OHL This Week: January 27 to 30, 2022

 

Toronto, Ont. – With February drawing nearer, most of the OHL’s 20 member teams have reached the midway point of their regular season schedule. Let’s check in on what’s taking place across the League this coming week.

Steelheads, Battalion clash in CHL TV Game of the Week presented by Kubota:
A clash of Central Division combatants can be seen for FREE on Thursday night as the Mississauga Steelheads visit the North Bay Battalion in the CHL TV Game of the Week presented by Kubota Canada. Read more

McTavish leads five players with OHL ties named to Canada’s Olympic roster:
Five past and present OHL players have been named to Hockey Canada’s 25-player roster for the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing, China. Read more

Frontenacs and Steelheads included in Week 13 edition of Kia CHL Top 10 Rankings:
The Kingston Frontenacs are the fifth-ranked team in the CHL this week while the League-leading Mississauga Steelheads trail close behind at eighth. The Barrie Colts, London Knights and Soo Greyhounds all earned honourable mentions. Read more

Firebirds’ Riley Piercey named OHL Player of the Week:
Flint Firebirds forward Riley Piercey is the OHL Player of the Week, scoring four goals while adding three assists for seven points in three victories. Read more

Colts’ Mack Guzda named OHL Goaltender of the Week:
Mack Guzda of the Barrie Colts is the OHL Goaltender of the Week, going 2-0-0-0 with a 1.49 goals-against average and .956 save percentage. Read more

Five to Watch for the 2022 OHL Priority Selection:
Each week, Raine Hernandez and OHL Central Scouting break down the top 2006-born prospects eligible for the 2022 OHL Priority Selection. Read more

Wright headlines OHL Plays of the Week:
Peak performance on display in the OHL Plays of the Week including Saginaw’s Matyas Sapovaliv, Owen Sound’s Nick Porco, London’s Luke Evangelista, Flint’s Ethan Keppen and Kingston’s Shane Wright. Watch

OHL Saves of the Week:
Big saves to show you from the past week of action, including work from Oshawa’s Patrick Leaver, Barrie’s Mack Guzda, Sudbury’s Mitchell Weeks, Niagara’s Josh Rosenzweig, London’s Brett Brochu, Saginaw’s Tristan Lennox, and Flint’s Luke Cavallin. Watch

Seven players score first goals in OHL Milestone Moments:
Check out seven first career OHL goals from the past week including milestones from Erie’s Ryan Thompson, Barrie’s Beau Akey, Guelph’s Michael Buchinger, North Bay’s Alexander Lukin and Nicholas Sima, Sarnia’s Easton Wainwright and London’s Easton Cowan. Watch

OHL Weekend Notebook:
The OHL Weekend Notebook recaps the weekend that was with news, information and interesting facts from both on and off the ice. Watch/Read more

OHL comes together for Bell Let’s Talk Day:
Players from across the OHL shared messages of support for mental health awareness on Bell Let’s Talk Day. Watch

Bell Let’s Talk Q&A with Mental Health Coach Jack Veitch:
Peterborough Petes mental health coach Jack Veitch sat down for a Q&A on Bell Let’s Talk Day, also queuing up CMHA Talk Today Month in February. Read more

Noah Van Vliet commits to Bulldogs:
The Hamilton Bulldogs have received a commitment from fourth round 2020 OHL Priority Selection choice Noah Van Vliet. Read more

 

COMMUNITY CORNER:

Spirit prepare for much anticipated Shocks and Saves Game on Saturday: The Saginaw Spirit host their annual Shocks and Saves Charity game on Saturday afternoon prior to taking on the London Knights. The special matchup takes place at 3:30pm as the Spirit welcome back Jiri Fischer, who’s cardiac arrest during an NHL game on November, 21 2005 cut his promising playing career short at just 25 years old. Since the inception of the Shocks and Saves Charity Game, the event has raised more than $700,000 and has placed over 250 Automated External Defibrillators in the Great Lakes Bay Region. With those AED’s in place, a total of 11 lives have been saved. Learn more about the event at saginawspirit.com

Inaugural Charity Sock Toss a success for Otters, Erie City Mission: The Erie Otters collected over 1,700 winter wear items for the Erie City Mission through their inaugural Sock Toss event on January 22. Read more

Petes announce new dates for Pink in the Rink, PWHPA Women’s Hockey Showcase: With a planned return to full capacity on March 14, 2022, as laid out by the provincial government, the Peterborough Petes have adjusted the dates for the 2022 Pink in the Rink fundraising event and PWHPA regional game between Team Sonnett and Team Harvey’s to better accommodate fans. Learn more at gopetesgo.com

Ron Heipel recognized as Community Hero by Storm: The Guelph Storm have recognized Ron Heipel as their first Community Hero of the 2021-22 season. A mentor to many and an inspiring leader, Ron is a leader in the special needs community and in Guelph as a whole. He is a Guelph Giant, a member of Canadian National Special Hockey, a leader and organizer with Special Olympics, a volunteer for Hospice Wellington, a dedicated father and husband. Learn more about Ron’s work at guelphstorm.com

 

ALUMNI NOTES:

Doughty suiting up in 1,000th game on Thursday: Guelph Storm alumnus Drew Doughty will join the NHL’s 1,000 game club on Thursday in New York as his LA Kings square off against the Islanders. The 32-year-old will join Dustin Brown, Anze Kopitar, Dave Taylor, and Luc Robitaille as the fifth player in franchise history to hit the milestone. A two-time Stanley Cup champion, five-time All-Star and 2016 Norris Trophy recipient, Doughty played three seasons in Guelph from 2005-08 before being selected by the Kings with the second overall pick of the 2008 NHL Draft.

