ITO Hot-Stove: who is the best goaltender in the OHL?

Considering we at InTheORadio.com have been debating who the best teams in the league are as of late, I figured it was time to examine who the best goaltender is. Joining me in this week's hot-stove is Matt Leacy, Brandon Sudeyko, Thayne Hallyburton and Alex Quevillon.


Without further ado I'd like to introduce you all to this week's debate question: who is the best goaltender in the OHL?

Todd Cordell

I'm going to go with $cott 'Money' Wedgewood of the Plymouth Whalers. He's one of, if not the most well-rounded goaltender in the OHL and his skill level is off the charts. His movement is fantastic, he's a very good puck-handler and has an outstanding glove-hand. He's always extremely aware of what's going on and can read plays like a book. It always appears as though he's one step ahead of the oppositions offensive players and for that reason I think he's the best. When you factor in the numbers Wedgewood has put up during his career in the OHL I think you can certainly make the case that he's the best.

Matt Leacy

The OHL's best goalie is without a doubt John Gibson of the Kitchener Rangers.

The guy's stats speak for themselves. He's HUGE for the Rangers. He leads the OHL in GAA, save percentage, wins and saves amongst rookie goaltenders,  and you can't count how many times he has saved the Rangers from a loss. Case and point this past week against Owen Sound when the Rangers were outshot 44-32, and they were able to win 5-4. 

Add to that the league's second best goalie in Franky Palazesse and you get the OHL's best goaltending tandem, something that will certainly carry the Rangers deep into the OHL playoffs this spring I am certain.

Plus, Gibby is considered Kryptonite for a certain team that, ironically, wears green.

Brandon Sudeyko

Statistically speaking how do you not go with Subban. He is a stud. and some Belleville players admit that he is the reason they had such a great start to the season. I don't think he is the best goaltender in the OHL though.

Mark Visentin... I'm sorry did you expect me to say Jack Campbell. HA!

Why would I go against my boy Vizzer now? He is still a top level goalie, and don't give me that 'he isn't elite' garbage. How about we try to deflate some stats from these goalies playing on super teams. Take a look at the recent string of games where he has notched 3 straight shutouts, or never lost a game in January. Technically speaking he is the best goaltender in the OHL. His mental state is far superior to everyone else's in the league right now. All the tools are there, and show me one instance where he had two back to back stinkers in net. you can't. it hasn't happened. This kid takes a lot of flack from everyone for you know what, but all he has done is say, 'ok, I will shut you up' and he has. Hands down best goalie in the OHL.

Thayne Hallyburton

I know most people are going to go with Vizzer, especially after the month that he just had. I decided to attack this as a body of work. Michael Houser has played nearly all of the games that the London Knights had been in pre-trade deadline. Since the acquisition of Tyson Teichmann, the work load has lessoned just a little but he has the London Knights atop the CHL. His numbers speak for themselves but what makes him the best goalie, in this scribes opinions, is what he does for his team. He gives them confidence to take risks because they know he is there to back them up. What is even more impressive is that he is a leader in the locker room. He isn't the quintessential, aloof and quirky personality that a lot of goalies have. Look for Houser to be the reason London will represent the O at the Memorial Cup.

Alex Quevillon

It would be easy for me to say our very own Petr Mrazek and pump his tires with references to the World Juniors.  I love the way Mrazek plays but Ottawa has been involved in far too many 6-5 games with him in net and while he is impressive down low, he lets in far too many goals from far out, to be considered the best in the OHL.  It would also be easy to give the honors to one of Canada's goaltenders, but Visentin's been pulled too many times, early in games this season and it's hard to say Wedgewood is the league's best when he shares duties with Matt Mahalak.

JP Anderson had been impressive in his time with Mississauga, although backstopping a team that consistently played a defensive system.  If he can go back to the Memorial Cup for a second year in a row with Sarnia, I may change my vote to him.  But for now, I'm going to have to say Michael Houser.  34 wins?  Few goalies are going to get that many wins all year, let alone in 44 games.  If you can find another goalie that can play in 94 percent of his games and win consistently, I'll listen.  Bobkov gets honorable mention because he has started in the same number of games with a much weaker defense in front of him.

Wednesday January 25th - Game Preview

Kitchener @ London

This is should be a great game between two historical powerhouses.  Both teams have shown their skill throughout the season and both come into the game with strong records – London 35-9-0-1 71 points and Kitchener 30-13-1-0 61 points.  London is ranked second in the CHL and Kitchener is ranked 10^th.

