2011 NHL Entry Draft – OHL Version

Christmas has come and gone and the NHL Entry draft is now over. The players have been selected, 211 in total and 101 from the CHL. Included in that 101 CHL players is an outstanding 46 from the OHL including 11 OHLers selected in the first round. That ties a record for most OHLers selected in the NHL draft. Below is the list of the 46 OHLers selected by team and round which will be followed by a list of OHlers not selected by NHL teams that will more than likely get Free Agent invites to NHL camps. The list below will not focus on every 93 birthday not chosen, just the list who made the NHL CSB final Rankings. 

All in all it was a very good draft for the OHL considering everyone has been saying it is a ‘weak’ draft with no ‘real’ number 1 selection and no viable superstar. Now that notion still remains to be seen in terms of whether or not players in the top 10 and 15 can become superstars. Some will, others will not. Here are the 46 OHLers who were lucky enough to be chosen, Thank you to the OHL for doing half the work for me here.

First Round (11 OHL players):

2.       Gabriel Landeskog (Kitchener Rangers) – Colorado Avalanche

5.       Ryan Strome (Niagara IceDogs) – New York Islanders

7.       Mark Scheifele (Barrie Colts) – Winnipeg Jets

9.       Dougie Hamilton (Niagara IceDogs) – Boston Bruins

12.   Ryan Murphy (Kitchener Rangers) – Carolina Hurricanes

21.   Stefan Noesen (Plymouth Whalers) – Ottawa Senators

24.   Matt Puempel (Peterborough Petes) – Ottawa Senators

25.   Stuart Percy (Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors) – Toronto Maple Leafs

27.   Vladislav Namestnikov (London Knights) – Tampa Bay Lightning

29.   Nicklas Jensen (Oshawa Generals) – Vancouver Canucks

30.   Rickard Rakell (Plymouth Whalers) – Anaheim Ducks

Second Round (8 OHL players):

37.  Boone Jenner (Oshawa Generals) – Columbus Blue Jackets

40.  Alexander Khokhlachev (Windsor Spitfires) – Boston Bruins

43.  Brandon Saad (Saginaw Spirit) – Chicago Blackhawks

44.  Brett Ritchie (Sarnia Sting) – Dallas Stars

54.  Scott Harrington (London Knights) – Pittsburgh Penguins

55.  Ryan Sproul (Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds) – Detroit Red Wings

56.  Lucas Lessio (Oshawa Generals) – Phoenix Coyotes

61.  Shane Prince (Ottawa 67’s) – Ottawa Senators

Third Round (11 CHL players):

63.  Andrei Pedan (Guelph Storm) – New York Islanders

64.  Vincent Trocheck (Saginaw Spirit) – Florida Panthers

65.  Joseph Cramarossa (Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors) – Anaheim Ducks

68.  Nick Cousins (Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds) – Philadelphia Flyers

77.  Daniel Catenacci (Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds) – Buffalo Sabres

80.  Andy Andreoff (Oshawa Generals) – Los Angeles Kings

81.  Anthony Camara (Saginaw Spirit) – Boston Bruins

85.  Alan Quine (Peterborough Petes) – Detroit Red Wings

86.  Josh Leivo (Sudbury Wolves) – Toronto Maple Leafs

88.  Jordan Binnington (Owen Sound Attack) – St. Louis Blues

89.  Justin Sefton (Sudbury Wolves) – San Jose Sharks

Fourth Round (3 OHL players):

94.  Josh Shalla (Saginaw Spirit) – Nashville Predators

114. Tobias Rieder (Kitchener Rangers) – Edmonton Oilers

116. Colin Suellentrop (Oshawa Generals) – Philadelphia Flyers

Fifth Round (5 OHL players):

123. Garrett Meurs (Plymouth Whalers) – Colorado Avalanche

137. Alex Lepkowski (Barrie Colts) – Buffalo Sabres

139. Andrew Shaw (Owen Sound Attack) – Chicago Blackhawks

149. Austen Brassard (Belleville Bulls) – Winnipeg Jets

150. Frank Corrado (Sudbury Wolves) – Vancouver Canucks

Sixth Round (4 OHL players):

152. David Broll (Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds) – Toronto Maple Leafs

155. Andrew Fritsch (Owen Sound Attack) – Phoenix Coyotes

163. Matt Mahalak (Plymouth Whalers) – Carolina Hurricanes

179. Dylan DeMelo (Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors) – San Jose Sharks

Seventh Round (4 OHL players):

