A lost season and an uncertain future
The impact of a year without junior hockey in the province has been devastating on many levels
Jonah De Simone thought the season would restart in two weeks.
On March 10, 2020, the Niagara IceDogs forward played in a 9-1 road loss to the Ottawa 67’s. A day later, the NBA suspended its season after Utah Jazz centre Rudy Gobert tested positive for the COVID-19, starting a ripple effect that saw sports leagues across North America, including the Ontario Hockey League, postpone operations to help stop the spread of the virus.
During the pause, De Simone never stopped training and believing he’d be back on the ice in no time. But just eight days later, the season was cancelled.
He hasn’t played an OHL game since.
“We had to constantly adjust our training program, trying to stay fit for when the season starts,” De Simone told the Star. “We were in limbo.”
He held out hope for the 2020-21 season, participating in Zoom calls with his teammates and coaches while following a rigorous training schedule in his basement gym. Once rinks reopened, De Simone practised four or five times a week on the ice with several Junior A and B players.
But the off-season preparation would never lead to actual game play. On April 20, 2021, the OHL cancelled the season. For De Simone, it was another lost opportunity to play the sport he loves. Another lost chance to prove that his training would lead to sizable improvements. Another season he’ll never get back.
“It was pretty disheartening,” De Simone said shortly after he heard the news. “I was about to work out and I was asking myself, ‘What am I working out for right now?’ ”
His situation is a familiar one. The Star spoke to several players who shared their disappointment just a couple of weeks after the league’s second cancellation.
Cameron Peters, a teammate of De Simone’s with the IceDogs, was looking forward to a breakout year after the North Bay Battalion traded him to Niagara. Kitchener Rangers winger Reid Valade lost his third year, looking to build on a sophomore campaign in which he posted 39 points in 52 games. Grayson Ladd, a defenceman for the Windsor Spitfires, must now compete for one of three overage-player slots next season.
Teammates Nolan Seed and Griffin Wilson,
both members of the Owen Sound Attack, miss playing in front of the team’s passionate fan base at the Bayshore Community Centre. Mississauga Steelheads wingers Ty Collins and James Hardie miss the camaraderie with their teammates.
Ask OHL players, coaches, general managers, executives and fans and it becomes clear: Everyone lost something during 14 months without hockey.
“It’s obviously the most challenging thing any of us have ever had to go through,” said Steelheads head coach and general manager James Richmond. “It was the first time that I’ve gone through stuff with my players that I didn’t have an answer. It’s been really difficult to try and keep them positive, for sure.”
Jordon Kehoe, a super fan of the Guelph Storm, misses the social aspect of the game and the fan community.
“I can sit down on my couch and watch NHL hockey on my TV,” said Kehoe, who has followed the team since he was in first grade, “but I miss the people that I watch hockey with and the players.”
The economic impact of a lost OHL season was also devastating. As one governor said, every team “lost millions of dollars.” Some teams, such as the North Bay Battalion, kept their staff intact. Others weren’t so lucky, including the Kitchener Rangers, who were forced to furlough some employees. Several arena workers, security staff and vendors haven’t received cheques because of the lack of game days.
Smaller cities with OHL teams felt it. According to data provided by Tourism Sarnia Lambton, the city of Sarnia lost somewhere between $8 million and $10 million from the lack of Sting ticket sales. In a normal year, that revenue fuels Sarnia’s tourism industry, restaurants and retail. The Sting’s fundraising efforts with local charities went dark without hockey.
“It’s a big part of our community’s fabric,” said Sarnia Mayor Mike Bradley. “Not having the team play leaves us emotionally bankrupt.”
In North Bay, the $5-million loss without Battalion hockey also hurt local businesses and restaurants. In Sault Ste. Marie, the GFL Memorial Gardens, home of the Soo Greyhounds, lost $800,000 in revenue, forcing part-time concessions staff to be laid off.
There were several attempts to get the 2020-21 season off the ground. According to OHL commissioner David Branch, the league was in constant communication with the Ontario government, the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport, and the chief medical officer of health to develop a return-toplay framework. Branch told the Star that the OHL and the Ontario government had a plan for a limited season where teams would play in hub cities, with effective health and safety protocols. As one governor told the Star, it was “within hours” from proceeding.
