The past week Hockey Canada was holding a selection camp to form a team to head to Breclav, Czech Republic and Piestany, Slovakia to compete in the U18 2013 Ivan Hlinka tournament. A total of 3 Kingston Frontenac players made the selection camp and were proving themselves successful.
(Photo: kingstonfrontenacs.com)
Saturday night they played a Red versus White exhibition game at the MasterCard Centre in Toronto, Ontario. Showcasing some of the best talent the Canadian Hockey League has to offer, it was Kingston’s Spencer Watson who blew up with two goals in a 4 goal third period to put the White on top over the Red 7-4.
Watson is one a select few the scouts are keeping an eye on in this upcoming draft year. His on ice hockey sense and eye for the puck is something of astonishment. This upcoming season will be his second one in the OHL. He’s already seen international action as well having played in the U17 World Championships. In 5 games there, he put up 7 points, 5 goals and 2 assists. Standing at 5’10, Watson has more time to fill out and become more dominant with age. His twin brother Matthew, also suited up for the Frontenacs, playing in 8 games last year.
Kingston’s Roland McKeown also put up a goal in the win and Sam Bennett stayed off the score sheet. Watson and McKeown should be no brainers to apart of this U18 squad. With Bennett it will be a close call but no reason to feel like he shouldn’t be a part of them.
The Kingston Frontenacs are going to show up to play this OHL season. The rest of the league better be ready for them.
Soo Greyhounds Sergey Tochinsky did not get to hear his name get called in June at the National Hockey League Entry Draft. Despite being rated at number 56 by some scouting specialists, Tochinsky sat in wait. He did not let that get the better of him though.
Instead of moping around about not getting called, Tolchinsky made an impressive mark at the New York Rangers prospect development camp. Signing to a tryout agreement with both the Rangers and the Carolina Hurricanes, Tolchinsky was making head’s shake with both teams wondering why he was left unchosen. Although the likes of both teams offering out a 3 year entry level contract seem slim, he’s still making his mark.
Tolchinsky would only be able to be signed to the clubs that signed him to the tryout contracts. Out of both New York and Carolina, Carolina would seem a better fit as they are forming into a somewhat of a young team. If I were Jim Rutherford though, I wouldn’t extend an offer and here’s why.
Tolchinsky only has one year of OHL play under his belt. At only 5’8’ and 160 pounds, he’s still going to fill out. Another year with the Greyhounds would help him out tremendously and only increase his draft ranking for next year. In 62 games last year he amassed 51 points and he won’t defect to Russia which seems to be the ordeal of the day. He’s been training in North America since he was 12 so he’s going to stick around for a while. Give him that extra year to mold into something spectacular. He might give Sam Reinhart, Aaron Ekblad and Connor McDavid a run for their money. Who knows?
The Soo Greyhounds start the 2013-2014 season off on Friday, September, 20th as they head to Sudbury to take on the Wolves.
Big news from the Limestone City. The Kingston Frontenacs announced Tuesday afternoon that they have signed 18 year old Connor McGlynn. McGlynn was originally selected in the 6th round of the 2011 priority draft by the Frontenacs but had committed to the NCAA with Boston College.
The Oakville, Ontario native started his hockey career with the Junior A Oakville Blades posting 20 points in 43 games. From there he laced up for the Sioux City Musketeers for two seasons. Last year he put up 10 points in 48 games.
General Manager Doug Gilmour had this to say about his new forward: “During the season of his OHL draft year, Connor was a prolific goal scorer with the Oakville Rangers Minor Midgets. We feel Connor’s size, compete level, and ability to score goals will compliment what should be a very exciting team.”
The 6’2” McGlynn has had plenty of experience in his career as he has attended numerous USA Hockey development camps. At one time he had thoughts of playing out west but has since changed his mind.
The Kingston Frontenacs will start their 2013-2014 campaign on the road as the face the Peterborough Petes on Thursday, September 19th. From there it’s a three game home stand as the fans fill up the K-Rock Centre to see the invasion from the newly moved North Bay Battalion, Niagara Ice Dogs and Plymouth Whalers. That takes them through to October.
After signing a Ontatio Hockey League Standard Agreement, McGlynn will head to the Kingston Frontenacs training camp which opens up on August 29th.
