OHL This Week: Feb. 11 to 15, 2016
Thursday February 11, 2016
By Josh Sweetland/OHL
Family Day on Monday means an extended weekend of OHL action! Here’s a look at what’s going on around the league.
AT THE RINKS:
Greyhounds fight cancer on Friday: The Soo Greyhounds are preparing for one of their biggest nights of the year as not only do they take on the Owen Sound Attack, but they’ll fight cancer as well. The Hounds will be raising funds for the Algoma Residential Community Hospice (ARCH), with all proceeds going to the facility for their Pediatric Ward and Wishes Program. The Hounds will be wearing specially themed purple jerseys for the game and limited edition ‘Hockey Fights Cancer’ t-shirts and hats are available at the Hound Pound with $5 from every t-shirt going towards the fundraising campaign. For more details on Friday’s event, please visit soogreyhounds.com.
Wolves host Superhero Night on Friday: The Sudbury Wolves will be decked out in special superhero jerseys on Friday at home to the Saginaw Spirit. The jerseys will be auctioned off post-game with proceeds going to the Northern Ontario Families of Children with Cancer organization. Kids 12 and under wearing a full superhero costume to the game will be admitted for only $5 at the door and will receive a voucher for a free small popcorn and pop. For full details visit sudburywolves.com.
Pucks for Paws Night in Kingston: The Kingston Frontenacs are teaming up with Urban Paws for Pucks for Paws Night on Friday night when they host the Windsor Spitfires.
Storm host CMHA Talk Today Game: The Guelph Storm in partnership with CMHA Waterloo-Wellington-Dufferin will be raising mental health awareness on Friday night when they host the Sarnia Sting. Join the conversation and help end the stigma!
Sting Do it for Daron on Saturday: The Sarnia Sting are pleased to announce that the club’s game against the London Knights on Saturday will be in support of ‘Do It For Daron’ – an initiative backed by the Royal’s Foundation for Mental Health. At the age of 14, Daron Richardson died by suicide, and in turn, her parents Luke (NHL/OHL alumnus) and Stephanie spearheaded the DIFD movement. The Sting will don special purple jerseys, with the uniforms being auctioned off online following the game with 100% of the proceeds being donated back to DIFD. For full details, please visit sarniasting.com.
Firebirds get tropical on Saturday: The Flint Firebirds host their inaugural ‘Flint Tropics’ Night at home on Saturday. Fans won’t want to miss the Firebirds donning specially themed Tropics jerseys, pants and socks for the game before a post-game jersey auction will give fans the opportunity to bid on the game-worn collectibles. There will be plenty of ‘Semi-Pro’ themed fun for everyone at the Dort Federal Event Center on Saturday! For more information please visit flintfirebirds.com.
Meet the Hanson Brothers in Erie: Fans in Erie on Saturday will have the opportunity to meet the Hanson Brothers when the Otters square off with the Kitchener Rangers. Jack, Jeff, and Steve Hanson will highlight the action on the ice with fan interactions throughout the evening. For full details, please visit ottershockey.com.
Get a free 67’s night light on Monday: The Ottawa 67’s will be giving away 2,500 free night lights at their Family Day Game on Monday when the host the North Bay Battalion. The first 2,500 kids into the arena will receive a night light, so be sure to arrive early!
Family Day action across the league: Family Day games are slated for Monday in Guelph, Hamilton, Kingston, London, Mississauga, Ottawa, Oshawa, Peterborough and Sarnia! Be sure to check out post-game skates with the Guelph Storm, Ottawa 67’s and Peterborough Petes following the action!
COMMUNITY CORNER:
Petes raise over $97,000 in Pink in the Rink campaign: The Peterborough Petes, in association with the Canadian Cancer Society Peterborough & District Community Office, are excited to announce that a record-breaking $97,035 was raised in the seventh annual Pink in the Rink campaign on Saturday night. FULL STORY
Generals donate $5,000 to Smilezone Foundation: The Oshawa Generals presented Smilezone Foundation with a cheque for $5,000 for the new Smilezones at the headquarters of Grandview Children’s Centre in Oshawa. The ceremony took place prior to puck drop on Sunday afternoon. FULL STORY
67’s welcome Syrian families: For a group of young Syrian children, a visit to TD Place this week was all about the ice. A few Syrian refugee families toured the facility on Tuesday morning and they’ll be back at Lansdowne on Monday to watch the 67’s take on the North Bay Battalion. For the full story please visit ottawa67’s.com.
IceDogs host Family Day Skills Competition: The Niagara IceDogs don’t play on Monday, but they’ll be at the rink! The IceDogs are hosting a team Skills Competition in celebration of Family Day at 1:00pm that is FREE for all ages. The team will be collecting donations of pasta or tomato sauce for Community Care. The Skills Competition is sure to be a fun and exciting event for families as viewers have the opportunity to get a great glimpse of the skill and creativity of each IceDogs player. For full details please visit niagaraicedogs.net.
FRONTENACS’ SPENCER WATSON TAKES WEEKLY HONOURS:
Los Angeles Kings prospect Spencer Watson of the Kingston Frontenacs is the Pioneer Energy OHL Player of the Week for the week ending February 7 after scoring three goals and five assists for eight points in two games with a plus-minus rating of plus-6.
