Prospects put best foot forward at U16 OHL Gold Cup

Some of the OHL’s brightest young prospects hit the ice this week, competing against one another in the OHL Gold Cup that features eight teams assembled from across the province participating in a 20-game tournament at the Activa Sportsplex in Kitchener, ON.

Of the 160 players competing in the showcase, 126 were chosen in the 2016 OHL Priority Selection in April, representing approximately 79% of the players suiting up in the four day event that runs from Thursday through Sunday. The OHL Gold Cup offers an excellent evaluation opportunity for Hockey Canada scouts on the lookout for prospective talent to attend the National Under-17 Camp.

44 players from the 2015 OHL Gold Cup were invited to the Hockey Canada Under-17 National Camp, with 25 players from the event cracking Team Canada White, Red and Black rosters last November.

Ryan Jankowski, Hockey Canada’s head scout for the men’s Program of Excellence, will lead player selection for both the summer camp and three national Under-17 teams, with assistance from regional scouts that include Ontario’s Darrell Woodley and Barclay Branch.

Four different teams in the Hamilton Bulldogs, Ottawa 67’s, Peterborough Petes and Saginaw Spirit have nine Priority Selection prospects competing in the showcase .

A total of 16 first round selections will compete, including first overall pick Ryan Merkley (Guelph Storm), second overall pick Owen Lalonde (Sudbury Wolves) and third overall pick Connor Roberts (Hamilton Bulldogs). Team GTHL Blue leads the way with six first round selections on the roster.

Exceptional performances at past OHL Gold Cup tournaments have provided a glimpse of what a player is capable of further on in his career. Several future OHL standouts have made strong impressions at the event.

Philadelphia Flyers prospect Travis Konecny of the Sarnia Sting powered Team ALLIANCE to a third place finish in 2013, scoring the overtime winner in the final game to finish the tournament with five goals, two assists and seven points in five games. The first overall pick in the 2013 OHL Priority Selection just wrapped up his third season in the OHL, scoring 30 goals while recording 71 assists for 101 points in 60 games. Konecny was joined on Team ALLIANCE by Kingston Frontenacs power forward and former Canadian World Junior gold medalist Lawson Crouse as well as defenceman Mitchell Vande Sompel of the Oshawa Generals.

2014 OHL Gold Cup top scorer William Bitten enjoyed a solid sophomore campaign with the Flint Firebirds this past season. The seventh overall pick in the 2014 OHL Priority Selection, Bitten scored six goals, five assists and 11 points in five games for Team HEO in the 2014 OHL Gold Cup. He posted 30 goals and 35 assists for 65 points in 67 games as a sophomore in the OHL this past season.

Another OHL sophomore, Erie Otters forward Kyle Maksimovich enjoyed a successful 2014 OHL Gold Cup, finishing the tournament with four goals, three assists and seven points in five games. The Toronto Marlboros Minor Midget graduate provided Team GTHL Blue with a timely overtime winner in the tournament as he helped lead his team to a second place finish. Maksimovich recorded 27 goals, 44 assists and 71 points in 68 games with the Otters this season.

The 2015 OHL Gold Cup saw Team GTHL Blue take a 6-2 win over Team ALLIANCE in the Championship game thanks to multi-point performances from Robbie Burt (Oshawa Generals), Brett Neumann (Erie Otters), C.J. Clarke (Peterborough Petes), Matthew Strome (Hamilton Bulldogs) and Joseph Garreffa (Kitchener Rangers). All five players recently wrapped up successful rookie seasons in the OHL, making the jump after claiming OHL Gold Cup supremacy.

Konecny, Crouse, Vande Sompel, Bitten and Maksimovich are just a few names to come through the OHL Gold Cup tournament that have gone on to forge out solid beginnings to their respective hockey careers. The next crop of up and coming talent hits the ice Thursday morning at the Activa Sportsplex in Kitchener when the puck drops at 9:00am.

COMPLETE SCHEDULE: ohlgoldcup.com

FULL ROSTERS: ALLIANCE, GTHL BLUE, GTHL RED, HEO, HNO, NOHA, OMHA WHITE, OMHA BLACK.

Live streaming available at fasthockey.com.

For more information, please visit www.ohlgoldcup.com or follow on Twitter at www.twitter.com/OHLGoldCup.