 London has won their last 5 games – three of them by one goal. They have also won 9 of their last 10 games. On Sunday they registered a surprising 3-2 overtime win vs. the improving last place Erie Otters. On Friday the 13^th they defeated the visiting Owen Sound Attack on Sportsnet’s game of the week 3-0 and then won at Owen Sound 6-5.  In the Owen Sound games the powerplay was 0 for 10 and then 2 for 5.  McKegg continues his strong play with 8 games played for the Knights.  He has tallied 10 goals and 5 assists to go with his + 8 rating.  He is on a 5 game scoring streak (11 pts).Seth Griffin continues his solid playmaking skills. He has scored more this season (63 points in 45 games) than he did all of last season (62 points in 68 games). Defenceman Tinordi has also become more noticeable (if that’s possible) adding 3 points in the last 3 games.

Kitchener has won 3 of their last 4 games.  Their Eastern road trip last weekend started Friday night with a bang in Kingston where the visitors blasted away and won 9-1 (every player scored at least one point). Saturday they allowed 3 third period goals to the Bulls, but still managed to hold onto a 5-4 win. Ryan Murphy with 1 goal and 3 assists – Zach Lorentz with 2 goals (and his 8 points in the month almost surpass his 9 point total for all of last year).  On Sunday they went up against the #1 Eastern team the Ottawa 67’s.  Kitchener led the game early on 1-0 before Ottawa scored 3 straight times.  Kitchener answered back with 2 poweplay goals in the second and third period. Ottawa then scores with 4 minutes to go for the win. 

My prediction (besides loads of penalties)  Kitchener 2 London 4

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?

Wednesday January 18th - Game Previews

by Dwayne Williams

Plymouth at Owen Sound
The Whalers bring their high powered offence into the wintery confines of the Bayshore arena in Owen Sound.  Plymouth is battling for top spot in the West – back and forth with the London Knights.  They have played in some high scoring matches recently – averaging 4.9 goals per game over the past 9 games. They have a very balanced scoring attack with a handful of players in the top 50 scorers in the OHL.  Owen Sound comes off a 2 victory homestand vs. the Erie Otters – where they weren’t pushed too hard in securing wins of 3-1 and 5-0.  Owen Sound is on a current 3 game home win streak as they battle in the middle of the standings – sitting only 2 points behind Sarnia sting for 4^th spot.
My prediction Plymouth 5 – Owen Sound 2

Mississauga at Belleville
The St. Mikes Majors find themselves sandwiched near the bottom of the standings but not far from the middle of the log-jammed Eastern Conference. They are 2 points from the #9 spot and 5 points from the #4 spot.  They had mixed results on their latest road trip–losing to Sarnia 7-1 beating Plymouth 2-0 and then losing to Saginaw 4-2.  The last time they scored more than 3 goals was in a 6-5 loss vs. Niagara 8 games ago.   Belleville is 1 point ahead of Mississauga in seventh place – as they continue to search for an elusive winning streak.  Their last home win was on Dec 17 - 10 games ago.  Subban is getting close to playing but don’t expect him to dress for game action quite yet.
My prediction Mississauga 3 – Belleville 1


The Whalers Harpoon their Opponents last week.

     The Whalers depth is a dangerous weapon. Even as some key players, starting goaltender Scott Wedgewood, Forwards J.T. Miller, Rickard Rakell and defenceman Dario Truttman, are busy contributing to the World Juniors – Plymouth still seems to dominate both offensively and defensively.

           

     In the past 5 games, Plymouth has won 4 and scored a total of 26 goals with allowing 13 goals against in those 5 games. Backup goaltender Matt Mahalak has been strong in between the pipes in Wedgewood’s absence. Malahak put up 3 W’s this past weekend, ending December with a 5-1 record. December was Matt’s worst statistical month posting a .933 SV% and a 2.33 Goals against. 

     Beau Schmitz, Whalers captain, was announced OHL’s player of the week for December 26^th- January 1^st. Schmitz notched 4 goals, 1 assist and was a +8 in the past 3 games. He is the first defensemen in the OHL to win the honor this season. But Schmitz isn’t the only one stepping up offensively, Alex Aleardi put up 4 goals, 9 points and a plus 6; in addition, Stefan Noesen had 5 tallies with 7 points and a +4.

     Speaking of forward Stefan Noesen, he inked a three-year entry level contract with the Ottawa Senators last week. The deal is similar to many players getting signed this year, $925,000 plus bonuses for a cap hit over $1.1million a season.

     

     The Whalers have won 3 straight since winter break and hope to keep that streak alive as January continues. Plymouth has three games this weekend. A home and home with Saginaw, who could have a new roster look real soon, and the Whalers end the weekend Sunday in Sarnia where they could be going up against some new faces (Spooner, Brace, Anderson). It is that time of year after all. 

Canada's Toughest Test comes Tonight

Special Thanks to Thayne Hallyburton

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What was once expected to be one of the biggest games of the 2012 World Junior hockey championship has now become somewhat of an after-thought.

Tonight’s contest between Team Canada and Team U.S.A was billed pre-tournament as the game to see in Edmonton. Both teams were expected to be 3-0 headed into it, and the winner was supposed to get a bye.

