Fronts Defense Season Preview

With One week left until training camp kicks off on September 1st, here’s a look at the Frontenacs Defence situation as the team prepares to enter the 2010-11 season. Right off the top, the Fronts are looking to improve on last year’s fourth place finish in the Eastern Conference and eventual Game Seven loss to the Brampton Battalion. The Fronts made great strides last season, after missing the playoffs in each of the two previous seasons and they hope to improve on what was started last season.

One question mark heading into the season is over the status of star defenseman Erik Gudbranson and whether he will stick with the NHL’s Florida Panthers or be returned to the Frontenacs. Gudbranson was selected third overall in this summer’s NHL Entry Draft by the Panthers and will earn a long hard look and possibly even regular season games with Florida before his fate is truly determined for this season. Gudbranson’s injury plagued season last year limited him to just 41 games, so another season in Junior wouldn’t hurt the young man being compared as the next Chris Pronger. Given Gudbranson’s age, the Panthers have only two options regarding his status, in that he either plays in Florida with the Panthers or comes back to Junior with the Frontenacs. Florida can keep him with the club for ten games before making a final decision and they are able to stretch those ten games out over several months, similar to what St. Louis did last season with Alex Pietrangelo. Pietrangelo stayed with the Blues until December, when he was released to the Canadian World Junior team and following that tournament he was returned to the OHL for the final half of the season. Until that final decision is made by the Panthers, Kingston will have to sit and wait to hear back on the status of Gudbranson for the upcoming season.

Another high profile Frontenacs defenceman off to an NHL camp is Taylor Doherty, who had a break-through season in 2009-10. The 6’7 Doherty is a second round pick of the San Jose Sharks and finished last season with 16 goals and 28 assists for 44 points. His size alone is enough to give him a serious look, but like Gudbranson, Doherty’s age means he either plays for the Sharks or goes back to Junior. The Sharks are also a serious Stanley Cup contender, which will make things a little more difficult for Doherty, but again like Gudbranson, San Jose has up to ten games to play with before deciding the fate of Doherty for this season.

Also on the Frontenacs blue-line this season, is Cameron Odam, slated in as one of the teams three overage players. Odam is a tough and physical stay at home defenceman, who racked up 154 penalty minutes last season. Odam won’t be looked at to provide offense, but should be a mainstay on the Frontenacs penalty killing unit this season. One of the new faces on the blue-line this year will be European import draft pick Michael Cajkovsky. The 6’4, 200 pound Slovakian, is a huge mountain of a man, who was the Assistant Captain for the Slovakian Under-18 team last summer in Belarus.

This should be a big year for 2008 Second Round Pick Tyler Mort, as he enters his third season with the team. Mort did not see a lot of ice time last season, but needs to have a breakout season in 2010-11. Another player the Fronts will be looking at for a breakout year is sophomore Clark Seymour. The 6’3 Brockville native had a respectable rookie season, but he, along with Mort will be looked at to take a step forward this season, especially if Gudbranson and Doherty are not sent back to Junior right away.

The Frontenacs have already signed this year’s first round pick Alex Gudbranson, the younger brother of Erik. Alex had a strong season last year in Midget AAA with 12 goals and 30 points as Captain of the Ottawa Jr. 67’s. The physical defenseman, will look to get his feet wet this season and become a mainstay on the Fronts blue-line for the next couple of years.

Some of the other rookie prospects coming to camp this year are fourth round pick Warren Steele from Upper Canada and 12th round pick Jesse Lussier from Ottawa Valley. 2009 5th Round Pick Ben Hutton, who played in Kemptville last season and Andrew Medico, an affiliate player with the Whiby Fury are also still in the Frontenacs system.

Both Gudbranson and Doherty would have to be considered favourites to the be the Captain this season with the departure of last year’s Captain Brian Lashoff. With Gudbranson and Doherty on the blue-line, the Frontenacs will have one of the top D-units in the entire OHL and should be a source of strength for the upcoming season.