. London received two seconds in the initial trade last year and had a condition for a third one if Sherwood returned for his OA year.
10. Michael McLeod underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee last week while with the New Jersey Devils. The 19year-old is expected to be sidelined for four to six weeks.
son as he’ll need to ease back into action once healthy.
11. They say goalies like to be busy and perhaps there is proof in Niagara. Netminder Stephen Dhillon saw an average of 39 shots per game last season and had a .914 save percentage. He’s seeing considerably less action this time around — 25 shots per game — but has a .905 save percentage.
12. The message in Oshawa is simple: shoot more. Five Gens are among the league leaders in shooting percentage — Mitchell Brewer (40 per cent), Serron Noel and Nick Wong (39 per cent) and Danil Antropov and Nico Gross (33 per cent). Sarnia’s Brady Hinz has nine goals on 20 shots for a league high 45 per cent among players with more than one shot.
13. I’ll admit that Owen Sound doesn’t look as lethal as last season but I’m struggling to understand how the club went from second overall to out of the rankings in the CHL’s weekly top 10 after posting a decent record of 1-0-0-1. The Attack is 3-0 and has scored 21 goals since the snub.
14. The Peterborough Petes are 6-0-0-1 in their past seven games which makes them the hottest team in the east right now. They aren’t flush with draft picks but do have some to deal. Defensive help and depth scoring are high on the shopping list.
15. Saginaw has one of the youngest teams in the OHL and is showing good patience in allowing its pups to develop. But don’t be surprised to see the team add some experience via trade to help if the losing continues. They have the draft picks to do it.
16. Offence isn’t a problem for the surging Sarnia Sting but the young defence could use some additional experience if it wants to push through the playoffs. Veteran rearguards such as Erie’s Jordan Sambrook and Windsor’s Sean Day certainly fit the bill.
17. The idea circulating that the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds were purposely holding goalie Joseph Raaymakers back to punish him for demanding a trade was just silly. I’ll give the ‘Hounds the win in the trade that saw him land in London for goalie Tyler Johnson and three high draft picks.
18. There hasn’t been much good news in Sudbury but Tuesday’s acquisition of overage defenceman Doug Blaisdell from Kitchener should help settle things down in the back end. He isn’t flashy but he has been one of the Rangers’ most reliable rearguards this season. The cost — a fourth-round pick — was cheap.
19. I’m sure it was a happy coincidence but Windsor raised its Memorial Cup banner to the rafters last Thursday before their game against London. Of course, it was the Knights that eliminated the Spits in the opening round of last season’s playoffs. London did not come out for the banner ceremony and lost the game 3-1.
20. North Bay centre Kyle Potts, Oshawa’s Mason Kohn and Sudbury’s Blaisdell have each scored one goal this season and each one went into an empty net. Hey, they all count, right? Barrie has a league-high four empty netters for those counting.
21. Only Sault Ste. Marie and Sarnia made the cut in Week 4 of the CHL’s top 10 (three if you count Kingston’s honourable mention). At one point last season three OHL clubs were in the top five.