What was supposed to be and what has occurred are two very different things.

The tournament for the Canadian side thus far has gone off as planned. They handily beat all of their opponents in all three contests headed into the New Year’s Eve match against the Americans. For team U.S.A. the tournament has been a nightmare. Hot goaltending, terrible turnovers and lackluster efforts have plagued this team from the outset.

We first got a glimpse at the American’s vulnerability after a first period that saw many turnovers and a close 3-2 score against a sub-par opponent in Denmark.  They did go on to blow Denmark out by a score of 11-3 but we saw a glimpse of what was to come.  The Americans then ran into two hot goalies in their next two games. Finland’s Sami Aittokallio(Colorado Avalanche) and the Czech Republic’s Petr Mrazek(Detroit Red Wings) were simply phenomenal in their games against the Americans. The U.S. outshot, out-chanced and out-played the Finns and Czech’s but lost both games by scores of 4-1 and 5-2 respectively.

Now, we fast-forward to tonight where two teams who are going in opposite directions will clash in what has become hockey’s hottest international rivalry.  The Americans are headed to the relegation round and the Canadians are off to the semi-finals no matter the outcome tonight.

Pride and bragging rights are what are on the line tonight; but these are 17, 18 and 19 year old kids and that is more than enough to get them fired up to play.

For the U.S. this is their gold medal and for the Canadians this is a momentum and tune up game before heading into the medal round.

For Canada to be successful they will need a good game from starting goalie, Scott Wedgewood (New Jersey Devils) of the Plymouth Whalers, and will need to get their cycle game going down low to take advantage of the Americans lack of mobility on the back end.

For the Americans to be successful they will need to use their team speed. We heard a lot about it coming into this tournament. It was said that this was the fastest American team ever assembled. What we have seen thus far is just spurts of this speed. It is no doubt there, but they don’t use it enough. The passes are too long and are cross ice. To create team speed the passes need to be shorter and the Americans should focus more on playing North-South hockey rather than this East-West style of play that we have seen through the first three games of the tournament.

My Prediction is a 5-1 Canadian win. The Canucks have been too big, too strong, too organized and too skilled for every team in this pool and I think they will show that against the American side as well.

Key Players Canada: Mark stone, Ryan Strome, Brendan Gallagher, Scott Harrington, Brandon Gormley

Key Players USA: Charlie Coyle, Brandon Saad, Jarred Tinordi, JT Miller, Emerson Etem

Scratches:

Both Canada and the US had issues with the Flu bug as U.S.A.’s Charlie Coyle played only two shifts in their loss against the Czech Republic yesterday and Michael Bournival of Team Canada missed Thursday night’s win over Team Denmark. Both will be in the lineup tonight.

USA: Derek Forbort (concussion)

Canada: Devante Smith-Pelly (broken big toe)

Scott Wedgewood: Out of OHL Anonymity

Special Thanks to Bryan Thiel

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As of December 25th, not many people knew the name Scott Wedgewood. That's not to say no one knew it—those who follow the OHL are familiar with the Plymouth Whalers' goaltender—but he wasn't exactly a household name. Actually, he's barely a household name in his own league.

Now? The name Wedgewood is known Canada-wide, and he could be the next hot-topic at this year's World Junior Championships.

Wedgewood stood on his head against the Czech Reupublic December 28th, earning Canada a 5-0 win and moving them to 2-0 at the tournament. The shutout also marked Canada's 5th against the Czech Republic in World Junior history, and if we want to look at this hockey season as a whole, it was Wedgewood's third of the season.

Success really hasn't eluded Wedgewood over his two seasons in the OHL as a starting goalie: He's a combined 41-23-3-2, and while the stats aren't as pristine this year, he finished last year in the top-ten in goals-against average and save percentage, and (combined with backup Matt Mahalak) has Plymouth battling for top spot in the Western Conference this year.

If you want to go back even farther, you can look at the last game of the 2009/10 playoffs for Plymouth, which was Wedgewood's coming out party. Down 3-0 in their second-round series against the Windsor Spitfires, Wedgewood was the default starter for Game Four after then-Whaler Matt Hackett was suspended for 3-games because he went blocker-first after Derek Lanoue. All Wedgewood did was take the Windsor Spitfires to overtime, and make 70 saves—yes, 70 saves—in a 3-2 loss.

But along with the successes have come the 'hardships' of playing for a team that the Ontario portion of the OHL ignores. Ask someone who the best goalie in the OHL is, and Dale Hunter will tell you it's Michael Houser. Kitchener can bring first-year revelation John Gibson to the table, and Ottawa boasts Petr Mrazek, but only the wise ones mention Wedgewood. Last year in their first-round series against the Rangers, no one thought the Whalers' goalie could steal a series against the third seed. But he did, dragging a frustrated Gabriel Landeskog, Jerry D'Amigo and Jason Akeson along for the ride.

