ITO HotStove: Did The Whalers make the right moves at the Deadline?

by Brandon Sudeyko

Your regular host Todd Cordell has taken the week off so I will be filling in. After ITO's Part Time Contributor Bryan Thiel (@bryanthiel_88) posted his article yesterday, it got me thinking. Was the 'move of not making a move' when it comes to the Plymouth Whalers the right call? Who better to ask than the ITO Crew. We already know where Bryan stands on the issue, so lets see what other members of the ITO crew have said.

Susan Tromanhauser
If it ain't broke don't fix it. The Whalers have been successful so far all year and no signs of slowing down. The Attack didn't make any changes at the trade deadline last year and it worked out for them.

Josh Newhart
I don't see any way that not making any acqisitions at the deadline could help them. All the big boys made moves London got Mckegg. Sarnia got a lot better at the deadline as well. In a tight race to the playoffs i don't think the whalers have enough top notch pieces to make it past the first round

Alex Quevillon
Plymouth, as well as Brampton, will be just fine and will really reap the benefits next year.  The Whale will stay among the top teams in the West and will thrive while teams continue to gain chemistry.  In their two in-conference games since the deadline, Plymouth has won by a combined score of 11-2.  While teams like London needed to upgrade before their playoff run, Plymouth is only two points out of first place without being buyers and have proven they can take on the West’s top teams, in terms of both skill and toughness (see: MLK Day game vs. Windsor).  Keep in mind I’m from Ottawa, though, we’re used to being told the positives of not buying, so take my opinion with a grain of salt.

Jason Ray
My take on the Plymouth whalers standing pat is this, why fix it if it ain't broken... They are battling for top spot over all. Why trade unnecessary picks and personel away for a quick fix. Junior hockey tends to go for broke in these types of situations, ask the Windsor spitfires. Personally I think they did them self and their fans by keep that machine going in the direction it has been going all year win with what you got and keep your picks cause like Windsor and other teams in the past winning at the junior level only last's so long.

Dwayne Williams
With 20 teams in the OHL, you would expect each team to have a few players in the top 40 in scoring at this point in the season. The Whalers have balanced scoring ... Stefan Noersen tops the team at #20 overall in the OHL (48 pts), then Alex Aleardi at #30 (42 pts), Richard Rackell #35 (41 pts), Andy Bathgate and J T Miller  #41 and #42 (40 pts), Michael Heard at # 44 (39 pts),then Garrett Meurs #46 (39 pts). So far the team has been doing 'just fine' - so if it doesn't need to be tinkered with just leave it.  I guess the GM Mike Vellucci was comfortable with his roster so he chose to keep it 'as is'. They are averaging 4.0 goals per game in their last 6 games and 4.3 goals in their past 10 games while winning 8 of those matches- seems solid to
me.  Nice move - or no move Mr. Vellucci - if they remain at the top of the standings he will have ploayed his hand perfectly - reminds me of a Kenny Rogers song ... 'you gotta know when to fold 'em ...'

Nick MacArthur
You know the old saying " if it ain't broke , don't fix it" , I think the Whalers did just the right thing by saying pat. First of all you have what every team desperately needs to be successful , a rock solid goaltender and the Whalers have that in Scott Wedgewood. WJC experience and a solid season so far sees the Whalers have a clear cut number 1 heading into the second half. Barring an injury Wedgewood will play the bulk of the games an will be his stellar self between the pipes. Secondly the Whalers have depth from within. Captain Beau Schmitz, steady Nick Maylsa along with Austin Levi lead the back end that could be one of the deepest not only in the West but possibly the O. Upfront is where in my mind Plymouth is the strongest , speed , speed and more speed is whale they beat teams , skilled forwards like Noesen , Aleardi and Rakell leading the way the Whalers bring more than I one trick pony to the table. Whenever you can structure a spread out scoring team together you will find success , top scorers 1(Noesen) to 10( Devane) are 20 points apart and are all plus players. Look for a long playoff run by the Whalers led by Schmitz and company who are looking to avenge an early exit last year.




A very good response from the Crew. All pretty much agree staying pat is a good move, but for different reasons. Todd Cordell is back next week to bring you another rendition of the OHL HotStove

Standing Pat: Why the Plymouth Whalers Made the Right Deadline Move

by Bryan Thiel 

Sometimes you don’t mess with a good thing.

