2012 OHL Cup Preview
The OHL Cup features the best minor midget teams from across Ontario and serves as a platform for many future OHL stars to showcase their talents in advance of the Priority Selection. More than half of the entire OHL is made up of players that competed at this event.
Here is a fan’s guide to the 20 teams that will battle for the 2012 OHL Cup title March 13-18 at Hershey Centre:
Division 1:
Qualified: GTHL Champions
Head Coach: Ken Strong
Notable OHL Alumni: Ryan Strome, Niagara IceDogs
Record: 30-2-1
Road to the OHL Cup: Defeated the Mississauga Rebels in GTHL Championship Series.
Players to Watch: Joshua Ho Sang (F), Roland McKeown (D), Connor McDavid (F)
Outlook: A balanced and well coached team that plays a pretty complete game. Have been at the top of the OHL Cup top ten rankings all year
Qualified: OMHA Invite
Head Coach: Rick Berard
Notable OHL Alumni: Hunter Garlent, Guelph Storm (Welland Tigers)
Record: 32-1-3
Road to the OHL Cup: Defeated York Simcoe Express 7-3 to win Bronze Medal at OMHA Championship.
Players to Watch: Niki Petti (F), Justin Felker (D), Matt Gillard (F)
Outlook: OMHA Bronze Medalists like to push the puck up ice while playing a high pressure offensive game.
Detroit Little Caesars Selects
Qualified: USA Invite
Head Coach: Bill Ciraulo
Players to Watch: Cody Milan (F), Brandon Halverson (G), Gordon Helmuth (F)
Outlook: First OHL Cup appearance. Look to test themselves against some of the best Minor Midget teams in Ontario.
Qualified: ODMHA Finalists
Notable OHL Alumni: Billy Jenkins, Kingston Frontenacs
Head Coach: Jeff Fitch
Record: 25-2-3
Road to the OHL Cup: Lost to the Ottawa Jr. 67’s to finish second place in ODMHA.
Players to Watch: Dallas Farr (F), Owen McDade (F), Kelly Sumers (D)
Outlook: Well coached team that had a very strong regular season and did very well in tournament play as well.
Qualified: NOHA Rep
Head Coach: Jason Young
Notable OHL Alumni: Brody Silk, Sudbury Wolves
Road to the OHL Cup: Great North Midget League All-Star team assembled for OHL Cup.
Players to Watch: Michael Amadio (F), Anthony Stefano (F), Dylan Callaghan (F)
Outlook: GNML All-Stars look to gel and come together as a team quickly. They will try to keep it simple while competing hard every shift.
Division 2:
Qualified: GTHL Invite
Head Coach: Steve Mercer
Notable OHL Alumni: Max Domi, London Knights
Record: 22-9-2
Road to the OHL Cup: Lost to the Mississauga Rebels in GTHL Semi-Final series.
Players to Watch: Dante Salituro (F), CJ Garcia (D), Salvatore Filice (D)
Outlook: Very well coached team that plays well in all three zones. Have a very balanced attack and have a couple of players that can change a game quickly.
Qualified: GTHL Invite
Head Coach: Jamie Fawcett
Notable OHL Alumni: Mathew Campagna, Sudbury Wolves
Record: 13-17-3
Road to the OHL Cup: Lost to the Mississauga Rebels in the GTHL first round
Players to Watch: Evan Smith (F), Vincent DeSousa (F), Hayden Lavigne (G)
Outlook: Had a great second half on the season. Play very hard as a team all ways out working their opposition.
Qualified: ALLIANCE Finalists
Head Coach: Frank Evola
Notable OHL Alumni: Aaron Ekblad, Barrie Colts
Record: 15-5-10
Road to the OHL Cup: Lost to London Jr. Knights Gold in the ALLIANCE Championship Series.
Players to Watch: Joe Manchurek (F), Hayden Hodgson (F), Matthew Mancina (G)
Outlook: Had a very good season which included two tournament titles and a long playoff run.
Qualified: ODMHA Champions
Head Coach: John Yablonski
Notable OHL Alumni: Daniel Altshuller, Oshawa Generals
Record: 20-7-3
Road to the OHL Cup: Defeated the Ottawa Valley Titans as Champions of the ODMHA.
Players to Watch: Andrew Abou-Assaly (F), Brent Moran (G), Hunter Racine (F)
Outlook: ODMHA Champions. Offensive minded team that likes to use their speed to play an aggressive, high pressure game.
Qualified: Alliance Invite
Head Coach: Chad Smalley
Notable OHL Alumni: Garrett Meurs, Plymouth Whalers
Record: 17-7-6
Road to the OHL Cup: Lost to Sun County in the Alliance Semi-Final series.