The spring before, the 70-save performance against the Spits made Wedgewood famous…for about a week. Soon after everyone was talking about the 3-0 lead Kitchener had in the Western Conference Finals. Then it was the fact that the Spitfires came back to win the series. Then it was Windsor’s second consecutive Memorial Cup. Who was going to remember a little second-round elimination at the hands of the champs?

Before he even started that game Plymouth Coach Mike Vellucci, his biggest supporter, was completely behind Wedgewood, saying he had always given his team a chance to win in the 18 games he played that year. In fact, Vellucci hoped that Wedgewood’s start against Windsor would get him some attention from the NHL scouts.

It did, as Wedgewood became a third round selection of the New Jersey Devils, and the second goalie taken from the OHL (Mark Visentin was taken in the first round by Phoenix).

While the draft status may have been ‘average’ (Thomas McCollum—30^th overall in 2008—and Visentin are the only OHL goalies to go in the first round since 2001), a team that knew a thing or two about goalies had chosen Wedgewood, which on it’s own merit should have had people talking about him. But it didn’t. Neither did the fact that this was about the time many began wondering who would take over for Martin Brodeur, a goalie Wedgewood idolized, whenever the all-time great retired. Few mentioned the recently drafted goalie, who was the first goalie New Jersey had selected in the entry draft in five years, on the 20^th anniversary of Brodeur’s selection.

Fast-forward to today and we know a little more about Scott Wedgewood and what he brings to the table. We know that the starting goalie of the Plymouth Whalers they call ‘Money’ has vaulted himself into the upper-tier of OHL goalies, he brought a country to their feet with his 26-save shutout of the Czechs, and he may just be the answer when people ask ‘who’s up next for New Jersey once Broduer is done?’

We won’t know the answer to that last one for a few more years, but one thing is for sure: Scott Wedgewood is no longer the OHL’s best kept secret.

"New Year's Eve is still on"

BY: Thayne Hallyburton

“New Year’s Eve is still on.” Those were the words spoken by U.S. head coach, Dean Blais, following his team’s 4-1 loss versus a very competitive Finnish squad.

Blais wasn’t wrong, if both teams were to win out, putting Canada at 3-0 and the U.S. at 2-1 going into the match on the 31^st then both teams would still mathematically have the chance to gain the bye into the semi-finals.  Whoever won the game in regulation would then advance straight to the semi-final. If the game were to go into overtime, no matter the outcome, Canada would advance based on points.

The loss was shocking for an American side that many had deemed the favourite heading into the tournament, especially after the drubbing Canada put on the Finns on Monday.

“Sometimes when you see that 8-1 score, you think that we are going to do the same thing but you gotta give them credit their goal tender played well,” Blais explained. They got to the net and we didn’t get to the net enough like Canada did the night before.”

The Americans seemed flat out of the gate. Finland matched them physically with open ice hits and was able to math their team speed as well, something that the Americans were said to have more than any other team in the tournament.

“I just didn’t think we paid the price to get to the net. When you look at our grade A chances, we didn’t have 15 quality chances in the slot and those were the areas that Canada took advantage of Finland and we didn’t do it. We talked about doing it and worked in practice on doing it, but you have to take that and put it into the game,” explained Blais.

The U.S. will get a day off tomorrow where coach Blais is sure to put them through a tough work out before returning to action Friday night against the Czech Republic.

ITO Hot-Stove: Which OHL player will have the best tournament at the World Juniors?

This is the fourth edition of ITO Hot-Stove since I've joined. I can't believe it's already been a month. Time fly's, I guess. Anyways, joining me today in this piece is Susan Tromanhauser, Trevor Miller, Brandon Sudeyko and Thayne Hallyburton.

Without further ado I'd like to introduce you all to today's debate question: which OHL player will have the best tournament at the World Juniors?
Todd Cordell
Mark Scheifele.

I'm going to go way out on a limb (not really) and suggest that Mark Scheifele will have the best World Junior tournament of any OHLer who's going to play in the World Junior.

Scheifele is penciled in as the first line center for Canada, and appears to be in line to center Devante Smith-Pelly, who is playing with the Anaheim Ducks this season, on one side and Jonathan Hubderdeau, who is one of the best prospects not in the NHL, on his other side. Those are some pretty elite linemates if you ask me. Factor in the fact that he's a two-way player and will be used in all situations, and you have yourself a player with every opportunity to succeed.

Oh, and if for some reason he fails to produce with those linemates, he'll likely end up on a line with his teammate in Barrie, Tanner Pearson, who he seems to be very comfortable with.

Susan Tromanhauser

Mark Visentin.

At the risk of sounding like the biased Ice Dog fan I am, I believe the World Juniors will be a showcase for goaltender Mark Visentin. While some believe Visentin’s selection to Team Canada was iffy, at no time did Coach Don Hay ever doubt Visentin’s place on the roster. Hay is relying on the experience Visentin brings in net.

