OHL features new look in 2015-16
Thursday September 24, 2015
By Josh Sweetland/CHL
The Ontario Hockey League enters a new era in 2015-16, with two new teams on the map.
The Hamilton Bulldogs and the Flint Firebirds are set to make their debuts as OHL Opening Week gets underway on Thursday with three games on the schedule.
Formerly the Belleville Bulls since the 1981-82 season, the Bulldogs unleash a new breed of hockey in Hamilton, a city that has hosted AHL affiliates of the Edmonton Oilers and Montreal Canadiens since 1996.
Elsewhere in Flint, Michigan, the newly established Firebirds are preparing for their inaugural season that gets underway with an old rivalry being renewed. The Firebirds will play a home-and-home set with the I-75 rival Saginaw Spirit that will bring back memories of an old Michigan state hockey rivalry between the Flint Generals and the Saginaw Gears throughout the 70’s and early 80’s.
“It’s an exciting time,” said OHL Commissioner David Branch on Wednesday. “There’s that special energy with the start of a new season. We’re so very fortunate to have the best young junior aged players in the world playing in our league with lots of new talent coming in. We have two outstanding franchises under great leadership joining the OHL ranks.”
The Bulldogs feature homegrown centreman Brandon Saigeon, a former first round OHL pick who played his minor midget hockey in Hamilton. He’ll be a part of the Bulldogs’ core along with overage goaltender Charlie Graham, shutdown blueliner Justin Lemcke and veteran centreman Stephen Harper.
The Bulldogs will play out of the OHL’s East Division this season, the home of the reigning J. Ross Robertson and MasterCard Memorial Cup champion Oshawa Generals who they’ll face in their home opener on Saturday September 26.
The Generals bring back several returning pieces of their 2014-15 championship team including goaltender Ken Appleby, overage sniper Matt Mistele, defencemen Mitchell Vande Sompel and Stephen Desrocher as well as Tampa Bay Lightning prospect and MasterCard Memorial Cup hero Anthony Cirelli.
Oshawa will have strong opposition in the Ottawa 67’s, who return scrappy captain and former OHL first overall pick Travis Konecny, veteran scorer Dante Salituro, Los Angeles Kings prospect Jacob Middleton on the blueline along with goaltender Liam Herbst between the pipes.
Lawson Crouse, Roland McKeown and the Kingston Frontenacs will also factor into the discussion along with 2015 OHL Goaltender of the Year Lucas Peressini who is set to return for an overaged season. The recent return of Florida Panthers prospect Juho Lammikko, who was thought to be playing in his native Finland this season, gives the Fronts an added boost on their depth chart to start the season.
The Peterborough Petes round out the East Division featuring a trio of second round NHL draft picks in Eric Cornel (Buffalo) and the Tampa Bay duo of Dominik Masin and Matt Spencer. Draft eligible centreman Jonathan Ang will be a player to keep an eye on out of the gate this season.
With a healthy head coach and general manager in Marty Williamson, who has overcome the health problems he battled last season, the Niagara IceDogs enter the season as favourites in the Central Division. With an abundance of skill in Arizona first rounder Brendan Perlini and New York Islanders playmaking prospect Josh Ho-Sang, the IceDogs will try and avoid the slow start that hampered them out of the gate in 2014-15. One of the OHL’s most established defence corps includes St. Louis second round pick Vince Dunn and Columbus prospect Blake Siebenaler as Niagara appears to be the top dog in the Central.
The ever competitive Barrie Colts will ice a fleet-footed club in 2015-16 as a pair of 100-point scorers return to the lineup. Calgary Flames prospect Andrew Mangiapane and San Jose Sharks draftee Kevin Labanc are joined by CHL Import Draft selection Julius Nattinen and powerplay quarterback Rasmus Andersson in forming one of the Eastern Conference’s most potent attacks. The proven pedigree of Mackenzie Blackwood in goal makes the Colts a tough two points on any night.
