OHL 21: One gift for every club in the Ontario Hockey League
Maple syrup, Zack Morris and the cancellation of the world juniors are just some of the presents The Record’s Josh Brown is handing out this holiday season.
It was a good stocking stuffer while Ontario Hockey League commissioner David Branch — with his trademark duster — was in charge.
New boss Bryan Crawford is harder to figure out. These younger guys just seem to have everything.
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Thankfully, shopping for the rest of the league is easier. I’ve got one present for every team.
And hey, as a bonus, this column is my gift to you.
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1. Barrie. How about some love? The Colts might be the most consistent team in the east. The rag (found when googling “what do you call a group of Colts?”) has lost two in a row just once and never more. They’re flirting with top spot and getting little recognition for it.
2. Brampton. Cancel the world juniors. The Steelheads are already top heavy and could lose five of their best — Carson Rehkopf, Porter Martone and Jack Ivankovic to Canada, and Jakub Fibigr and Adam Zidlicky to Czechia — for a month, which would make them Fish food.
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3. Brantford. A new arena. I know, it’s on the way. It’s just that after such a runaround in Hamilton, one just wants shovels in the ground, like yesterday. The franchise deserves it. Oh, and a top-six forward with some jam wouldn’t hurt.
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4. Erie. More U.S. foes. The Otters could be the biggest benefactor from all this expansion talk. An American division? Yes, please. Skip the border and snow squalls all while fostering new rivalries stateside. Sign me up.
5. Flint. An all-in move. Us pundits had the Firebirds fighting. We just thought it would be for the west crown, not the eighth and final playoff spot. Not sure what’s brewing in F-town but they have talent, and a bevy of draft picks to trade.
It might be time for the ߲ݴýStorm to sell this Christmas. Star forward, and Philadelphia Flyers prospect, Jett Luchanko would fetch a bounty.
Ethan Cairns, The Canadian Press
6. Guelph. A fire sale. Sure, the Storm has battled injuries all season, but losing to last overall — and five-win — Peterborough on the weekend was a new low. Get your bids in for Jett Luchanko, Cam Allen, Jake Karabela, Vilmer Alriksson and Brayden Gillespie.
7. Kingston. Fans. K-town east is, as the kids say, cooking. But in 1911, the last time the Fronts fought for the J. Ross Robertson Cup, folks used the word collywobbles to describe a stomach ache. Now they have a contender and barely 3,000 supporters are going to games.
8. Kitchener. An import. The Rangers are battling for top spot in the OHL with only one import. Adding one of their two Slovaks playing in Europe would be a free boost. Heck, even trading for one would likely come at a discount since imports can be tough to swap for sellers.
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9. London: A broom. The Knights swept every team in last season’s playoffs except Saginaw, and they look even better this time around. With so many NHL prospects and potentially more coming ahead of the trade deadline, a full post-season sweep is in the offing.
10. Niagara. Zack Morris. The main character from the 1990s show “Saved By the Bell” could freeze time by saying “Timeout.” Let’s get him to the Meridian Centre so fans can savour the IceDogs’ resurgence to relevancy after three years of finishing last in the east.
11. North Bay. Another Shamar Moses. The Troops started a rebuild by trading veteran Dalyn Wakely to Barrie for a package. Moses was the centrepiece and he has 25 points in 21 games since the swap. That’s as many points as he had last season.
12. Oshawa. A shutdown D-man. If only folks around the Aud knew one? The fire power is there in the ‘Shwa, and the back end is solid too. But you can never have enough veteran rearguards, especially if you’re trying to stop the Knights and take the OHL crown.
13. Ottawa. A penalty kill. Foes are scoring almost 40 per cent of the time on the power play against the Capital City crew. The 67’s have allowed a league-worst 34 markers while down a man, which is more than double the 15 allowed by league-best Kitchener.
14. Owen Sound. A post-season berth. The Attack hasn’t missed the playoffs since 2010. That’s quite a run. It feels like the Bears, of all the OHL clubs, need the streak to continue for morale and the extra income.
15. Peterborough. A string of wins. Maybe it’s happening. The Petes have won three of their past four games but have just five dubs all season. They’ll still be battling for the first-overall draft pick, but the young team could use a confidence boost.
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16. Saginaw. Scissors. It’s time to cut the cord. You got your Memorial Cup, but now reality is setting in. The team has no second-rounders and just one third-round pick in the next three years but has plenty of intriguing players to trade.
17. Sarnia. A power play. It’s last in the OHL at 11 per cent. That helps explain why the Sting is falling fast in the west and the worst team in the league over the past 10 games — 1-7-1-1.
Soo forward Brady Martin, of Elmira, tends to his family farm in the off-season.
Mathew McCarthy, Waterloo Region Record file photo
18. Sault Ste. Marie. Maple syrup. Order some from Elmira and hand it out to fans when London is in town Jan. 26 to commemorate when Knights forward Landon Sim was for calling the Soo’s Brady Martin a Mennonite earlier in the season.
19. Sudbury. A deep breath. The Wolves are among the league’s most penalized teams for the third consecutive season. It’s hard to compile wins when you’re in the sin bin so much.
20. Windsor. Coal. OK, that’s harsh. But I feel like the Spits got their present early in first-overall pick Ethan Belchetz. The six-foot-five, 225-pound 16-year-old is going to make the Border City bunch a beast for years to come.
21. The OHL. I feel like we’ve gotten a gift from the league in more transparency. From suspension notifications to access to league brass for insightful interviews. We’ve been asking for it for years. Love the new direction. Hope it stays.
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