There is talk about this year’s World Juniors being a chance for redemption for last year’s debacle in Buffalo. In reality Visentin started the tournament as a backup goalie, fought his way into the starting position and had one lousy period, albeit at the worst time possible – the third period of a gold medal game.

Visentin has not had a stellar season so far. His first game after returning from the Phoenix Coyote training camp he suffered a groin injury and has been careful with his recovery. He has a SV% of 0.899, the worst in the OHL. However in his defence, (pun intended) there have been many games when the Ice Dog defence was inconsistent (to put it kindly) and Visentin was left alone to defend the net. In spite of this adversity Visentin leads the OHL with 4 shutouts.

The World Juniors out west will be just the stage for Visentin to showcase his true abilities and meet the challenge of the high calibre performances of the tournament. The Visentin doubters will be jumping back on the band wagon they fell off last year in Buffalo.

Trevor Miller

I have no doubt that Barrie Colt forward and Team Canada center Mark Scheifele COULD be the OHL’s stand-out for the tournament. With that being said, the winner’s of this tournament ride a hot goalie to glory. It is more realistic that we look at goaltending to pinpoint the player that will best represent the OHL. Mark Visentin is looking for redemption after the Gold Medal collapse last year. Scott Wedgewood on the other hand is ready and waiting for his chance to backstop Canada to it’s first Gold Medal since 2009. Wedgewood came out on top against the favoured Tyler Bunz for his spot on this year’s team.

With all that being said, Canada is only one team in this tournament. There are other OHL players suiting up for their respective Countries. I wouldn’t be surprised if Kitchener Ranger John Gibson makes a case for himself this year for Team USA. As the “backup” to returnee Jack Campbell, Gibson finds himself in a similar position to Wedgewood. I joked with Gibson before the USA camp and wished him luck, but not too much because I’m Canadian. He could steal the starting job from Campbell.

Let’s also not forget the likes of Nail Yakupov for the Russians or even Brandon Saad for the Americans. I still feel like the MVP for the OHL this year will be a goalie, and with all four goalies from North America coming from the Ontario Hockey League, that certainly bodes well for their respective chances.

Thayne Hallyburton

Boone Jenner

 

I think Boone will have the best tournament this year. The Oshawa Generals stud forward is a machine along the wall and gives second and third efforts on every play. some scouts say his skating is not up to par, but that won't matter in this tournament playing with the players he will be playing with. He will go to the net hard and with the hands of gold that he possesses he will have no issue finding the back of the net time and time again. It will be interesting to see what Jenner can do! I'd expect him to make his way towards the top of the Team Canada lineup as the tournament progresses.

Brandon Sudeyko

Devante Smith-Pelly.

Toddy, Toddy, Toddy... you love to send out open ended questions don't you? Is this the best tournament based on points? play? accomplishment? so many angles and I think the best answer is the Notorious one, Mr. D.S.P! Devante Smith-Pelly is my choice as the OHL who will have the Best Tournament. He has come a long way since being a sub due to injury in the Top Prospects game almost 2 full years ago. He hasn't changed his game once but his reputation has grown leaps and bounds. Like Scott 'money' Wedgewood, DSP was always an after thought up until last year when the Majors (under heavy CHL Promotion) took Canada by storm and really made it known that we have 'stars' on the team. At 6'0" 210 (has to be heavier) pounds, DSP is just a wrecking ball of a man with the softest set of mits on the team. Whether he is a 3rd or 4th liner sent out to swing momentum the other way. Whether he is used on the PP to be a nuisance in front of the net. Or whether he is used on the top line to head down the wing and crash the net and opponents hard. Many people will walk away from this tournament going 'WOW! The Ducks picked him up in the 3rd round? What did my team do that year?' Many players have coming out parties during this tournament but the Notorious DSP will have the best Tournament.

ITO Hot-Stove: Who is the best team in the Ontario Hockey League?

This is the third edition of ITO Hot-Stove. Joining me today in this piece is Shawn O'Reilly, Susan Tromanhauser, Brandon Sudeyko, and Thayne Hallyburton.

Without further ado I'd like to introduce you all to today's debate question: Who is the best team in the Ontario Hockey League?

Todd Cordell

Sarnia Sting

For me this is a toss up between the Plymouth Whalers and Sarnia Sting, but I'll go with the Sting. Though the Sting have been absolutely belted with injuries, they remain a top team in the Western Conference and are just four points behind the Plymouth Whalers.

Coyotes prospect Connor Murphy has missed all but two games this season. He just recently came back and will make a huge impact on the team, no doubt. Nail Yakupov has missed a handful of games with back injuries, and Alex Galchenyuk, who was projected to go top five in the 2012 NHL entry draft, has missed the whole season to this point and is not expected back until late in the season or in the playoffs.

