Majors Win with OHL Cup Champs
Story by Paul Krotz/OHL
There are 234 OHL Cup Graduates currently playing in the Ontario Hockey League, and 17 of them suit up for the Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors. Although this figure is second only to the Ottawa 67’s who have 19 tournament grads, what is particularly interesting about the Majors figure is that an impressive seven of those players are Champions of the prestigious tournament.
The most recent winner was Stuart Percy who captured the title last season with the Marlies. Riley Brace and Devante Smith-Pelly were teammates in 2008 with the Jr. Canadiens, Casey Cizikas and David Corrente hoisted the cup in 2007 with the Mississauga IceDogs, and teammates Cameron Gaunce and Kelly Geoffrey were part of the 2006 winning Markham Waxers that included NHL stars Steven Stamkos and Michael Del Zotto.
Majors Head Coach and General Manager Dave Cameron says that selecting winners may not be a defining factor at the OHL Priority Selection, but it doesn’t hurt.
“When you have players of similar talents you need to look for separating factors and we do discuss players that have a history of winning” Cameron said. “It helps to have mature players that understand what it is like to win, but we constantly emphasize as a team how hard it is to win.”
Winning brings players and teams closer together and helps build chemistry at any level.
“On road trips we always talk about minor hockey and how much fun it was” said New York Islanders prospect Cizikas. “Dave (Corrente) and I won three straight GTHL Championships and had so many great experiences on the same team and it is great to be playing with him again.”
Especially for the young players, making the jump helps when you have a familiar face at training camp.
“It was great having a teammate in my rookie year” said sophomore Smith-Pelly, who is eligible for the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. “With so many new faces it was nice to have someone you are comfortable with. Winning brought us closer together, you know you will always have each other’s back and can trust each other right from the start.”
Majors’ Captain Cameron Gaunce, a 2008 second round pick of the Colorado Avalanche, knows the importance of winning and the benefits of achieving a common goal with your teammates.
“Winning takes sacrifice, you need to give yourself over to the team and buy into systems and play to everyone’s strengths” said Gaunce, who also shares minor hockey memories with his old teammate. “It was a pleasant surprise when Kelly (Geoffrey) was traded here, we grew up together and playing together again is special. My minor hockey days were great something I will always remember.”
The Majors finished the 2009-10 regular season with 90 points and enter the playoffs as the Eastern Conference’s third seed with game one against the Peterborough Petes set for 7:30 pm Friday night at the Hershey Centre.
