Defence seen as ongoing strength

BRAMPTON, Ont. – Coach Stan Butler figures five returning rearguards will stand the Brampton Battalion’s defence corps in good stead next season.rrButler said recently he expects the five to comprise Kyle Sonnenburg as an overager, 19-year-olds Phil Oreskovic and Tomas Stryncl and 18-year-olds John de Gray and Stephane Chabot. Michael Vernace, who turns 20 on May 26, is believed destined for the pro ranks.rrButler said the Troops’ five-game loss to the Barrie Colts in their recent Eastern Conference semifinal confirmed his view that back-end experience is key in the Ontario Hockey League.rrWe have five defencemen who can come back, and that includes two pairings. When you look at the Barrie series you see that they had five defencemen who were at least 19, and in this league that can give you a better chance for success.”rrButler said Sonnenburg, acquired from the Belleville Bulls in a trade Jan. 10, 2005, was the Battalion’s most improved player in 2005-06. Sonnenburg scored two goals and earned 21 assists for 23 points in 64 regular-season games and added seven points, including two goals, in 11 postseason games.rrHe really came into his own in the playoffs and played very well,” said Butler. I’m expecting big things from him next season. I think he can be a very good overage player. There’s an offensive side to Kyle that we haven’t really seen yet.”rrIn his third OHL season, Oreskovic was voted the best bodychecker and tied Barrie’s Nick Plastino as the conference’s best defensive defenceman in the Coaches Poll. A third-round pick of the Toronto Maple Leafs in the National Hockey League’s 2005 Entry Draft, Oreskovic had 12 points, including three goals, in 65 games while setting a club record with 202 penalty minutes.rrOreskovic is a talented guy, but I think there’s another level for him to reach,” noted Butler. But he needs to work extremely hard this summer in the weight room, and if he does that he can be as dominant a defensive defenceman as I’ve seen in the league for a long time.”rrOreskovic’s longtime partner de Gray, a fellow first-round OHL Priority Selection pick, had 10 assists and 103 penalty minutes in 68 games. rrButler said it’s important to remember that de Gray, rated 68th among North American-based skaters by the NHL’s Central Scouting Service for the league’s Entry Draft in June, has completed only his second OHL season.rrA lot of people forget that he’s just turned 18. John and Phil have been partners for a while and they’ve played well together. John needs to evolve next year and generate a little more offence than we saw from him this season. As that happens his confidence should go up.rrHe’s still got a ways to go. Once the pressure of the draft is gone, I think you’ll see a different player. He puts a lot of pressure on himself, and I thought he did that at times this season to his detriment.”rrCzech import Stryncl, Sonnenburg’s partner, garnered one goal and 13 assists for 14 points in 60 games in his second campaign.rrTomas had a rough rookie year, but I thought this season he made good gains,” said Butler. He had good numbers, and I thought he played well over the last part of the season.”rrRookie Chabot saw action in 33 games, earning one assist.rrI thought he did a good job as a seventh defenceman. He worked extremely hard this year, and I think he’ll be a good defenceman for us down the road.”rrVernace is expected to sign with the NHL’s San Jose Sharks, who made him a seventh-round pick in 2004. Vernace scored 10 goals and added 62 assists for 72 points, a club record for defencemen, in 68 games. He became the highest-scoring blueliner in Battalion history with 124 points, including 23 goals, in 138 games.rrMike was a Cinderella story,” said Butler. He didn’t make the team as a 17-year-old but came in late the next season. He had a really good season for us, and there’s no doubt he’ll sign a contract with the Sharks soon, so we’ve probably seen the last of him.”rrOverager Nick Duff, acquired from the Kitchener Rangers on Oct. 21, 2003, contributed 11 points, including three goals, in 63 games.rrNick gave us everything he had,” said Butler. We got three serviceable years out of him. We gave up a fifth-round pick for him, and to get a guy like him for three years was good. He was always a fan favourite, because he competed, he’d fight anybody and he’d always stand up for his teammates.”rrButler said Bryan Pitton will get the No. 1 job in goal next season. Rookie Pitton backed up Daren Machesney, compiling a won-lost-extended record of 16-4-0 with a 3.43 goals-against average and .904 save percentage in 24 appearances. Pitton, who won his last seven decisions, is rated 12th among North American-based goaltenders for the NHL Entry Draft.rrBryan will probably be drafted into the NHL by the time next season starts, and we need him to step up as an 18-year-old and play like a goalie who’s older. That’ll be his challenge, and he has to go with that.”rrIn his second full OHL season, Machesney went 28-17-3 with three shutouts, a 3.03 goals-against average and .908 save percentage in 49 games. He posted a 2.22 goals-against average in a six-game quarterfinal win over Belleville.rrMachesney, twice named OHL Player of the Week, was tabbed as the Goaltender of the Month for March, when he signed a three-year contract with the Washington Capitals, who made him a fifth-round pick in 2005.rrI think Daren had a good year for the most part,” said Butler. He was strong in the Belleville series, and I think Daren would probably like to forget the Barrie series. But that happens to the best of goalies, and I hope he can learn from that.”r