Though Yakupov has missed eight games and Murphy and Galchenyuk have played a combined two games, the Sting are fourth in the Western Conference. Now that they're starting to get healthy they'll show what kind of team they can be, and that team is one that should represent the Ontario Hockey League in the Memorial Cup come May.

Shawn O'Reilly

London Knights

Hate to state the obvious here but looking at points it is hard to argue otherwise. With 49 points they are leading the Western Conference by four over Plymouth, and have a game in hand. London has gone 8-2-0-0 in the past ten games, a record only matched by Plymouth. The Knights have scored the most goals in the OHL with 136, and have allowed the fewest, 81 (tied with Kitchener). Their special teams are average, 9^th in PP% and 11^th in PK%, but it has been good enough for them to keep winning. They have a top 3 goal scorer in Seth Griffin, one of the top rookies in Max Domi and a solid goalie in Michael Houser. Add all of this together and you have the top ranked team in the country as of last week and the best team in the OHL right now.

Susan Tromanhauser

Plymouth Whalers

While my Niagara bias still shows in I believe the Ice Dogs should have the best team in the OHL, they just can’t seem to get the consistency needed. The London Knights have such a jump in the standings, as well as tenacity of a young team, they will still come out top at the end of the regular season. But it is the Plymouth Whalers who are the best team in the league and will be heading to Shawinigan in May.

The team of veterans is well coached by Mike Vellucci. The team is made up of primarily returning players who know exactly what Vellucci wants and needs to win games. They have two top goal tenders in Matt Mahalak and Scott Wedgewood and as Neate Sager from Yahoo’s “Buzzing the Net” points out, they have 8 players with 25 points or more. While Niagara is missing four key players to Team Canada at the up-coming World Juniors, the Whalers will be missing five of their top players to a variety of world junior teams.

 I can sum up the Whalers in one word – experience.

Brandon Sudeyko

Belleville Bulls

Now you can call me crazy (studio audience yells 'you're crazy') but I have the team completely out of left field here. The Belleville Bulls. Player relationships aside, this team just outworks everyone on the ice. And it isn't like they don't have any pieces on their team. They have credible forwards, defenceman and 2 legit goaltenders. Malcolm Subban, yes still young, is going to tear the OHL apart. His hype will be reached unlike Jack Campbell's hype. Their backup Hollywood Chartrand is not as talented a Subban, but when in net. Definitely giving it 150% all the time. And that goes for the D and forwards as well. Offensive talent does not get any better than Zharkov and Gaunce. throw in the OA's of Judson and Payerl. The forwards are not the flashiest or will put up league leading numbers but their hard work and skill set mesh so well that they are able to do what many thought they could not. Their D this year is under appreciated (like the entire team). I mean who would have thought Simon Gronvaldt would be leading the team with a +17. Not to mention Steve (Minus) Silas, needs a new nickname. Most talented team, No. Best defensive team, no. Greatest goaltending in the league... maybe. But it all boils down to those 22 skaters being 1 team who out work every other team on the ice. That is why they are my selection for 'best team in the OHL'... I can not wait for the Twitter Hate @intheoradio.

Thayne Hallyburton

Plymouth Whalers

 

Hockey, as in life, all starts with Money...and $cott 'money' Wedgewood is the captain of this ship. He is the best goaltender in the OHL and has been underrated for years at the position. Add to him, Matt Mahalak who is easily the best backup in the league...Plymouth's last line of defense looks impenetrable. 

 

From there, you move up front, and the likes of Jamie Devane, Garret Meurs, J.T. Miller, Mitchell Heard, Stefan Noesen....this is a team with a ton of scoring depth, which you need come playoff time. If they add one big scorer at the deadline, they will be very tough to beat come playoff time by any team. Mitchell Dempsey is a good enough bargaining chip to get anyone they please. Rumours say they are after Jared Knight from the London Knights.

 

Overall, this is the best team in the O and will be the best team in the O come playoff time. London is too young to make a run this year....Plymouth is ready. They are the best and most complete team. If Sarnia weren't so injured, maybe they would give them a run for the money.

Whalers (2), Bulls (1), Sting (1), Knights (1).

Thoughts from the Editor - Week ending November 27th

After a slow September and October(4 Goals and 10 Assists) Sudbury’s Michael Sgarbossa has exploded for 12 Goals and 6 assists in the month of November. Sgarbossa now sits 7^th and 16^th in League leader for goals and overall points respectively.

After putting up 12 goals and 29 points by the end of October, the amount of forward depth has dropped Zach Hall down the depth chart and he has only put up 4 pts in November (2 goals 2 assists)

Belleville has won 9 of their 12 games this month (12^th game is on November 30^th) and Malcolm Subban is 8-1 this month with a 1.42GAA and a 9.52SV%

In 12 games this month the Plymouth Whalers went 9-3 and have taken over the top spot in the West division. Rickard Rakell lead the way offensively, (9 Goals and 10 Assists) while the Duo of Mahalak and Wedgewood had a combined GAA of under 2.15 and a SV% of .932

After starting out 7-0 the Majors have come back down to earth with 2 wins in the month of November. 2-6-1-1 in their last 10 games.

