Road to the 2015 OHL Cup
Wednesday February 25, 2015
By Josh Sweetland/OHL
Minor Midget playoff action across the province is heating up, and the Minor Hockey Alliance of Ontario is no exception as the top four clubs set their sights on the 2015 OHL Cup Showcase Tournament beginning Tuesday March 17 at Buckingham Arena in Toronto.
The Waterloo Wolves became the first ALLIANCE team to clinch a 2015 OHL Cup berth last week by advancing to the ALLIANCE championship series after eliminating the Elgin-Middlesex Chiefs in four games. The Wolves are currently awaiting the winner of a semi-final series between the London Jr. Knights and the Kitchener Jr. Rangers to see who they’ll battle in the final.
While the top two ALLIANCE teams are guarenteed a berth in the OHL Cup, both Semi-Finalists will still have a chance to qualify. The Chiefs will face the loser between the Jr. Knights and the Jr. Rangers in an ALLIANCE Wild Card Series with the winner gaining automatic entry into the 2015 OHL Cup. The fourth ALLIANCE club will then compete in a one-game ‘win-and-you’re-in’ OHL Cup Wild Card game on March 17.
The Wolves, who graduated standout players in Windsor Spitfires first round pick Logan Stanley, Sarnia Sting forward Chase Campbell, Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds prospect Boris Katchouk and big Guelph Storm defence prospect Brock Philips last year, boast a good crop of draft hopefuls again this season.
Bringing a steady presence down the middle for the Wolves is two-way centreman Nathan Schnarr whose 6’2″ frame is used in all situations. Joining Schnarr is fellow forward Sullivan Sparkes who has provided a great deal of Waterloo’s offensive production this season, finishing second in ALLIANCE scoring with 31 goals, 32 assists and 63 points in 33 games.
“Waterloo is a well coached team that is responsible on both sides of the puck,” said Director of OHL Central Scouting Darrell Woodley. “They play well as a team and rely on Schnarr and Sparkes to lead the way for them offensively. Goaltender Max Wright has been a real key to their success.”
Wright has been outstanding all season and into the playoffs. He posted a 13-3-2 record with a 1.05 goals-against-average and .951 save percentage through 19 regular season games. He’s continued playing well into the postseason with a playoff record of 6-1-0-1, a 1.78 goals-against-average and .921 save percentage.
Perhaps the Wolves’ greatest competition this season has been the London Jr. Knights, who finished first in the ALLIANCE regular season standings with a record of 26-3-4. The two clubs went 1-1-1 in their three game season series.
The Jr. Knights, who, as of Wednesday are deadlocked in a 2-2 tie in their Semi-Final series with the Kitchener Jr. Rangers, are arguably the most skilled group in the league. Creative centreman Nicholas Suzuki led the ALLIANCE in scoring with 34 goals, 34 assists and 68 points in 31 games and was joined offensively by speedy teammate Max Vinogradov who posted 20 goals, 30 assists and 53 points in 30 contests.
While Suzuki greased London’s offensive wheels, Jr. Knights forward Isaac Ratcliffe also impressed with his well-rounded game and, along with Suzuki, is currently representing Ontario in the 2015 Canada Winter Games in Prince George, BC.
“Suzuki and Ratcliffe have been central to London’s success this season,” Woodley said of the Jr. Knights. “They’ve also had some solid defence from Jordan Di Cicco, Isaiah Payne and Ryan Martin which has given them some polish on the back end. This is a team to keep an eye on.”
Like their counterparts in Waterloo, the Jr. Knights have received some solid goaltending of their own this season in the form of 6’3″, 230Ib puckstopper Aidan Hughes. With the benefit of a big frame, Hughes has taken up a lot of net this season, recording a .942 save percentage and 1.07 goals-against-average throughout the regular season.
The Jr. Knights went on the longest undefeated streak in the ALLIANCE this year, going without a loss for 20 straight games from Oct. 18 to Dec. 22.
