Road to the 2015 OHL Cup

Wednesday February 18, 2015

By Josh Sweetland/OHL

The countdown to the OHL Cup is down to four weeks as two more teams have qualified for the prestigious showcase tournament set to be held from March 17-23 at Buckingham Arena and the Mattamy Athletic Centre in Toronto.

Both the Ottawa Jr. 67’s and Ottawa Valley Titans have advanced to the OEMHL Finals, thus qualifying them for the 2015 OHL Cup. This week we take a closer look at prospective OHL talent coming out of the Ottawa region between two clubs that have grown quite familiar with each other.

The two evenly matched teams have had an eventful season series, with the Jr. 67’s taking three of the five decisions against Ottawa Valley. Three of the five encounters were decided by a goal or less with one tie included.

The Jr. 67’s, who graduated current OHL talent in Will Bitten (Plymouth Whalers) and Keenan Reynolds (Owen Sound Attack) last season, lost just one game all year, a defeat that came at the hands of the Titans. The club that sports the similarly themed barberpoled uniforms of their OHL namesake played to a first place record of 25-1-4 this season, surrendering a league low 58 goals in 30 games.

Led by captain Greg Meireles, the Jr. 67’s are a well rounded group that have been in the discussion as one of Ontario’s top Minor Midget teams all season, making the weekly OHL Cup Top 10 Rankings in 12 of the 14 editions to date.

“The Jr. 67’s are a team that brings a balanced attack,” said Director of OHL Central Scouting Darrell Woodley. “Everyone contributes and provides value to what they’re trying to accomplish. They rely a lot on their team speed and can be very dangerous in a free-flowing game.”

Ottawa is led in scoring by forward Darcy Walsh who finished the season with 22 goals, 27 assists and 49 points in 30 games. He rode shotgun with Meireles who finished the year with 18 goals, 23 assists and 41 points in 24 contests. Meireles will represent Ontario in the 2015 Canada Winter Games in Prince George, BC, next week.

Patrolling the Jr. 67’s blueline is Jacob Paquette, a 6’1″, 187Ib left-handed rearguard who boasts a good combination of size and skating ability. Paquette and the rest of the Ottawa defence with the addition of goaltenders Leif-Andreas Thorpe and Jean-Sebastien Gratton put forth one of the best defensive efforts in the province this season.

Across the ice, the Ottawa Valley Titans who play out of several venues throughout the Ottawa Valley, finished second in the OEMHL with a record of 22-5-3 while boasting the league’s best offence with 166 goals in 30 games.

The Titans are led offensively by speedy centreman Ryan Horvath who led the OEMHL in scoring with 20 goals, 30 assists and 50 points in 28 games. He’s joined by Arnprior, ON, native Liam Hawel who comes in at 6’2″ and presents a big presence down the middle. Hawel finished the season with 18 goals, 31 assists and 49 points in 25 games.

“The Titans are a bigger team that can wear the opposition down in a physical game,” Woodley said of the Ottawa Valley club. “They play well along the boards and rely on the skills of Horvath to really kickstart their offence.”

Defensively, solidly built puck moving blueliner Taylor Carlson has been a reliable presence on the back end for the Titans. He led the team in scoring from the blueline with five goals, 16 assists and 21 points in 30 games.

Ottawa Valley made appearances in nine of the 14 issues of the OHL Cup Minor Midget Top 10 Rankings this season. The Titans program has graduated such OHL talent as Tye Felhaber (Saginaw Spirit), Ryan Orban (Ottawa 67’s), Evan de Haan (Ottawa 67’s) and Riley Bruce (North Bay Battalion).

The Jr. 67’s and Titans join the GTHL’s Toronto Marlboros, Don Mills Flyers, Toronto Titans and Toronto Jr. Canadiens in having secured a spot in the upcoming tournament.

Here’s a look at what else is happening across Ontario as teams compete for a spot in the 2015 OHL Cup.

GTHL:

*** Toronto Marlboros, Don Mills Flyers, Toronto Titans and Toronto Jr. Canadiens have officially qualified for 2015 OHL Cup

FINALS
(2) Don Mills Flyers vs. (4) Toronto Marlboros

PLAYERS TO WATCH
Flyers – (F) Jason Robertson
Marlboros – (F) C.J. Clarke

ALLIANCE:

*** The Champion, Finalist and third place team qualify for the 2015 OHL Cup

SEMI-FINAL – SERIES A

(1) London Jr. Knights vs. (4) Kitchener Jr. Rangers

PLAYERS TO WATCH
London – (F) Nicholas Suzuki – 6 GP, 3-2–5
Kitchener – (F) Owen Lane – 6 GP, 2-2–4

SEMI-FINAL – SERIES B
(2) Waterloo Wolves vs. (3) Elgin-Middlesex Chiefs

PLAYERS TO WATCH
Waterloo – (F) Nathan Schnarr – 5 GP, 2-3–5
Elgin-Middlesex – (F) Curtis Abbott – 4 GP, 3-3–6

OEMHL:

*** Ottawa Jr. 67’s and Ottawa Valley Titans have officially qualified for the 2015 OHL Cup

FINALS
(1) Ottawa Jr. 67’s vs. (2) Ottawa Valley Titans

PLAYERS TO WATCH
67’s – (F) Oliver Castleman – 4 GP, 5-1–6
Titans – (F) Liam Hawel – 4 GP, 2-3–5

OMHA – ETA:

***The Champion and Finalist in the ETA Championship, along with the host Quinte Red Devils and Champion and Finalist from the SCTA will compete in the 2015 OMHA Championship in Belleville March 13-15.

EAST
QUARTERFINAL – SERIES A
(1) Quinte Red Devils vs. (4) Central Ontario Wolves
Quinte wins series 6-0 in points

QUARTERFINAL – SERIES B
(2) Peterborough Petes vs. (3) Whitby Wildcats

PLAYERS TO WATCH
Whitby – (F) Stefan Palatsidis – 34 GP, 15-16–31
Peterborough – (F) Cedric Ralph – 36 GP, 27-30–57 

WEST
QUARTERFINAL – SERIES C
(1) York-Simcoe Express vs. (4) Ajax-Pickering Raiders
York-Simcoe wins series 6-0 in points

QUARTERFINAL – SERIES D
(2) Barrie Colts vs (3) North Central Predators

PLAYERS TO WATCH:
Barrie – (F) Tyler Burnie – 32 GP, 9-26–35
North Central – (F) Andy Baker – 33GP, 19-21–40

OMHA – SCTA:

***The SCTA qualifier weekend is slated for February 21-22 in Brampton. The Champion and Finalist from that tournament will compete against the Champion and Finalist from the ETA along with the host Quinte Red Devils in the 2015 OMHA Championships in Belleville, ON, from March 13-15.

The Halton Hurricanes finished the season in first place in the SCTA with a record of 22-9-5 on the season. 

SCTA PLAYERS TO WATCH:
Oakville – (D) Evan Bouchard – 35 GP, 18-13–31
Southern Tier – (F) Jack Phibbs – 35 GP, 24-24–48
Hamilton – (F) Liam Stevens – 34 GP, 29-22–51
Grey-Bruce – (F) Jakob Lee – 35 GP, 31-20–51

For more information on the 2015 OHL Cup Showcase Tournament, visit ohlcup.ca.