Welcome back! Last time we looked at prospects 21-30 for next year’s NHL Entry Draft. Just as a recap, those picks were:
21. Nikolaj Ehlers
22. Shane Gersich
23. Nick Ritchie
24. Jack Ramsey
25. Kyle Jenkins
26. Sonny Milano
27. Josh Ho Sang
28. Jakub Vrana
29. Pierre Engvall
30. Spencer Watson
This time we’ll be taking a look at picks 11-20, starting at 20 and working down.
20. Jared McCann, C, Sault Ste. Marie (OHL)
6’0″, 174 lbs
Shoots: L
Ryan Falkenham is a shorter, stocky forward who doesn’t have a problem heading to the dirty areas in front of the net and plays with a style similar to Brendan Gallagher of the Montreal Canadiens. Playing alongside Nathan MacKinnon and Jonathan Drouin didn’t hurt his development, but it will be interesting to see how he plays without them this season.
18. Haydon Fleury, D, Red Deer (WHL)
6’3″, 203 lbs
Shoots: L
2012-13 stats:
66 GP, 4G, 19A, 21 pts, +4, 21 PIM
Fleury is a big bodied, hard-nosed blueliner with an offensive upside. He is a plus player on a minus team, has a howitzer of a shot and is disciplined in his own end. His agility may come into question, but defensemen take longer to develop and his skating should come around.
17. Daniel Muzito-Bagenda, LW, Modo J18 (Sweden)
6’1″, 198 lbs
Shoots: L
A hulking winger, Muzito-Bagenda is a big sniper who has no trouble finding the back of the net. Another Swede who plays a great defensive game, but will have to work on discipline, since almost a penalty per game average won’t be acceptable at the NHL level.
One of, if not the smallest player in the draft, Baillie lets his on-ice play do the talking for him. A Martin St. Louis-type forward, he is a passer first, but can still find the twine pretty often. Size will be a concern for sure, but if his point production stays consistent and he can put on some pounds, there will be a team that will feel lucky that this guy was still available.
15. Alex Nedeljkovic, G, Plymouth Whalers (OHL)
5’11”, 190 lbs
Catches: L
Nedeljkovic is the first and only goalie in the top 30, and he is here for a reason, backstopping his team to the conference finals before bowing out to eventual champions, the London Knights. Nedeljkovic’s Whalers led the OHL in goal differential, scoring 90 more times than they let in. He is not the tallest goalie, but is a big boy at 190 lbs. and has good movement in spite of that. Only 5 goalies had a better save percentage, 3 of whom have already been drafted by NHL teams (Malcon Subban, Boston; Jordan Binnington, St. Louis; John Gibson, Anaheim) and only 3 goalies had a better goals against average (Subban, Binnington and Kitchener’s Franky Palazzese). If Nedeljkovic can improve his puck handling and rebound control, he should be a solid starter one day.
14. Michael Dal Colle, C, Oshawa Generals (OHL)
6’2″, 170 lbs
Shoots: L
Michale Dal Colle is your typical big, power forward centreman. He can shoot, pass, hit and skate and plays just as well on the other side of the puck. He still needs to put on some weight, but once he fills out, he should turn out to be a number 1 or 2 centreman, depending on the team that drafts him.
Tuulola is a big offensive defenseman who has a hard shot and a good first pass out of his own zone. He can move opposing forwards away from his goaltender and takes few penalties. As many others, he will have to gain some weight before hitting his full potential, but should round out a top 4 nicely.
Chase De Leo is currently the smallest player who is draft eligible. At 5’7″, he will need to gain at least 30 pounds before he can safely play in the NHL. If he does, however, this kid will be dangerous. He uses his small size and speed to squeeze through defenders, essentially blazing a trail through other players. He has soft hands and good vision and should be a solid top 6 forward one day.
11. Leon Draisaitl, C/LW, Prince Albert Raiders (WHL)
6’2″, 198 lbs
Shoots: L
Draisaitl is another player in the growing trend of big power forwards at next year’s draft. The 6’2″, 198 lb versatile forward is the whole package. Soft hands, wicked shot, sees the ice well and plays well in his own zone. Needs to work on his speed a little but still an effective top 6 guy nonetheless.