The London knights are still leading the league in scoring with 114 goals for  and are tied for second in the league with total goals against (69). Belleville leads the league with 66 goals against

The Oshawa Generals now lead the Eastern Conference in goals against with 111 allowed in 29 games (3.82 goals per game) while the Erie Otters have scored the least amount of goals (59) and allowed the most (129) in the league. The Otters are also a perfect 0-10 in their past 10 games.

Kitchener Rangers forward Tobias Reider hit the 20 goal plateau for the second straight season, to put his sophomore season in comparison to a former Kitchener Ranger. Jeff Skinner had 20 goals in his sophomore season at the end of November too, Skinner finished with 51

There are 3 teams with less than 400 Penalty minutes as a team as of November 27, 2011. Erie Otters (352), Kitchener Rangers (364) and Sarnia Sting (375). That averages out to just over 14.08, 14.56 and 14.42 PIM per game respectively.

If the playoffs started today, Belleville, Brampton and Peterborough would be seeded 2, 3 and 4 in the Eastern Conference. How many people would have ranked those teams that high as passed a third of the season? In the West, Saginaw and Erie would be out of the playoffs.

The Guelph Storm, Soo Greyhounds and Windsor Spitfires have more road wins then they do at home.

Thoughts from the Editor... week ending Nov 20

^{Here I am, another Sunday and more crazy thoughts and stats to fill up some space, but also to add a different perspective on how you may be viewing the OHL right now. Leave a comment below... positive or negative.}

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The Niagara IceDogs continue to struggle and be seen as a giant anomaly. Niagara currently sitting at a record of 11-10-0-2 have let up the third most goals in the Eastern Conference while scoring 4^th highest in the Conference. 6 players boast better than a 0 +/- while Steven Shipley still leads the team with a -10.

Mark Visentin is enjoying a roller coaster season. With a 6-7-0-1 record, Visentin still has a plus 3 GAA and a SV% under .890 but he does have 4 shutouts this season. 7 of the 15 games he has appeared in his GAA has been 1 or less. In the other 8 games, 4 or higher.

The Oshawa Generals should not be forgotten although they are trying hard to be an afterthought. Despite having 9 players with at least double digits for points, 2^nd in the Eastern Conference in Goals for, the Generals are sitting in 8^th place in the conference. In true Generals fashion this team leads the Conference in PIM with 536, 64 more PIM than the next team. Oshawa has also let in the most goals in the Eastern Conference, 9 more than Kingston, and are third worst in the league. Goaltending and Defence is an issue and they should either blow up the lineup or definitely get help because  something is wrong in Oshawa.

After marching up the East Division, putting up 6 straight victories, the Belleville Bulls dropped Two 4 point games this week. Bulls are currently sitting in 3^rd in the division with Peterborough and Ottawa just sitting ahead of them. The Bulls, despite their 6 game winning streak, never played a complete 60 minute game during the stretch, relying on the unbelievable goaltending from Subban and Chartrand.

For those experts who said the Plymouth Whalers would be unstoppable, well it looks like you can begin to brag once again as the Whalers have rattled off a 9-0-01 record in their last 10. Whalers have scored the second most goals in the league while taking over top spot in the West Division leading Sarnia by 1 point. JT Miller has been unbelieveable since I handed him a single American Dollar with 9 goals and 23 points in his last 16 games. Scott Wedgewood is also on fire in the month of November with a 5-0-0-1 record in 6 games this month sporting a 1.64GAA 946V% and 2 shutouts in November.

After a RED HOT start, London’s Michael Houser is being overshadowed yet again. With a 5-2 record in November he is being outshined by the like of the aforementioned Wedgewood and Subban but still sporting a respectable 2.86GAA and 9.14SV%. I point this out because the lack of ‘statistical evidence’ suggesting he is a top goaltender does not mean that he is not pulling out all the stops to steal games and help his team when they don’t play in front of him.

Ottawa’s Tyler Toffoli is looking to not only take over the top spot in the OHL Scoring race but run away with the Goal Scoring title as well. My preseason prediction of Sean Monahan outscoring Toffoli was a bit of a joke but if anyone could do it, it would be a player on his line. Tyler currently has 24 goals in 22 games while sitting 8 pts behind Barrie’s Tanner Pearson in the overall scoring title with 43pts to date. At current pace Toffoli could have 70 goals if he stays healthy… although he is expected to make a big splash and more than likely make Team Canada for the World Junior Hockey Championship. Back to Back 50 Goal seasons is not out of the realm of possibility with Tyler.

