10 Years of Steel – The 2016-17 Mississauga Steelheads
A look back on the 2016-2017 Mississauga Steelheads team – one that broke records, thrilled fans, and set a new standard for the franchise.
It was December 19, 2016. The Mississauga Steelheads were coming off a 4-3 overtime loss to the Ottawa 67’s, putting their record at 11-15-4-3 through 34 games. The team had endured quite a bit to this point, whether it be injuries to key players, bringing in new talent and waiting for it to mesh with the team, and a season-high 9 game winless skid. It looked as though the team would be in tough to finish the season how it wanted to.
That all changed after the Holiday Break.
This week in 10 Years of Steel, we look back on how the 2016-17 team battled back and overcame adversity to make it to within 3 wins of qualifying for the Memorial Cup.
The Mississauga Steelheads swept the Peterborough Petes 4 games to 0 to win the 2017 Eastern Conference Championship at the Hershey Centre in Mississauga on Wednesday April 26, 2017. Photo by Terry Wilson / OHL Images.
The 2016-17 Mississauga Steelheads came into the season looking like a new squad after undergoing significant changes from the previous season. Former Head Coach James Boyd had given up coaching duties in favour of focusing on his role as General Manager, paving the way for current Steelheads Head Coach James Richmond to take the wheel. In addition to a new coach, the previous season’s team captain Joshua Burnside was now playing for the Carleton Ravens and leading scorer Alex Nylander was now playing for the Rochester Americans of the American Hockey League. Other key departures included trade deadline acquisition Mason Marchment and starting goaltender Jack Flynn. Expectations were high for draft eligible forward Owen Tippett, and draft eligible defenceman Nicolas Hague.
The first half of the season was not what the Steelheads imagined it would be. They struggled out of the gate, losing four of their first five games, all while missing key offseason acquisition Vili Saaijärvi. The goaltending tandem of veteran Matthew Mancina and rookie Jacob Ingham were battling for the starting job, while trying to get comfortable with their new team. The lowest point of the first half began in the middle of November and carried on through to the beginning of December, a stretch where the team went winless in nine consecutive games, earning 2 of a possible 18 points.
Even through the rough patches, General Manager James Boyd saw potential in the team, and on November 3, made what turned out to be the best move of the team’s season, trading for veteran forward Spencer Watson.
“Spencer Watson is an experienced forward whose addition will bolster the Steelheads’ attack,” said Boyd in a statement. “He’s just what the doctor ordered as an older player to our team.”
While Watson was out at the time recovering from an offseason surgery, his return coincided with the team improving their play, ending the winless streak just 5 days before his Steelheads debut.
At the midway point of the season, the Steelheads found themselves with a record 11-15-4-3. They looked to be in a difficult position to be a top 4 seed in the Eastern Conference, far less have much of a shot to win the division. Then the second half came, and everything changed.
Coach James Richmond was quoted as saying that the Steelheads believe “in making our own breaks.”
In the second half, that’s just what they did.
The Steelheads dropped their first game back from the Holiday Break 3-2 to the Kingston Frontenacs, but proceeded to collect at least a point in each of their next nine games. Spencer Watson fit in perfectly with the team after adjusting to being traded for the first time in his career. The goaltending solidified, with Jacob Ingham taking the reigns as the starter for much of the back half of the season.
Owen Tippett would go on to score 44 goals, the 5th highest total in the league. Watson himself put up 53 points in 41 games once returning from injury. With 11 players putting up at least 0.5 points per game, the team had found its depth scoring, which helped support the Steelheads top players.
Of the 34 games remaining after the Holiday Break, the Steelheads would win 23, posting a record of 23-6-2-4 to help the team finish with a total record of 34-21-6-7 for 81 points. The 81-point mark was a new franchise record, as was the 34 wins, records which stand to this day.
“We never had the feeling, ‘Hey, we’re in big trouble here,’” said former general manager James Boyd. “I know that that was probably the perception from the outside, but we went to overtime 21 times (by far the highest total in the league). Six losses in the shootout, seven in overtime.”
Numerous individual records were set during the regular season. Tippett’s 44 goals were the most ever scored by a Steelheads player. His 75 points tied Alex Nylander’s record from the previous season for most ever by a forward, and at the time, the most ever by a skater (since passed by Nicolas Hague in ’17-’18). In goal, Jacob Ingham set a new franchise record for Goals Against Average (GAA), recording a 2.69 GAA.
The playoffs were where the team really began to take off. Finishing as the top team in the Central Division, and in turn taking home the Emms Trophy for the first time in franchise history, the Steelheads opened the playoffs as the #3 seed in the Eastern Conference.
In the opening round, the Steelheads took on the Ottawa 67’s, looking for their first playoff series win in franchise history. The Steelheads were able to down the 67’s 4-2 in the series, winning the clinching game on the road at TD Place Arena.
In round two, Mississauga travelled to Oshawa, taking on the 2nd ranked Generals. Despite not winning a single game against Oshawa during the regular season, the Steelheads had now rounded into form and were playing like the team everyone had expected at the beginning of the year. After dropping the first game on the road, the Trout would not look back, scoring seven goals in each of the next two games. The Steelheads won four straight games, advancing to their first Conference Championship in franchise history.
In the Conference Finals, the Steelheads took on the best team in the Eastern Conference during the regular season, the Peterborough Petes. The Steelheads were on a roll and were able to get past the Petes with ease, only surrendering four goals while scoring 17 in the series en-route to the team’s first series sweep, and the first Bobby Orr Trophy in franchise history.
Come the OHL Finals, Mississauga was tasked with taking down the top team during the regular season, the Erie Otters. Erie’s lineup included the top point scorer and goal scorer during the regular season in Alex Debrincat, and the 2015 3rd overall NHL draft pick Dylan Strome. The Otters took the first two games by scores of 2-1 and 3-2. The series then turned to Mississauga, where the Steelheads looked to get back in the series. The Steelheads emerged victorious by a score of 4-3, winning their first game in the OHL Championship series in franchise history. Despite putting up a valiant efforts in each, the Steelheads dropped the next two games, officially ending their playoff run.
The Mississauga Steelheads swept the Peterborough Petes 4 games to 0 to win the 2017 Eastern Conference Championship at the Hershey Centre in Mississauga on Wednesday April 26, 2017. Photo by Terry Wilson / OHL Images.
This year’s Steelheads squad can look at the 2016-17 team as a source of inspiration, a bar that can be reached and surpassed. The team is currently on pace to surpass the ’16-’17 team’s win mark, points mark, and win percentage mark, as well as set numerous individual records. Forwards James Hardie and Luca DelBelBelluz are currently on pace to surpass the single-season points record of 78, and Hardie is on pace to set a new single-season goals record. Rookie Owen Beck has already set a new franchise record for face-off wins by a rookie, and is on pace to break the record for most face-offs won in a season.
The next challenge will be continuing their success in the playoffs. Coach James Richmond has tasted success before, and he’s seen first-hand what it takes to get to the top of the OHL mountain.
April and May should be exciting times for the Steelheads, both players and fans, as they try to be the best edition of the Steelheads yet, and do what has never been done before in franchise history.