Boudreau coaches 1,000th career contest: Former OHL standout Bruce Boudreau became the 29th coach in NHL history to reach the 1,000 game milestone on Sunday. The 67-year-old owns a career record of 577-305-117 in 14 NHL seasons spent between Washington, Anaheim, Minnesota and now Vancouver. He won the Jack Adams Award as the NHL’s top coach in 2007-08. Boudreau is a former Eddie Powers Trophy recipient as the OHL’s top scorer in 1974-75 with the Toronto Marlboros who he captained to a Memorial Cup title.

McNiven makes NHL debut: Former OHL and CHL Goaltender of the Year Michael McNiven saw his first NHL action with the Montreal Canadiens on Monday. The 24-year-old Owen Sound Attack alumnus played the third period of an 8-2 loss to the Minnesota Wild. McNiven has spent the past several seasons between the AHL and ECHL, playing in 10 games with the AHL’s Laval Rocket in 2021-22. Formerly signed by the Canadiens as an undrafted free agent, McNiven was the CHL’s Goaltender of the Year in 2016-17, posting a League-low 2.30 goals-against average while winning 41 games for Owen Sound.

Strome nets first NHL hat trick: Erie Otters graduate Dylan Strome had a night to remember on Wednesday, guiding the Chicago Blackhawks to victory in Detroit with three goals and an assist for his first NHL hat trick. The 24-year-old has 16 points (7-9–16) through 30 games in this, his fourth full NHL season. Strome played four seasons in Erie from 2013-17, winning an OHL championship with the Otters before graduating. He remains the franchise’s all-time leading scorer with 354 points (114-240–354) over 219 regular season games.

DiPietro, Martin earn opportunities in Vancouver crease: A pair of OHL graduates looking for an opportunity have picked up NHL minutes in the past week. Former Memorial Cup champion Michael DiPietro saw action on Saturday as the Canucks fell 3-1 to the St. Louis Blues. It was DiPietro’s first NHL action of the 2021-22 season after last seeing the Vancouver crease in 2019-20. The 22-year-old has played 13 games with the AHL’s Abbotsford Canucks this season, going 4-7-2 with a 3.19 goals-against average and .896 save percentage. Mississauga Steelheads graduate Spencer Martin has performed well in two games with Vancouver. The 26-year-old has taken two games beyond regulation to help the Canucks pick up a pair of points, stopping 84 of 88 shots along the way. Martin is seeing his first NHL action since 2016-17 as a member of the Colorado Avalanche. The Oakville, Ont. native is 5-0-2 in seven games with AHL Abbotsford this season.

 

KEY MATCHUPS:

Sarnia Sting at Windsor Spitfires
Thursday January 27th – 7:30pm

West Division foes Sarnia and Windsor go head-to-head on Thursday, with the Sting entering play having won three of their last four games. Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Ty Voit has been on a tear of late, leading the Sting with 42 points (11-31–42) in 30 games this season. Overage forward Nolan Burke has paced Sarnia with 21 goals on the season while fellow veteran Nolan DeGurse (9-13—22) has produced at more than a point-per-game. The Spits hit a setback with Covid-19 complications last Sunday, but return to the ice tonight to face a Sarnia team they have defeated in three out of four meetings this season. Dallas Stars prospect Wyatt Johnston is on an 11-game point streak and continues to flirt with the OHL scoring lead, producing 63 points (21-42–63) in just 33 games.

Flint Firebirds at Soo Greyhounds
Friday January 28th – 7:07pm

The Flint Firebirds have won three straight and head into Sault Ste. Marie on Friday eyeing first place in the West Division. The ‘Birds currently trail the Hounds by five points with a pair of games in hand and are set to face the Soo in the first of six meetings this season. Reigning OHL Player of the Week Riley Piercey (15-22–37) joins New York Rangers prospect Brennan Othmann (27-26–53) leading the Flint attack. The highest-scoring team in the League with the OHL’s best power play, Sault Ste. Marie has won four of five, entering the weekend with a record of 22-12-2-1. Overage winger Tye Kartye leads the League with 29 goals, 17 of which have come on the man advantage.

 

UPCOMING GAMES:

Thursday January 27:
Erie at Niagara – 7:00pm
Mississauga at North Bay – 7:00pm (Kubota CHL TV Game of the Week)
Kingston at Peterborough – 7:05pm
Owen Sound at Barrie – 7:30pm
Sarnia at Windsor – 7:30pm

Friday January 28:
Oshawa at Kingston – 7:00pm
North Bay at Mississauga – 7:00pm
London at Saginaw – 7:05pm
Ottawa at Sudbury – 7:05pm
Flint at Sault Ste. Marie – 7:07pm
Windsor at Guelph – 7:30pm
Owen Sound at Kitchener – 7:30pm

Saturday January 29:
Hamilton at Niagara – 7:00pm
Oshawa at Peterborough – 7:05pm
London at Saginaw – 7:05pm
Barrie at Sault Ste. Marie – 7:07pm
Guelph at Owen Sound – 7:30pm

Sunday January 30:
London at Flint – 2:00pm
Kingston at Hamilton – 2:00pm
Niagara at Mississauga – 2:00pm
Ottawa at North Bay – 2:00pm
Kitchener at Sarnia – 2:05pm
Barrie at Sudbury – 2:05pm
Peterborough at Oshawa – 6:05pm