Kitchener fans need not worry that John Gibson has an American passport anymore. Gibson is in the T-5 with a .927SV%, in the T-10 with a 2.70GAA and 4^th in the league with 11 wins.

4 of the 5 Goalies in the league with the most wins are American born, Michael Houser, Brandon Maxwell, John Gibson and Jack Campbell.

There are 3 European Goaltenders in the top 10 in OHL Wins category, Petr Mrazek, Mathias Niederberger and Johan Mattsson.

The Top 3 Canadian Born goaltenders in the Wins Category is JP Anderson, Matt Murray and Scott Wedgewood. Team Canada WJHC Incumbent Mark Visentin, is tied for 17^th in the league with 6 Wins.

Thoughts from the Editor...

Another weekend is done in the OHL and I just had to point out some bullet points from around the league.

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I Know Thayne (@thallyburton) can not believe this but the Brampton Battalion are sitting on top of the Central Division, tied with Mississauga in points (26) but have one more W than their HWY410/401/403 rivals. Brampton still leads the OHL in goals against while scoring the 2^nd fewest goals in the league.

The Central division is tighter than many would have thought at the beginning of the year. The 5 teams in the division has basically flipped flopped after the opening 3 weeks of the OHL season…

Mississauga started 7-0 until the Battalion made them a 7-1 team. After their first 8 games, the Majors have gone 4-5-1-3. 12 of a possible 26 after scooping up 14 of 16 to open the season.

Niagara has not set the league on fire as expected. Sitting third in the division with 20 points the IceDogs are still an enigma. Freddie Hamilton leads the team in points (12/18/30) with his younger brother Dougie Hamilton (9/19/28), Ryan Strome (11/9/20) and David Pacan (10/10/20) round out the top 3 in team scoring, What is puzzling is that only 2 players are a +5 or better player on the team (D. Hamilton, Strome with +7 each) with 13 players hosting a minus rating (Steven Shipley is the worst at -10). Potential starter for Team Canada at the WJHC Mark Visentin is equaling his worst statistcal numbers since his rookie season, currently with a 4-6-0-1 record 3.38GAA and a .882SV%

Sudbury Wolves looked to be copying what they accomplished last season. A slow (pathetic) start leading to a big finish, but this years Wolves squad has turned it around sooner. After starting this season 0-4-1 (started 1-6-1 in 10/), the Wolves have gone 9-4 to erase a huge deficit in the division and be considered a contender for the Central. The Wolves are the lowest scoring team in the Central and sit 18^th in league scoring.

Barrie Colts forward Tanner Pearson is still leading the league in overall scoring with 15G26A For 41 points.  Pearson has had 2 pointless games. Nail Yakupov is sitting with 38 points (13/25) which sits him second in league scoring and has had 4 pointless games.

The Saginaw Spirit prefer Brandon Saad was in the lineup terrorizing opponents. The Spirit are 2-9-2 without the Chicago Blackhawks in the lineup. With Saad’s 8 Games played and 18 pts (9G/9A) the Spirit are 5-3.

The Plymouth Whalers have put on an impressive weekend outscoring their opponents (GUE/SSM/ER) 23-5 this past weekend. Scott Wedgewood won 2 games this weekend with a 2GAA, a .933 SV% and a shootout, with Matt Mahalak winning the 3^rd game of the weekend with a 1GAA and a .971SV%. Wedgewood has a GAA over 3 for the season, Mahalak is under 1.9GAA and their save percentages has Wedgewood with a .905 while Mahalak is at a .939. Is it time for Plymouth to cash in on a goaltender?

After starting 1-8 on the season the Erie Otters have done little to improve. The Otters now sit at 3-16 on the season and it does not look like it will improve even with the return of Adam Pelech on the blueline. The Pieces in Erie are seemingly on the trade block and awaiting a new home.

Don’t look now but the Belleville Bulls have strung together 5 wins in a row, the first time they have accomplished during the regular season alone since March 7-18, 2009 (Oct 29-Nov 8 was another 5 Game winning streak). Also during the 08/09 season the Bulls had a 7 game winning streak (Feb 11-25), and an 8 game winning streak (Jan 10-30)

London Knight goaltender Michael Houser’s numbers may have fallen back down to normal level but he still is leasding the league in the most important category, Wins. Houser is leading all goaltenders with 15 Wins so far this season, OTT Petr Mrazek is second with 11 victories. Houser is also the busiest Goaltender in the league facing 673 shots in 19 games (35.4 shots a game).

The Kingston Frontenacs have apparently woken up winning out their 3 games this past week. The Frontenacs put up 19 goals in 3 games while Igor Bobkov has seemingly found his game in the Kingston Crease and the most talked about trade rumour subject, Ryan Spooner, woke up with 4 goals, 10 points and a +6 rating in the past 3 games.

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Until the next time I get an urge to point out weird random thoughts, don't forget to check out the website www.intheoradio.com or listen to our Interview roundup here.