185. Mitchell Theoret (Niagara IceDogs) – New York Islanders

190. Garret Sparks (Guelph Storm) – Toronto Maple Leafs

191. Tyler Graovac (Ottawa 67’s) – Minnesota Wild

206. Derek Mathers (Peterborough Petes) – Philadelphia Flyers

Some surprises in that list of 46. Many surprised Barrie Colts forward, Mark Scheifele will be the new face of the Winnipeg Franchise. When you look at later rounds guys like… well the 4 OHLers selected in the 7^th round are surprising. Even the likes of Frank Corrado amazes some. I am not necessarily in this boat as you can make a case for anyone getting drafted. It is definitely interesting to see where they were drafted though. So lets take a look at the players who were ranked and not drafted and my reasoning as for why they should or shouldn’t have been drafted.

Will be listed in this format

NHL CSB Final Rank – Name – Team

82. Michael Curtis – Belleville Bulls

            Michael is on the smaller side of what the NHL likes just a hair under 6 feet tall. He is a good winger but a project in the making. Many like the kid, but his development was not there this year.

87. Kevin Cutting – Owen Sound Attack

            Kevin plays a bigger game than his size will suggest, but fights many inconsistencies. He definitely benefitted from the teams OHL championship but clearly it can not be rewarded for every member of the team.

116. Barcaly Goodrow – Brampton Battalion

            This one surprises me as he Barclay had a heck of a second half. He has the physical tools available as he is in tremendous shape but I guess the NHL is looking for more than that

118. Craig Dunnick – Windsor Spitfires

            Now I don’t watch Windsor often, but when I did I liked the game that Dunnick played. I can see something in his game that wouldn’t get him drafted but he will definitely get invites to NHL camp.

135. Luke Heitkamp – Peterborough Petes

            A big strong winger who wasn’t able to turn the tables offensively this year. Yes, Peterborough was not the ideal place to put up offensive numbers but it was his size and strength that kept the scouts coming back.

146. Ben Thomson – Kitchener Rangers

            The kid can throw punches with the best of them.  A bigger stronger winger in this draft but with teams (minus Philadelphia) not particularly drafting tough guys to protect players, the writing was on the wall for him.

148. Colin Miller – Sault Ste Marie Greyhounds

            Kind of an undersized Defenceman when considering drafting a blueliner but there is potential here. This year will be an eye opener and whoever takes a risk on him at the Free Agent camp will be rewarded in due time.

158. Seth Griffith – London Knights

            Despite him having the ability to score and make plays. The 5’9” height may have been the downfall for him. People will comment that Grimaldi is shorter and he got drafted, and that is true. But if Seth had Rocco’s skill set, he would have been drafted anyways.

179. Zach Bell – Brampton Battalion

            A big defenceman who struggled near the end of the year that saw his stock drop. If he can stay focused and use his size to his advantage more, he will be a good Free Agent signing out of camp.

192. Carter Sandlak – Belleville Bulls

            This was a kid I had pegged as a sleeper. By a long shot really, but still a sleeper. Can really be impressive some nights, can disappear other nights.

194. Dario Trutmann – Plymouth Whalers

202. Steven Trojanovic – Peterborough Petes

208. Cody McNaughton – Guelph Storm

Team Canada Under-18 CHL Invite Roster

A little over a week ago, 42 players were selected to the Team Canada Under-18 Selection Camp for the Ivan Hlinka Memorial that runs annually in August over in the Czach Republic & Slovakia. Of the 42 players selected, 40 came from the CHL and from the 40 CHL players selected, 19; almost half of the CHL invites came from the Ontario Hockey League. Below are the 40 CHL players selected (OHL players are in bold)

Now any fool can just list and highlight, but this fool will do one better. 19 players, 19 yes or no’s as to whether or not I believe they will actually make the final roster come August. This will be posted after the 40 CHL player invites

Goaltenders:

Domenic Graham, Drummondville Voltigeurs: Matt Murray, Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds: Francois Tremblay, Val d'Or Foreurs

Defencemen:

Gianluca Curcuruto, Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds: Mathew Dumba, Red Deer Rebels

Matt Finn, Guelph Storm: Jesse Graham, Niagara IceDogs: Slater Koekkoek, Peterborough Petes: Marcus McIvor, Brampton Battalion: Adam Pelech, Erie Otters: Dominic Poulin, Chicoutimi Sagueneens: Derrick Pouliot, Portland Winterhawks: Ryan Pulock, Brandon Wheat Kings: Griffin Reinhart, Edmonton Oil Kings: Morgan Rielly, Moose Jaw Warriors: Nicholas Walters, Everett Silvertips