Though they finished lower in the standings, the Kitchener Jr. Rangers are giving the Jr. Knights all they can handle in their Semi-Final series. The Rangers have been one of Ontario’s best second half teams, excelling in both the Marlies Christmas Tournament and at a recent tournament in Peterborough. Since the turn of the new year, the Jr. Rangers played to a regular season record of 5-1-1.
Offensively, Owen Lane has made Kitchener go this season. The crafty centreman recorded 25 goals, 21 assists and 46 points in 32 regular season games and has continued his offensive charge into the playoffs, putting up five goals and three assists in seven games. Though Lane is definitely Kitchener’s prominent offensive catalyst, he does get some help from solid draft eligible prospects in Jason Willms and Andrew McIntyre up front.
Joining Kitchener in the ALLIANCE final four is the Elgin-Middlesex Chiefs who finished third with a record of 24-5-4. The Chiefs feature a strong blueline that includes Donovan Cowan, Braeden Bowers and Carson Pearce while winger Shane Bulitka serves as the team’s go-to guy up front with 20 goals, 39 assists and 59 points in 32 games this season.
The ALLIANCE has recently produced OHL talent in Jared McCann (Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds/London Jr. Knights), Kyle Platzer (Owen Sound Attack/Waterloo Wolves), Trevor Murphy (Windsor Spitfires/Sun County Panthers) and Mitchell Vande Sompel (Oshawa Generals/London Jr. Knights).
TEAM ONTARIO U16 CANADA WINTER GAMES UPDATE
Team Ontario has gone undefeated with victories over Manitoba, New Brunswick and British Columbia and will square off with the winner of a game between Saskatchewan and Newfoundland in the quarterfinal round on Thursday.
Toronto Marlboros forward Ryan McLeod leads Ontario in scoring with two goals, four assists and six points through three contests.
Follow along with all of the tournament action here where you can find game summaries and statistics. Fans can also view video of all tournament game action at canadagamestv.ca.
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 the 2015 OHL Cup
FINALS
(2) Don Mills Flyers vs. (4) Toronto Marlboros
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Flyers – (F) Brett Neumann
Marlboros – (F) Ben Jones
ALLIANCE:
*** The Waterloo Wolves have officially qualified for the 2015 OHL Cup
SEMI-FINAL – SERIES A
(1) London Jr. Knights vs. (4) Kitchener Jr. Rangers
PLAYERS TO WATCH
London – (F) Max Vinogradov – 7 GP, 2-2–4
Kitchener – (F) Jason Willms – 5 GP, 1-2–3
SEMI-FINAL – SERIES B
(2) Waterloo Wolves vs. (3) Elgin-Middlesex Chiefs
Waterloo wins series 4-0
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 – (D) Jacob Paquette – 4 GP, 1-2–3
Titans – (F) David Silye – 4 GP, 4-2–6
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.
SEMI-FINAL – SERIES A
(1) Quinte Red Devils vs. (3) North Central Predators
PLAYERS TO WATCH:
Quinte – (D) Jakob Brahaney – 36 GP, 8-23–31
North Central – (F) Kyle Heitzner – 34 GP, 18-27–45
SEMI-FINAL – SERIES B
(1) York-Simcoe Express vs. (3) Whitby Wildcats
PLAYERS TO WATCH
York-Simcoe – (F) Liam Ham – 32 GP, 11-16–27
Whitby – (F) Jacob Sutton – 34 GP, 9-12–21
OMHA – SCTA:
***The SCTA Champion and Finalist 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.
SEMI-FINAL – SERIES A
(6) Oakville Rangers vs. (8) Niagara North Stars
PLAYERS TO WATCH:
Oakville – (F) Derek McVey – 32 GP, 6-5–11
Niagara North – (F) Danial Singer – 32 GP, 21-12–33
SEMI-FINAL – SERIES B
(1) Halton Hills Hurricanes vs. (7) Grey-Bruce Highlanders
PLAYERS TO WATCH:
Halton Hills – (F) Nick Deakin-Poot – 36 GP, 10-17–27
Grey-Bruce – (G) Ryan Winter – 34 GP, 1 SO
For more information on the 2015 OHL Cup Showcase Tournament, visit ohlcup.ca.