While the OHL and its governors remained united in their efforts to play hockey, the COVID-19 virus had other plans. Ontario experienced a rapid increase in COVID-19 cases. Hospitals and ICUs became overcrowded. The province was experiencing the third wave of the global pandemic. When Premier Doug Ford enacted a province-wide lockdown and stayat-home order in April, it effectively ended any hopes for an OHL season.
Branch informed the governors there would be no season. OHL GMs and coaches arranged Zoom calls with players to break the news. Many were left feeling defeated and disappointed while the other two Canadian major junior leagues, the Western Hockey League and Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, found a way to play.
In the end, it was a matter of health.
“This pandemic is different in various regions,” Branch said. “We can look every player, every family in the eye and say we did our utmost to return to play.”
Navigating attempts to return to play while trying to adhere to health restrictions took an immense toll on players and personnel. Since 2014, the OHL and Canadian Mental Health Association have partnered through the Talk Today program, which includes mental health supports and suicide prevention training for athletes. Every team has a local CMHA branch that carries out the program.
With more people in crisis during the pandemic, the local branches have seen an increase in calls for help.
“Grief is a natural feeling right now for all of us,” said CMHA CEO Camille Quenneville. “It’s not solely related to the loss of a loved one, but it’s a loss for all of us.”
The feeling of loss among players extends to OHL GMs and coaches, who collectively felt sorry for players, particularly those overagers whose junior hockey careers came to a sudden end.
Keegan Stevenson was eager to play his final year with the Guelph Storm. While the centre experienced many special moments, including an OHL championship in 2019, he lost the chance to play his final season and to say proper goodbyes to the organization and its fans.
“I was hoping to have this last year to go out there, maybe show NHL scouts what they are missing out on,” said Stevenson, who is committing to Acadia University in Wolfville, N.S., and will continue to play. “I wanted to go help the Guelph Storm win games.”
There were options during the OHL pause. According to Branch, more than 40 players competed in Europe. One of them was Brayden Guy, a winger for the Sarnia Sting who spent two months in Austria with the Steel Wings Linz. But not everyone got an opportunity.
“I didn’t get to go over to Europe,” the Steelheads’ Collins said. “I know a lot of guys are in the same boat. It’s tough because we had a lot to prove to NHL scouts.”
For the draft-eligible players, there is real concern about development and evaluation. NHL teams admit it has been difficult to scout OHL players when they haven’t played for 14 months. They’ve adapted, however.
“It definitely has been a challenge,” said Mark Hillier, the Winnipeg Jets’ director of amateur scouting. “We’ve taken a proactive approach. We have a lot of guys working where we can get live views and we’ve been doing a lot of video.”
The IIHF under-18 championship that wrapped up recently in Dallas was a great opportunity for scouts to see some of the top prospects up close. NHL franchises are calling OHL teams to get more video on players. While top-tier prospects will likely remain highly sought after, the challenge is evaluating everyone else. As one NHL executive put it, the mid- to late-round draft picks will be the most challenging to evaluate.
“It will be an interesting draft to look back on 10 years down the road,” said Chris Patrick, director of player personnel with the Washington Capitals. “You’ll see some interesting names picked in later rounds just because teams saw someone more than others, based on whether they had a scout living in that area or their ability to go to games.”
The focus now shifts to the 2021-22 OHL season. For more than 100 major junior prospects, mostly from the OHL, the next step is a tentative twoweek showcase in Erie, Pa., starting May 31 with pro scouts invited.
Since its inception in 1933, the OHL has been an integral part of the communities where its teams reside.
“When you watch old clips and see fans banging on the glass, it looks so strange because you’re so used to empty rinks,” said Owen Sound Attack head coach Al Letang. “I think the first game will be emotional for every team.”
For De Simone, while his expected two-week layoff has reached 15 months and counting, his eventual return to OHL game action will be a celebration.
“I get chills thinking about being back in the Meridian Centre, with the goal song going off for the first time,” he said. “I’m beyond excited for that opportunity, and I think the rest of the world can’t wait to be out of this.”