Forwards:

Andreas Athanasiou, London Knights: Troy Bourke, Prince George Cougars: Mathew Campagna, Sudbury Wolves: Luca Ciampini, Halifax Mooseheads: Brendan Gaunce, Belleville Bulls: Felix Girard, Baie-Comeau Drakkar: Charles Hudon, Chicoutimi Sagueneens: Justin Kea, Saginaw Spirit: Scott Laughton, Oshawa Generals: Brendan Leipsic, Portland Winterhawks: Brandon Magee, Victoria: Jarrod Maidens, Owen Sound Attack: Matia Marcantuoni, Kitchener Rangers: Chris Marchese, Erie Otters: Sean Monahan, Ottawa 67's: Ryan Olsen, Saskatoon Blades: Connor Rankin, Tri-City Americans: Kerby Rychel, Windsor Spitfires: Tyrel Seaman, Brandon Wheat Kings: Hunter Shinkaruk, Medicine Hat Tigers: Gemel Smith, Owen Sound Attack: Chandler Stephenson, Regina Pats: Robert Trzonkowski, Calgary Hitmen: Thomas Wilson, Plymouth Whalers

Yay or Nay:

Matt Murray, Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds – I don’t know much about the other 2 goaltenders from the CHL but I do know that the 4^th Goaltender, David Altshuller (CCHL), property of the Belleville Bulls is the favourite to win this job and I can easily see Matt Murray winning the back up position to push Altshuller and possibly steal it from him

Gianluca Curcuruto, Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds – To be honest when I would watch the Greyhounds he was normally not in the lineup. I know he will be counted on more this season to progress the greyhounds and from what I hear he is training exceptionally hard to earn every minute under the new regime in the Soo. Unfortunately it will not translate into an invite to the U18’s.

Matt Finn, Guelph Storm – Finn possesses the qualities you want from a player in this setting. He is a great young defenceman who has learned from some of the best in Guelph in terms of growing on and off the ice. But I do not see this getting him across the pond in August

Jesse Graham, Niagara IceDogs – This is a no brainer. YES. I have seen him far to many times, and I have looked for holes in his game. When you consider he is 17, and a rookie… you can say ok next time he wont do that. Best part is… he doesn’t make the same mistake again.

Slater Koekkoek, Peterborough Petes – well let me see… he made the team last year as an ‘underage’ player beating out some healthy competition. So in all respects is there someone to knock him out of this lineup? I say no, and I wouldn’t be surprised if there is a letter on his jersey.

Marcus McIvor, Brampton Battalion – this kid scares me as he is a monster out of his gear, and when he is on the ice, it is over. Stay at home defenceman by nature learning how to move the puck better, but once you come around him… good luck getting by him. Given the competition at this tournament you will hear his name a lot, a la Shea Weber & Dion Phaneuf if Pierre Maguire did colour) an overwhelming yes.

Adam Pelech, Erie Otters – I want to say yes to Adam. in all my talks with his Otter teammates they just praise his growth as a player day by day.  I have also heard that he can stop McKegg, Varone, Thompson and the likes with ease. Granted they are his teammates and it was practice but I will actually give him the green light here.

Andreas Athanasiou, London Knights – this kid given a split second will have you turned around. His hands, his speed, his passing ability. Given this team will be coached by a Kitchener Ranger… Green light based on that skill.

Mathew Campagna, Sudbury Wolves – there are 4 things I like about Mathew: 1. Spells his name with one T, 2. Grew up next door to Gino Reda and lived to tell about it, 3. His Mom is the loudest hockey mom I think I have ever heard… and I sit on the other side of the rink from her. And 4. He is an exciting young player to watch that you just want to see succeed. Welcome to the U18 team Mathew

Brendan Gaunce, Belleville Bulls – I don’t seem to have the same love for Brendan as others do. I just don’t see it. I wish I could, but I right now I don’t see what makes him so great or even what gets him an invite to this camp. More than likely it had to do with his 6’2” 205 pound frame. I will be eating my words really soon, I am aware of that, but I have to pass on Brendan… If he was named Brandon though…

Justin Kea, Saginaw Spirit – broke out in the second half of the season, not on the stat sheet, but just overall. Another big boy standing at 6’4” 200 pounds, he didn’t play much behind a veteran forward corps that was pushing for a deep playoff run, but there is quite a bit of potential in that big body of his. Because I said no to Brendan, I will have to say no to Justin.