Watson had back-to-back multi-point performances last week helping the Frontenacs win both games to maintain first place in the OHL’s Eastern Conference standings with 68 points. The London, ON, native is playing in his fourth OHL season with the Frontenacs after being chosen by the club in the second round of the 2012 OHL Priority Selection. The Jr. Knights Minor Midget graduate leads the OHL in shots on goal with 156 and is currently tied for 12th in league scoring with 61 points in 48 games including 28 goals and 33 assists. Watson was a seventh round pick of the Kings in the 2014 NHL Draft.
PETES’ HULL COLLECTS 100TH CAREER OHL WIN
Peterborough Petes Head Coach Jody Hull earned his 100th OHL coaching victory last Thursday as his club defeated the visiting Hamilton Bulldogs 4-1. A former 50-goal scorer for the Petes before playing a 14-year NHL career, Hull is currently in the midst of his third full season behind the bench in the Electric City after taking over midway through the 2012-13 campaign.
The Petrolia, ON, native is the third OHL coach to reach a milestone this season after London’s Dale Hunter became the fastest coach in OHL history to reach 600 wins on October 31st and Barrie’s Dale Hawerchuk claimed his 200th career OHL coaching victory on January 7th.
TIP TOP TAILORS OHL PLAYS OF THE WEEK – WEEK 19:
Draft eligible Sarnia Sting winger Jordan Kyrou headlines the 19th edition of the Tip Top Tailors OHL Plays of the Week. Be sure to vote for Jordan as this week’s OHL representative in the CHL Fan Choice vote at fanchoice.ca!
ROAD TO THE 2016 OHL CUP CONTINUES
The 2016 OHL Cup is just five weeks away! After a thrilling playoff ride in the GTHL last spring, the landscape is wide open once again with four different teams finishing the regular season with over 20 wins. This week we take a closer look at talent coming out of the GTHL, an annual supplier of some of the OHL’s top draft eligible prospects. FULL STORY
ALUMNI NOTES:
Trocheck named NHL’s third star of the week: Plymouth Whalers graduate Vincent Trocheck has been named the NHL’s third star of the week after he recorded three goals, three assists and six points in three games with the Florida Panthers last week. Trocheck helped the cats widen their lead atop the Atlantic Division to six points while improving his season totals to 17 goals, 16 assists and 33 points in 53 contests. Trocheck is currently in his second NHL season after spending parts of the last two campaigns in the American Hockey League. The Pittsburgh, PA native enjoyed a four year OHL career between Saginaw and Plymouth from 2009-13, leading the league in scoring in 2013 while winning the Red Tilson Trophy as the league’s most outstanding player. Trocheck also won world junior gold with the United States in 2013 and was Florida’s third round (64th overall) pick in the 2011 NHL Draft.
Catenacci makes NHL debut: Former first overall OHL Priority Selection pick Daniel Catenacci made his NHL debut on Saturday as the Buffalo Sabres fell to the Boston Bruins 2-1 in overtime. Catenacci makes his NHL debut after spending the past two seasons with the AHL’s Rochester Americans. The Richmond Hill, ON, native and Owen Sound Attack graduate played four OHL seasons between Sault Ste. Marie and Owen Sound from 2009-13, racking up 107 goals, 145 assists and 252 points in 266 regular season games. Catenacci was Sault Ste. Marie’s first overall pick in the 2009 OHL Priority Seleciton. He was Buffalo’s third round (77th overall) pick in the 2011 NHL Draft.
Bailey recalled by Sabres: A big week in the American Hockey League has earned Soo Greyhounds graduate Justin Bailey his first NHL call-up. Bailey was recalled by the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday after recording three goals, two assists and five points with the Rochester Americans last weekend. The 20-year-old Williamsville, NY, native has 10 goals, 13 assists and 23 points in 47 AHL contests this year. Bailey was a big part of the Greyhounds team that made it to the Western Conference finals last spring. He played three OHL seasons between Kitchener and Sault Ste. Marie, recording 76 goals, 72 assists and 148 points in 168 regular season games from 2012-15. Bailey was Buffalo’s second round (52nd overall) pick in the 2013 NHL Draft.
Friesen called up by Canucks: Niagara IceDogs graduate Alex Friesen has received his first NHL call-up. The Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON, native has eight goals, 10 assists and 18 points in 41 games with the Utica Comets this season. The 25-year-old is in his fourth AHL season after being a sixth round pick by Vancouver in 2010. Friesen played five seasons with the IceDogs from 2007-12, appearing in 292 games while recording 91 goals, 153 assists and 244 regular season points with a plus-minus rating of plus-70. Friesen also recorded 14 goals, 38 assists and 52 points in 61 playoff contests. The second round (35th overall) pick by the Mississauga IceDogs in the 2007 OHL Priority Selection was the OHL’s Ivan Tennant Award Winner in 2008, given to the league’s top academic high school student.
