The OHL 21: Season surprises
KITCHENER — They can make a bad season bearable and a successful one even better. I’m talking about surprises — the good kind.
Some appear out of nowhere, others are prospects peaking earlier than expected while more come courtesy of players seizing sudden opportunities.
Here’s one pleasant surprise for every Ontario Hockey League club so far this season.
1. Barrie’s Aaron Luchuk is challenging for an OHL scoring title and few would have predicted that, but the overager was a proven scorer and on an upward trajectory. So I’m going to dip a bit lower and single out Joey Keane, who leads the team with a plus-34 rating and has become one of the league’s most reliable blueliners.
2. I absolutely love Dan Murphy’s story in Erie. The goalie was the last pick of the 2016 draft, as in 301st overall. Sure, his numbers aren’t spectacular with the Otters — 3.58 goals against average and an .888 save percentage — but Erie is young and rebuilding, and Murphy is right in the mix.
3. Seeing Flint go into sell mode was something I didn’t expect. The flip side is that the team acquired some nice pieces, and two of them — former Bulldogs Connor Roberts and Riley McCourt — are doing better offensively now than they were in Hamilton.
4. Guelph rookie Cam Hillis leads all OHL freshmen with 51 points in 52 games. The numbers might be better if he fired the puck more often as he’s scoring on about every fifth shot. The Storm doesn’t have to worry about a top-line centre for years.
5. It’s hard to ignore Hamilton rookie Arthur Kaliyev, who will probably finish the season with 30 goals (he has 24 now). And that bodes well for the Bulldogs moving forward as it’ll likely be lean in the fall after loading up for a run this season.
6. There is a lot of star power in Kingston, so defenceman Jakob Brahaney gets overlooked. But the third-year rearguard is having his most productive season (25 points) and leads the Frontenacs with a plus-31 rating. It’s a giant step forward for the d-man.
7. Goalie Mario Culina went from the Ryerson Rams to — by
way of Sudbury — starring for the Kitchener Rangers. Since arriving at the Aud, he’s 9-0 with a 1.67 goals against average and .951 save percentage. Nobody saw this coming.
8. We knew Evan Bouchard was good but the London Knights defenceman has established himself as one of best two-way blueliners in the league. The rapid ascent is a bit surprising. Remember, he’s only 18.
9. Only 15 players in the OHL have more goals than Mississauga defenceman Nic Hague (28) and they’re all forwards, while just three players have more power play goals (13). He also leads the Fish in scoring (59 points) which is impressive stuff when you consider who else is in the lineup.
10. Niagara is getting massive value out of second-year winger Danial Singer. The local lad has a career-high 25 goals and is a nice second-line fit for the IceDogs. You don’t normally get that kind of production out of an eighthround pick.
11. It’s a good time to have a last name that begins with a B in North Bay. Justin Brazeau and Luke Burghardt are both ideal candidates for their surprising seasons, but I’m going with winger Andy Baker, a 14th round pick that is already 20 points ahead of last year’s pace and has a plustwo rating on a team loaded with minus players.
12. You don’t hear a lot about Oshawa’s Matt Brassard, and maybe that’s unfair. The 19-yearold blueliner is eighth among OHL defencemen with 40 points, a solid plus-10 and brings a bit of jam to the rink. He’s definite OA material next season.
13. Ottawa’s Kody Clark sure is fun to watch. The 18-year-old forward has certainly learned a few tricks from his father Wendel. He’s trending up in all the right categories and showing a great return for a sixth-round pick.
14. It’s too bad that Owen Sound defenceman Sean Durzi has missed the past 12 games with a high ankle sprain. Before going down, the blueliner was on a blistering pace with 47 points in 37 games. It’s a breakout campaign that caught many offguard.
15. There should be plenty to choose from in Peterborough but the sinking Petes are a real mystery. Most players are surprising for the wrong reasons. So it’s a group nomination here to youngsters Pavel Gogolev, Nick Robertson and Declan Chisholm for continued production during a messy season.
16. Saginaw’s Mason Kohn is averaging more than a point per game for the first time in his career after being a healthy scratch in Oshawa. It’s hard to believe that the Spirit acquired him for a fourth-rounder. The Gens sent Kitchener a second and two thirds for Kohn last season.
17. Any time you can get 18 goals from a player on your bottom two lines, it’s a victory. And Sean Josling is that guy for the Sarnia Sting. His season gets lost in the myriad of stars on the team but he has set career highs across the board. Not bad for a guy that wasn’t even drafted.
18. Everyone is doing well in the Soo, or so it seems from afar. Maybe the ability of GM Kyle Raftis and his scouts to consistently find and lure top prospects north deserves the nod. I’ll go with Morgan Frost. Not sure many had him pegged to win an OHL scoring title, and he’s well on his way.
19. Rookie defenceman Emmett Serensits has been a plus in an otherwise tough season for the Sudbury Wolves. He’s one of the rare players selected in the Under-18 priority selection draft to play meaningful minutes. He has an edge and boasts a big blast.
20. There are surprises aplenty in Windsor but I like Jake Smith, a one-time 11th round pick that signed as a free agent after two years in the QMJHL. He’s tied with Cole Purboo for the team lead in scoring (40 points) and stays out of the penalty box.
21. Because I’m in a loving mood, here is my all-Valentine’s Day team: forwards Matt Hotchkiss (Kingston), Rickard Hugg (Kitchener) and Luke Burghardt (North Bay), defencemen Sean ‘Valentine’s’ Day (Kingston) and Simon Rose (North Bay) and goalie Cameron Lamour (Saginaw).