Scott Laughton, Oshawa Generals – WOW! Simply put, if you have not seen this kid play yet *facepalm* where have you been. His 12 goals and 23 points are a little misleading as there was veteran talent a head of him, including a trio of draft eligibles, He has a bit of a mean streak which is good for playing on that edge. YES to ‘Super Scott’

Jarrod Maidens, Owen Sound Attack – Since watching him at the OHL Showcase Cup I have been intrigued with Maidens. He isn’t a pure scorer, or a passer with amazing vision. He is a well rounded player who became Owen Sounds Golden Child, OT Winner in OHL Finals afterall. Jarrod will be one of those underdog, never get the credit he deserves players and he is ok with that. Yes to Jarrod as he knows his role and he will shut his… wait… I’m not The Rock.

Matia Marcanutoni, Kitchener Rangers – The thing about Matia is… I can’t remember him. I watched a lot of Rangers games, and heard his name and heard about his skill but at this moment I can not picture him. I recall him having some wheels and a good set of hands to dish the biscuit to where it needs to be. I know I will hear it if I say no, but based on what I recall being told, I don’t see how he is not on this team.

Chris Marchese, Erie Otters – No ifs ands or buts I never seen Chris play. I have watched Otters games and even then I do not remember hearing his name once. Sorry Chris, I gotta go with no and plead ignorance. But please feel free to Prove me Wrong.

Sean Monahan, Ottawa 67’s – Man o Man do I like this kid. He progressively gotten better, off the ice, on the ice and on the score sheet. 20 goals on the year, 9 in the final 3 weeks, with 5 multi point games in 8 for the month of March. Those are the stats, and even Sean will tell you. Stats are not my game, winning is. And he learned a lot of good things from Tyler Toffoli, Ryan Martindale, Thomas Nesbitt and the other core veterans on this team. A resounding YES.

Kerby Rychel, Windsor Spitfires – I wasn’t to say no just because he is a Windsor Spitfire. And I do not believe he will be on this team, but not for that reason. I just don’t see Kerby beating out some other players for his 4^th line role as an energy guy. I like how he plays, it is doing him good, but for Team Canada. I have to say no to him wearing the Red and White in August.

Gemel Smith, Owen Sound Attack – Gemel made an impact on people during the OHL Playoffs. He was used in very small amounts but when you let him loose, you had no idea what was going to happen. Most for the better too. He is this energy guy who could beat out a Kerby Rychel to wear the Maple Leaf. But unlike his teammate Maidens… Smith in my estimation, will not make the cut.

Thomas Wilson, Plymouth Whalers – Another young player on a veteran team where he had to take his lumps and learn how to be a role player if he wasn’t going to be a Mahalak, Livingston, Meurs etc. Has the talent and the size but numbers will catch up to him and I will have to say no.

So a brief summary gives you 11 of 19 OHL invites making the cut and heading to Europe in August to play for Team Canada. With only 22 players being named to the team the OHL would be represented well. Here is hoping that all 19 of the OHL invitees make Team Canada. That would be a lot of long distance calling for me. But well worth it.

What's Your Beef Kingston?

SO in trying to come up with things to talk about, I wanted to get away from the normal 'what the heck are they doing in Kingston' talks... but I can't. Dspite Tyler King, host of Kingston's most listened to hour long sports program.. I would tell you the program name... but I honestly don't remember and it isn't important to this point. After tweeting something to the effect of...

'instead of adding any type of offensive power. @KingstonFronts GM Gilmour. Gets rid of 3 defenseman and adds a goaltender'

Tyler had the audacity of saying, '@intheoradio They're not building for this year, though - and they're re-stocking the draft pick cupboard, which makes sense.'

Now the only reason I take exception to his remarks is this.... if you know anything about Tyler, he slags the Fronts more than anyone. Koolaid drinking much? but I digress...

are you as confused with this franchise as I am. After claiming last season that the Frontenacs are a memorial cup contender (nothing could be further from the truth) where should the team go considering it wasn't even close to what the head office thought?

Considering that they finished in the middle of the Eastern Conference they could go up or down? and with the pieces they had in place, with previous drafts, with some good, not great, but good younger talent. Why couldn't the Frontenacs prepare for another 5-7th place finish in the East while picking up pieces to move in the right direction?

