Western Conference Preview
Western Conference teams have won the OHL championship in each of the past three years and the West appears to be the most competitive side again this year. The London Knights, Owen Sound Attack and Kitchener Rangers were selected by The Hockey News as pre-season favourites while the Sarnia Sting are one of several teams that made significant changes in the off-season to bolster their chances at a long playoff run.
Erie Otters
Now three years removed from their J. Ross Robertson Cup winning team, the Otters boast a core group of skilled young forwards including potential first round NHL picks Ryan O’Marra and Michael Blunden. Rob Hisey is a proven OHL scorer and overage captain Brian Lee is a mainstay on the blueline. Jacob Heller is a skilled rearguard that played his first full season after earlier set-backs from injury. The Otters are also strong in goal with former OHL Cup MVP Jhase Sniderman and veteran Josh Disher.
Guelph Storm
The Storm have 14 returning players from their championship run last season and will look to veterans Ryan Callahan, Kyle Spurr and Mark Versteeg-Lytwyn to produce offensively. Dave Barr, who played in the NHL for 10 years, added head coach to his general manager title after Shawn Camp left for Sarnia in the off-season. Daniel Girardi and Ryan Card will stabilize a relatively young group of defencemen and Adam Dennis and Danny Taylor are an experienced duo in the net.
Kitchener Rangers
Two years removed from winning the Memorial Cup, the Rangers appear poised to take another kick at the CHL’s top prize. Andre Benoit was one of the most consistently productive blueliners in the league last year. He leads a talented group that includes NHL first rounder Boris Valabik, skilled import Jakub Kindl and sophomore giant Dev Heshmatpour. Matt Lashoff hopes to shake off the effects of an early season bout with mono and build on an impressive rookie campaign. Up front, Michael Richards may be the best all-around player in the OHL and Craig Voakes has been a consistent contributor in the pre-season.
London Knights
When the Knights were selected to host the 2005 MasterCard Memorial Cup, the selection committee projected them as the best team in the league this year. Corey Perry should challenge for the scoring championship while David Bolland, Rob Schremp — who scored twice in their opener on Friday – and Dylan Hunter highlight an impressive returning group up front. The Knights also have a veteran blueline that includes newly-acquired Bryan Rodney, the top scoring defenceman in the OHL last season. Gerald Coleman and Ryan MacDonald combined to set a new-league record for the fewest goals against last season.
Owen Sound Attack
In their third year under the regime of GM Mike Futa and coach Mike Stothers, the Attack look to be on the brink of their most successful in Owen Sound. An experienced group of forwards, including former first overall pick Patrick Jarrett, Jonathan Lehun and Brad Richardson are bolstered by super sophomores Stefan Ruzicka and Bobby Ryan. Bob Sanguinetti is a highly regarded prospect on the blueline while import pick Andrej Sekera has the offensive skills to man the point on the powerplay. Netminder Dan LaCosta posted four shutouts last season and is one of the top goaltenders in the league.
Plymouth Whalers
The Whalers have been one of junior hockey’s most consistent franchises over the past decade. GM/coach Mike Vellucci will rely heavily on a veteran group of blueliners, including overagers David Liffiton and Mike Knight, to get them into the playoffs. John Mitchell and John Vigilante proved to be solid point producers last season and huge Czech forward Vaclav Meidl is a good combination of size and skill. First round pick John Armstrong showed promise and scored a game-winning goal in the pre-season.
Saginaw Spirit
The additions of GM Bob Mancini and former NHL’er Doug Lidster behind the bench should push the Spirit to their first playoff appearance since arriving in Saginaw two years ago. Sean Courtney, who scored the OHL championship-winning goal in overtime for Erie in 2002, has developed into an elite scorer. Overager Chris Bain was picked up in the off-season and will add grit and playoff experience to the lineup and former first-rounder Jean-Michel Rizk will be among the team’s offensive leaders. Captain Paul Bissonnette, the lone holdover from the move from North Bay, is a solid presence on the back end.
Sarnia Sting
Coach Shawn Camp joined the Sting in the summer after guiding Guelph to the OHL championship last May. He should get the best out of a veteran group of forwards that includes 30-goal scorers John Hecimovic and Daniel Carcillo. Goaltender Ryan Munce was solid at Canada’s summer camp for the National Junior Team and will challenge for a spot on the squad. New GM Alan Millar brought in overage defender Erik Schawnz to bring some experience to a relatively young blueline.
Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds
The Greyhounds boast one of the CHL’s brightest stars in Jeff Carter (pictured), a former first round pick of the Philadelphia Flyers and World Junior mainstay. Local product Tyler Kennedy has developed into a solid OHL’er. The trio of Andrew Desjardins, Jacob King and Matt Puntureri have been solid at both ends of the ice. Jeff Larsh and sophomore Chris Lawrence will be counted on to increase their offensive contributions and Jakub Cech is ready to take over the number one goaltender role.
Windsor Spitfires
Long-time GM Mike Kelly took the interim part off of his coaching title and will guide the Spitfires full-time this year. He’s looking for Flames pick Ryan Donally and former 20-goal scorers John Scott Dickson and David Lomas to lead youngsters Steve Downie, Tom Mannino and Andrew Self. Behemoth captain Mitch Maunu is a stabilizing force on the blueline that also includes veterans Paul Giallonardo, Paul Bortignon and Iain McPhee. Overage goalie Brad Topping is the OHL’s active leader with 76 career wins.
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