A surge of new commitments and a significant trade in Mississauga have the Steelheads looking like one of the league’s up-and-coming young groups. The additions of 6’5″ defenceman Nicolas Hague, Swedish winger Alex Nylander and 2015 first round pick Owen Tippett are amplified by the recent acquisition of 16 year-old Ryan McLeod from the Flint Firebirds. McLeod joins his older brother, the draft eligible Michael McLeod in Mississauga, forming an intriguing group of young offensive talents that could be prominent names in the years to come.
The big, physical North Bay Battalion will have to find a way to fill the void left by graduated veterans Nick Paul, Nick Moutrey and Ryan Kujawinski. If they can get the goals though, the Troops feature a solid defensive group led by Colorado Avalanche prospect Kyle Wood and overager Miles Liberati. Veteran goaltender Jake Smith returns to the club just a few wins shy of the Battalion franchise wins record.
2015 OHL Priority Selection first overall pick David Levin and the Sudbury Wolves will try and take another step in the right direction. Levin, third overall CHL Import Draft selection Dmitry Sokolov, Arizona Coyotes prospect Kyle Capobianco and draft eligible netminder Troy Timpano will try and spearhead a resurgence in Sudbury.
The reigning Midwest Division champion Erie Otters will have to get used to life after Connor McDavid, but the possible return of OHL leading scorer Dylan Strome paired with the much anticipated sophomore season of 2015 CHL Rookie of the Year Alex DeBrincat has Otters fans excited. Toronto Maple Leafs second rounder Travis Dermott will take the reins on the blueline alongside veteran Darren Raddysh. Younger brother Taylor Raddysh enters the season as one of the OHL’s intriguing draft prospects to watch as the Otters try and reach the Western Conference Finals for a third straight season under new general manager Dave Brown.
As always, the London Knights bring a talent-laden roster into the fresh season. A flurry of offseason moves saw the Knights lock down American wingers Max Jones and Matthew Tkachuk along with Columbus Blue Jackets prospect Kole Sherwood and Toronto Maple Leafs draftee J.J. Piccinich. Sophomore blueliner Victor Mete looks to take another step forward while 18 year-old goaltender Tyler Parsons will carry the load in the crease after overager Michael Giugovaz was dealt to the Windsor Spitfires on Wednesday.
It remains to be seen if 40+ goal scorers Mitch Marner (Toronto) or Christian Dvorak (Arizona) will return from their NHL clubs, but if they do, the Knights will be labeled as serious contenders in the Western Conference.
The Kitchener Rangers round out the Midwest Division’s early season challengers. A well-balanced veteran group, the Rangers aren’t flashy, but feature the size and strength to make things tough on the opposition. Big centreman Ryan MacInnis leads the way while Colorado Avalanche prospect Nick Magyar, speedy forward David Miller and 2014 second overall OHL pick Adam Mascherin will be counted on for offence. New recruit Luke Opilka, a St. Louis Blues draft pick, tends the crease behind a capable blueline that includes fellow Blues prospect Dmitrii Sergeev, overage acquisition Brian Brosnan and 19 year-old Frank Hora.
The Owen Sound Attack, who have lost franchise cornerstones Chris Bigras (Colorado), Zach Nastasiuk (Detroit) and Kyle Platzer (Edmonton) to graduation, will turn to emerging forwards in Ethan Szypula, Petrus Palmu, Liam Dunda, Jaden Lindo and overager Josh Sterk to help fill the void while Florida Panthers prospect Thomas Schemitsch and Russian Damir Sharipzyanov lead from the blueline.
Two years removed from an OHL title, the Guelph Storm are in full rebuild mode with Robby Fabbri (currently with the St. Louis Blues), Marc Stevens, Garrett McFadden and overage goaltender Justin Nichols as the only remaining pieces of that championship club. Head coach Bill Stewart will be giving his young forwards every opportunity to make an impression while he relies on veteran defenceman C.J. Garcia to lead the way on the back end.