Subban sidelined with fractured larynx: Belleville Bulls graduate Malcolm Subban is in hospital recovering from suffering a fractured larynx prior to an American Hockey League game with the Providence Bruins on Sunday. Subban was hit with a puck in the throat during pre-game warmups in Portland and was transported to Maine Medical Center. The 22-year-old is sidelined indefinitely but tweeted out thanks for all the support he has received from his account on Sunday. The former Bruins first round pick is 19-10-0-5 with a 2.31 goals-against average and a .920 save percentage in 33 games this season. Subban played three seasons in Belleville, going 64-42-4-2 with a 2.52 goals-against average and a .921 save percentage in 118 career regular season appearances. He led the OHL in goals-against average (2.14) and save percentage (.934) in 2012-13.
Murphy explodes for six points: Windsor Spitfires graduate Trevor Murphy became the AHL’s first player to record six points in a game this season on Friday. The 20-year-old had three goals and three assists in a 7-3 win over the Bakersfield Condors to bring his season totals to eight goals, 20 assists and 28 points in 30 games to lead Milwaukee Admirals defencemen in scoring. Murphy finished fourth in scoring among OHL defencemen last season, recording 24 goals, 39 assists and 63 points in 59 games with the Spitfires. The Windsor native played four OHL seasons between Peterborough and Windsor from 2011-15, recording 42 goals, 98 assists and 140 points in 235 regular season games. He was signed as a free agent by Nashville this past September.
Welychka sets Carleton Ravens record: Belleville Bulls graduate Brett Welychka is the new single-season scoring leader in Carleton Ravens Men’s Hockey history, surpassing fellow OHL grad Brandon MacLean with 13 goals, 28 assists and 41 points in 25 games as a rookie this season. Welychka is currently tied for third in league scoring as the Ravens currently sit in third place in the OUA East with a record of 19-7-0. Welychka played four full OHL seasons between London and Belleville, appearing in 244 regular season games from 2010-15, recording 65 goals, 84 assists and 149 points with a plus/minus rating of plus-35. He appeared in two MasterCard Memorial Cups and won OHL titles with London in 2012 and 2013.
KEY WEEKEND MATCHUPS:
Owen Sound Attack vs. Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds
Friday February 12 at Sault Ste. Marie
Separated by mere points entering the weekend, the Soo Greyhounds host the Owen Sound Attack on Friday in a battle of two middle-of-the-pack clubs in the Western Conference.
The Greyhounds have heated up of late, winning all three games on their road trip last weekend as draft eligibles Jack Kopacka and Tim Gettinger continue to contribute offensively while Boston Bruins prospect Zach Senyshyn remains a scoring threat every time he hits the ice.
The Attack hit the road this weekend with games in Sault Ste. Marie and Flint, looking to keep pace with the surging Greyhounds. Overage veteran Bryson Cianfrone leads the team in scoring with 13 goals, 25 assists and 37 points in 43 contests while veteran Santino Centorame leads the way from the blueline with 12 goals, 20 assist and 32 points in 48 outings.
Kitchener Rangers vs. Erie Otters
Saturday February 13 at Erie
The Erie Otters have had the Kitchener Rangers’ number so far this season, defeating them in all three of their meetings. Three encounters remain though and the Rangers are looking to close the gap in the Midwest Division.
Kitchener currently trails Erie by six points as the Rangers embark on a three-game weekend that includes other matchups against Flint and Hamilton. The Rangers are currently the fourth-ranked team in the country and are overdue for a win against the top ranked Otters this weekend.
Erie has won four straight entering Wednesday’s clash against the London Knights. Otters goaltender Devin Williams has played to a 33-3-1-0 mark this season and is two wins shy of 100 on his OHL career. He leads the league with a 2.15 goals-against average.
WEEKEND SCHEDULE:
Thursday, February 11
Saginaw at North Bay – 7:00pm
Oshawa at Peterborough – 7:05pm
Hamilton at Barrie – 7:30pm
Friday, February 12
Oshawa at Ottawa – 7:00pm
Saginaw at Sudbury – 7:00pm
Windsor at Kingston – 7:00pm – Sportsnet Friday Night Hockey
Owen Sound at Sault Ste. Marie – 7:07pm
Erie at Mississauga – 7:30pm
Flint at Kitchener – 7:30pm
Niagara at London – 7:30pm
Sarnia at Guelph – 7:30pm
Saturday, February 13
Kitchener at Erie – 7:00pm
North Bay at Kingston – 7:00pm
Peterborough at Hamilton – 7:00pm
Sault Ste. Marie at Sudbury – 7:00pm
London at Sarnia – 7:05pm
Guelph at Barrie – 7:30pm
Owen Sound at Flint – 7:30pm
Sunday, February 14
Mississauga at Niagara – 2:00pm
Windsor at Ottawa – 3:00pm – CHL on Sportsnet
Monday, February 15
Erie at Guelph – 2:00pm
Kitchener at Hamilton – 2:00pm
Barrie at Kingston – 2:00pm
Flint at London – 2:00pm
Sudbury at Mississauga – 2:00pm
North Bay at Ottawa – 2:00pm
Owen Sound at Oshawa – 2:05pm
Windsor at Peterborough – 2:05pm
Saginaw at Sarnia – 2:05pm
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