Players to Watch: Jacob Middleton (D), Alex Peters (D), Garrett James (F)
Outlook: Play a very structured defense first style of game and rely on their big blueline to eliminate scoring chances and wait for opportunities to score.
Division 3:
Qualified: OMHA Champions
Head Coach: Greg Harper
Notable OHL Alumni: Josh Shalla, Saginaw Spirit
Record: 22-9-5
Road to the OHL Cup: Defeated the Hamilton Jr. Bulldogs in overtime to win Gold Medal at OMHA Championship.
Players to Watch: Bobby MacIntyre (F),Conor Cummings (D),Liam Grande (F)
Outlook: OMHA Champions that play a very exciting, offensive and aggressive game. They like to stretch the ice and use their speed.
Qualified: USA Invite
Head Coach: Bob Thornton
Players to Watch: Ryan Hitchcock (F), Nathan Billitier (D), Daniel Willett (D)
Outlook: Look to test themselves against some of the best Minor Midget teams in Ontario
Qualified: HNO Rep
Head Coach: Rick Baraniuk
Notable OHL Alumni: Matthew Murray, Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds
Road to the OHL Cup: Representing Hockey Northwestern Ontario.
Players to Watch: Bryce Martyn(D), Ryan Burton (F),Johnathan Masters (D)
Outlook: Hard working well coached team that plays a very simple and complete team game.
Qualified: GTHL Finalists
Head Coach: Geoff Schomogyi
Notable OHL Alumni: Sean Monahan, Ottawa 67’s
Record: 29-2-2
Road to the OHL Cup: Finished second place in the GTHL losing to the Toronto Marlboros.
Players to Watch: Liam Herbst (G),Robert Fabbri (F),Damian Bourne (F)
Outlook: Great goaltending gives this team a chance to win every night. They have dangerous forwards up front who are very opportunistic.
Qualified:GTHL Invite
Head Coach: Mark Joslin
Record: 11-11-11
Road to the OHL Cup: Lost to the Vaughan Kings in the GTHL first round.
Players to Watch: Matthew McLeod (F), Kris Bennett (F),Greg DiTomaso (D)
Outlook: Hard working team that likes to use their speed to generate offense. They play a solid game in all three zones
Division 4:
Qualified: ALLIANCE Champions
Head Coach: Rob Simpson
Notable OHL Alumni: Carter Sandlak, Belleville Bulls
Record: 28-1-1
Road to the OHL Cup: Defeated Sun County in the ALLIANCE Championship Series.
Players to Watch: Jared McCann (F),Spencer Watson (F),Trevor Abbott (D)
Outlook: Hard working team that intimidates teams with their team speed and skill level. Have a couple of players that are game breakers
Qualified: OMHA Finalists
Head Coach: Ryan Kuwabara
Notable OHL Alumni: Jarrod Maidens, Owen Sound Attack
Record: 17-14-5
Road to the OHL Cup: Won the Silver Medal in the OMHA Championship losing 6-5 in OT to Whitby.
Players to Watch: Connor Murphy (F),David Eccles (D),Mark Sinclair (G)
Outlook: OMHA Silver Medalists. Hard working team that plays a defense first style of game and wait for their chances .
Qualified: USA Invite
Head Coach: Nathan Bowen
Notable OHL Alumni: Cole Cassels, Oshawa Generals
Players to Watch: Patrick Grasso (F), Jerad Rosburg (D), Dylan Sobczyk (D)
Outlook: Perennial USA Hockey Representative at the OHL Cup. Play a competitive game and will look to advance to the playoff round.
Qualified: GTHL Invite
Head Coach: Dave Dammazzio
Notable OHL Alumni: Jordan Binnington, Owen Sound Attack
Record: 22-10-1
Road to the OHL Cup: Lost to the Toronto Marlboros in GTHL Semi-Finals.
Players to Watch: Michael Dal Colle (F),Jonathan Duchesne(D), Cameron Hackett (G)
Outlook: Well coached team that plays hard each and every shift. They look to take advantage of their opponent’s mistakes and have improved all year long.
Qualified: OMHA Invite
Head Coach: Russ Herrington
Notable OHL Alumni: Ryan Murphy, Kitchener Rangers
Record: 24-9-1
Road to the OHL Cup: Qualified for the OMHA Championships but lost to Southern Tier for Bronze.
Players to Watch: Nic Coric (F),Kyle Locke (D),Justin Wain (F)
Outlook: Team that is built on speed and skill. Likes to play a real offensive minded puck posession game, forcing teams to play defense.
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