The West Division sees the 2015 Hamilton Spectator Trophy recipient Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds returning with a talented core despite their heavy losses to graduation that include Darnell Nurse, Anthony DeAngelo, Nick Ritchie, Sergey Tolchinsky, Justin Bailey and others. Nineteen year-old centreman Jared McCann is back to lead the offence alongside Boston Bruins first round pick Zach Senyshyn, New Jersey Devils selection Blake Speers and overage returnee Gabe Guertler. Gustav Bouramman and Colton White take on larger roles defensively while New York Rangers second round pick Brandon Halverson, who will be in the running to be back with the United States World Junior squad in December, returns as the starter in goal.
The Hounds will defend their West Division title against a Sarnia Sting club that features the star power to be a credible threat this season. Top 2016 NHL Draft prospect Jakob Chychrun is perhaps the most dynamic blueliner in the league while New Jersey Devils first rounder Pavel Zacha, should he return, stands as one of the elite power centremen in junior hockey. The addition of other New Jersey prospect Josh Jacobs to the blueline gives the Sting another big-minute candidate while returning leading scorer Nikita Korostelev and emerging 17 year-old winger Jordan Kyrou are also valuable pieces that could contribute down the stretch.
The Saginaw Spirit return nearly their entire 2014-15 roster after being one of the youngest clubs in CHL history to make the postseason last spring. 42-goal scorer Dylan Sadowy and Tampa Bay Lightning prospect Mitchell Stephens are the nucleus of a capable cast of forwards that includes sensational sophomore Tye Felhaber, hard-working captain Connor Brown and 2015 first round pick Brady Gilmour, who led the OHL in preseason scoring with eight points (3-5–8) in four games. Former Oshawa General Will Petschenig is the elder statesman on a blueline that includes 2016 NHL Draft prospect Keaton Middleton, veteran Greg DiTomaso and capable 18 year-olds Chase Stewart and Marcus Crawford. Goaltender Evan Cormier begins the season as a full-time starter for the first time in his junior hockey career after being acquired from North Bay midway through last season.
After missing the playoffs for the second time in three seasons last spring, the Windsor Spitfires will be looking to make an early impression this season with some talented bodies up front. 6’6″, 218Ib. draft eligible centreman Logan Brown will continue to be a big horse through the middle under new head coach Rocky Thompson. Arizona Coyotes prospect Christian Fischer suits up in his rookie OHL season while sparkplug Cristiano DiGiacinto looks to build off 21 goals in 2014-15. The Spits will have to recover from the recent news that veteran rearguard Trevor Murphy has signed an entry-level NHL contract with the Nashville Predators. All signs are pointing to CHL Import Draft selection, 17 year-old defenceman Mikhail Sergachev carrying some responsibility in the early going after a strong preseason showing.
Lastly, the aforementioned Flint Firebirds will have a young group up front, but boast one of the OHL’s best goaltenders in Carolina Hurricanes prospect Alex Nedeljkovic behind a quality defence led by Alex Peters and Josh Wesley. Finnish newcomer Vili Saarijarvi, Flint’s first round CHL Import Draft selection, will be an exciting blueline talent in the Vehicle City, playing just an hour away from the Detroit Red Wings who made him a third round selection in June. Draft eligible centreman Will Bitten will look to build off his 15 goals as a 16 year-old and continue to blossom into one of the OHL’s premier forwards.
The Oshawa Generals snapped a four year drought last spring, becoming the first OHL team since the Windsor Spitfires, who won back-to-back in 2009 and 2010, to hoist the Memorial Cup.
20 OHL clubs set out in pursuit of a chance to compete in the 2016 MasterCard Memorial Cup in Red Deer when the puck drops on Thursday night.
#OHLOpeningWeek is upon us. Check out all of the great festivities going on around the league.