The trade window opens up and GM Gilmour sends away 2 defenceman, plus release their best (+/-) defenceman (not a great indication of how good a defenceman is) and pick up a goaltender who looked horrendous infront of a team that played much better than this years version of the Fronts.

Throw into the mix the drafting of Max Domi and the rest of the poor choices (minus Conor McGlynn) and I am left scratching my head thoroughly. What kind of message is this franchise sending with their poor draft choices, their poor trades and what I am expecting to be a 9th place team in the Eastern Conference.

Even if this team is restocking then why wouldn't you run out some youthful goaltending (Palazesse and Perry) and create some value for them. How about you sign some of your draft picks? trade away some of those veterans and go the Barrie route? how about do this properly instead of half assed. Ok it is very early in the summer and I am very uneasy about this Bobkov deal. I mean why not develop a goaltender? You should change the way you do things about once a decade.

Time will tell on this whole ordeal that is called the Kingston Frontenacs. Really I would love for them to not be a laughing stock of the league. Oh its true. Just look at the track record of poor decisions from in the office to on the ice and tell me that another team has done worse. and if you want to bring up the Soo... take a look at the roster.

So in away I have gotten away from a bit of the facts. but they are there for you to see. This was more of a rant of unhappiness. but will anyone argue against me on this? Does this franchise not make you want to rip your eyeballs out?

Are the Sting Ready?

Clearly with the trade window open, two franchises in the Ontario Hockey League are jumping the gun to make sure they get absolutely who they want. The Sarnia Sting and the Soo Greyhounds have been involved in every trade but 1, since the trade window opened again in the OHL. Granted there have only been 6 transactions but 5 of 6 is a very good average... if this was baseball... or another sport where perfection is everything. But I digress...

On the heels of the trade window opening up I reached out to a Sarnia player to get his thoughts on the outlook of the deals that could be made and what he thinks the team needs to go forward. After he realised who he was talking to... the talks progressed and he got away from the PC answers he was giving me. He was kind of shocked to hear that the GM would attempt to get a player from Windsor (Taylor Carnevale) or Kitchener goalie, Brandon Maxwell. But as he told me, 'if we get both, without giving up a lot, this will be amazing.' Well the Sting did pull off the deal for Maxwell which gives you an OA goaltender who can help mentor young Brandon Hope ('94) and continue his development without throwing him into the fire. Maxwell is clearly due for a change of scenery after being booed out of Kitchener during the season and playoffs as the Ranger Nation has embraced Mike Morisson as their goaltender now. 'Max will bring a lot of good for Hope and will probably make our jobs a lot easier' the Sting player texted me.

Before the Maxwell deal with Kitchener, which saw Sarnia give up Brandon Francisco. GM Jacques Beaulieu sent a 4th round pick to Brampton for the services of Domenic Alberga. Not the flashiest transaction in the world, but one that clearly ups the grit on the team, not quite to the point of having a Peter Stevens type of guy. But with Ritchie, Yakupov, Galchenyuk et al. They need a tough centre like Alberga. 
But the Sting are not done. GM Beaulieu called up Rookie GM Kyle Dubas in the Soo and struck a deal that sent Brandon Alderson up north, with a few picks, for Justin Thomas and a pick. Now I know what your initial thought is... How many Brandon's are on this Sarnia Team... well now just two. But who cares about Justin Thomas? well... not only did he play for a poor Soo team last year, he didn't have a lot of time to shine out there on the ice. But what did catch peoples eye is.. well his strength and toughness that he possesses on the ice. and honestly his potential could be off the charts at 6'2" and already a whopping 205lbs... this Sarnia team has completely transformed in 3 moves.


But the question is... are they ready? Is this the year that they will make a run for the division, if not the conference? going back to that Sting player, 'Its a big yar, I am already doing 2 a days in the gym.' I asked him what makes it so big. 'because we are going for it. nows the time and I have to be ready.'

It is the beginning of June and this player is already busting his behind to get prepared for the upcoming season. If the rest of his teammates recognize this, then it does appear that the Sting will be ready to take on not only their Division, with PLY Scott Wedgewood as the 'old man' goaltender in the division (other than Maxwell), but quite possibly make a good jump up the Western Conference around the 3rd or 4th seed. Stranger things have happened. Who was the last 9th place conference finisher to then not only win the conference but the OHL Championship too... oh thats right, Owen Sound Attack... See stranger things have occured.