Like most teams, Storm needs some defence
By Tony Saxon, Guelph Mercury
Eight games into the Ontario Hockey League season the Guelph Storm’s prime need remains the same: defence. This puts Guelph on par with about 15 other teams in the league.
Not to downplay the success the team has had thus far, but the need to improve on the back end isn’t a revelation. In a league where you often go down to using four defencemen late in close games, the Storm only have four that have been reliable this season.
In the big picture, they probably need to add two defencemen—one big and tough, the other a power-play quarterback.
But the team is taking a cautious approach. General manager Mike Kelly has said all along he will assess his team for the first 15 to 20 games before he decides what, and if, changes are needed.
Acquiring a top-four blueliner this early in the season is darn near impossible, unless you are willing to overpay—and we’re talking Hunter Garlent/Tyler Bertuzzi-type cost.
Some players will be trickling back to the OHL as American Hockey League and East Coast Hockey League teams make cuts over the next week or two. That might free up an overage player somewhere.