Case in point: The Plymouth Whalers.

Leading up to the OHL’s Trade Deadline, many watched as the Sarnia Sting turned their roster upside down to a dangerous degree, the London Knights snapped up two powerful pieces, and the Kitchener Rangers added a big, tough overage forward that cost them some experience on the blueline.

Those teams surrounded (and continue to do so) Plymouth in the standings, and they all made moves. The Knights have led the West for much of the season, with the Whalers in tow, while Kitchener and Sarnia round out the top four. The Whalers though, stood pat at the deadline, comfortable with what they had accomplished earlier in the season.

In a hockey world hungry for moves and changes when we see the word ‘deadline’ pop up, the Whalers did the unpopular thing and…did nothing.

Then again, it’s not like they had any pressing needs anyhow.

In net, the story of Scott Wedgewood came to the forefront at the World Junior Hockey Championships and he’s now been thrust into the spotlight. But behind him is the trustworthy Matt Mahalak, ready for an ascension of his own to a starting roll, owning the second-best goals-against average and save percentage in the OHL and two personal win streaks of five and six games this season. No need there.

On defense, the Whalers have just one player that isn’t a 1993 birthday, and that’s rookie defenseman Mitch Jones who has made it into just one game this season. Overager Beau Schmitz (the only ’91 birthday on the Whalers’ blueline) is in the midst of a career-year offensively, while Colin MacDonald and Austin Levi have punished opposing forwards all season long with bruising size. Up and down the depth chart though, a defense that features one defenseman officially under 5’11’ (Schmitz) and one under 170lbs (Jones) has been protecting their netminders all season long and preventing teams from establishing any kind of pressure-generating fore-check.

Just twice in the past six games have the Whalers surrendered more than 30 shots, while Wedgewood has faced 35 or more just six times in 24 games. Mahalak has faced 35 or more seven times in his 20 games this year.

Up front, it’s more of the same size and experience that has made the defense so good this season. A whopping nine forwards weigh in at 190 lbs or more, and 11 are listed at 6’0” or taller. Nine of them are 1993 birthdays or older, including overagers Jamie Devane and Andy Bathgate.

In terms of their scoring prowess, Stefan Noesen leads the team with 48 points, putting him in a four-way tie for 18^th in the league race. While the Sting and Knights both have two players in the top-16 with 50 or more points, neither boasts the able depth Plymouth does.

Plymouth has five players with 40+ points and two with 39. London incumbents Seth Griffith and Vladislav Namestnikov both have 50+ points, but the Knights had to acquire Greg McKegg (42 points) and Austin Watson (36 points) to even come close to Plymouth’s numbers. Sarnia’s Charles Sarault and Nail Yakupov both boast more than 50-point years already, but it took scooping up Brett Thompson (44—37 of them in 27 games with Sarnia), Tyler Brown (39), Ryan Spooner (38), and Adrian Robertson (36) to boost the rest of the numbers of an injury-riddled team.

In fact if you look around the OHL there are just two teams who have four players with 40+ points that didn’t have to acquire one of them during the season: The Niagara IceDogs (Andrew Agozzino-51, Dougie Hamilton-50, Freddie Hamilton-48, Alex Friesen-43, David Pacan-40, and Ryan Strome-40) and Barrie Colts (Tanner Pearson-67, Colin Behenna-56, Zach Hall-45, and Mark Scheifele-41).

The lack of needs for the Plymouth Whalers probably helped in preserving their biggest asset being traded away at the deadline: Chemistry and familiarity.

Plymouth has just seven players on the roster that weren’t with the team last year. Four are rookies, one is Bathgate (acquired during the off-season from Belleville), another is forward Cody Payne (acquired at the beginning of November), and then there’s American forward J.T. Miller, signed in the off-season after he was made a first-round pick by the New York Rangers. They’ve developed a locker room that sticks up for each other and won’t let any member fall behind, and General Manager/Coach Mike Vellucci knows it.

So….why mess with a good thing?

The Sarnia Sting’s chances in the West are based on the new pieces on the roster gelling. Any success the Knights and Rangers have will be based on young rosters stepping up and playing above their heads, and while there are upset specials in the West ready and waiting, each has key questions that need to be answered for a long playoff run.

The only team without any questions that needed answering at the deadline was the Plymouth Whalers. Now they have one.

Will the status quo be good enough?