That’s a wrap on picks 11-20. I feel some players in this third of the first round may climb a bit by the time the draft rolls around, but the surprise is part of the fun! Check back soon for picks 1-10; the good stuff!
Woke up this morning to find my work on the front page of my favourite OHL’s team’s website! Just a little feature I wrote for HometownHockey.ca on what the New Jersey Devils were getting when they drafted Ryan Kujawinski. Click on Kujawinski to head there!
As early as ever the NHL has unveiled a “who’s who” of who to watch for in next year’s draft. 20 players have been selected from the OHL including three from my beloved Kingston Frontenacs.
The QMJHL and WHL also have their fair share of players as well. Take a look at this VERY EARLY prediction. Just click on this year’s first overall pick, Nathan MacKinnon.
Once known as the Battalion from Brampton, the troop relocates this season to their new barracks in North Bay. I absolutely am in love with this logo and jersey. Mainly because I have a stupid obsession with war history but I digress.
The logo just screams like an army sergeant and hell, sometimes the players even skate out of an inflatable tank! The jersey itself is made to look like army gear with the stripes along the side. The only downfall to this is the terrible green colour but I guess you got to win some to lose some.
Cody Hodgson and Matt Duchense got their start with the Battalion and put up some pretty decent numbers. I’m glad they decided to keep the name and not start over with something brand new in North Bay. Hopefully the fans will take to them just as faithfully as the ones in Brampton did. I’ll be looking forward to the start of the OHL season to see if there will be any changes made to the logo or jersey.
Ourhometown.ca started in Cornwall, Ontario is 2011 and has since grown to serving Windsor and Edmonton. In 2012 they started a hockey section and are looking to expand from the NHL to the junior leagues.
March Hockey will be covering the eastern part of the Ontario Hockey League mainly the Ottawa 67’s and Kingston Frontenacs! Click on the banner to see the first article!
MY thinking is…..how do you get better if you don’t play against better players?
Barrie decided to defy that logic and drafted 18 year old goaltender Daniel Gibl from Slovakia. He was the only goaltender selected and it is possible that he could be the last European goaltender to be drafted into the league. Gibl played in the U20 league and boasted a .902 save percentage. Dale Hawerchuk can’t complain about that.
Anyway, it was nice to see a Canadian decide to go above and beyond and pick a foreign goalie. Like I said, you only get better when you play against better players.
Last season marked number 50 for the Ontario Hockey League’s Kitchener Rangers. Over these 50 years, the team has seen over 140 players graduate to the National Hockey League. Current players such as Mike Richards and Gabriel Landeskog and hall of famers Paul Coffey, and Larry Robinson prove that Kitchener is a breeding ground for talent.
The Rangers started off in Guelph when a businessman by the name of Eugene George was instructed by the New York Rangers about a possible move to the Kitchener where junior hockey was flourishing. In 1963, the Kitchener Rangers were founded and started playing out of the Kitchener Auditorium.
In 1981, the Rangers were coached by Cornwall’s own (yay for hometowns!) Orval Tessier and led by familiar names such as Brian Bellows and Al MacInnis. Proving to be the start of a strong team, they played their way to the Memorial Cup finals, losing to the Cornwall Royals who were repeat champions.
The next season the Rangers once again fought their way to the Memorial Cup finals and faced the Sherbrooke Castors. With a Brian Bellows hat trick, the Rangers captured their first Memorial Cups
Although the 1990’s turned out to be rebuilding years, the Kitchener Rangers returned to glory in the 2002-2003 season. Finishing first overall in the OHL, the team featured Mike Richards, David Clarkson and Derek Roy. In the Memorial Cup final, a hard fought battle was played out against the Hull Olympiques finishing with a 6-3 victory. The Kitchener Rangers were Memorial Cup champs yet again.
Junior hockey is still alive, well and thriving in Kitchener. The Rangers are always a playoff contender and will continue to be in the future. With currents stars like Ryan Murphy, Radek Faksa, and Max Iafrate, there’s no doubt in my mind Kitchener will return to the Memorial Cup podium. Hey, third time’s a charm.
marchhockey.com 
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