Barrie Colts
17-10-4-3, 41 points
Div=1st, Conf=2nd, OA=6th
Leading Scorer: Eric Himelfarb (34 GP, 19 G, 28 A, 47
PTS)
A pre-season trade that saw the Colts ship out Joey Tenute, Aaron Power and Tyler Hanchuk and bring in Eric Himelfarb, Kenny Jung and Riley Moher has worked out well for the team. Himelfarb leads the Colts in scoring while Moher and Jung have played well for a defence corps that has been solid all season long. The addition of Himelfarb has helped the Colts offensively as he leads the team with 47 points. Himelfarb has also helped the Colts power play which ranks 3rd in the OHL, clicking at just over 24%
Belleville Bulls
18-14-1-1, 38 points
Div=3rd, Conf-5th, OA=10th
Leading Scorer: Matt Stajan (28 GP, 25 G, 25 A, 50
PTS)
Picked by many in the pre-season to finish near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings, the Bulls hit the Christmas break with a record that was 4 games above 500. The Bulls did hit the Christmas break in somewhat of a slump having gone 3-6-1 in their last 10 games before the break. Goaltender Mike Mole is coveted by many teams and rumours persist that the Bulls may deal the overage netminder before the Jan. 10th OHL trade deadline.
Brampton Battalion
15-14-3-1, 34 points
Div-3rd, Conf=6th, OA=11th
Leading Scorer: Kamil Kreps (32 GP, 10 G, 25 A, 35
PTS)
The Battalion have hovered around the 500 mark for most of the season. Left winger Adam Henrich has not played as well as he did last season but he has been consistent. On many nights he has not needed to be Bramptons best players as the Battalion’s scoring has been more spread around this season. Canadian National Jr. Team member Jay McClement has played well, as has rookie Wojtek Wolski and veteran Kamil Kreps.
Erie Otters
18-13-1-2, 39 points
Div=2nd, Conf=5th, OA=9th
Leading Scorer: Rob Hisey (38 GP, 14 G, 29 A, 43 PTS),
Mike Rice (33 GP, 14 G, 29 A 43 PTS)
The Otters solved their goaltending controversy when they dealt overage netminder Adam Munro, a Chicago Blackhawks prospect, to the Soo Greyhounds along with Jeff Doyle and Scott Dobben in exchange for forwards Rob Hisey and Mike Melinko as well as goaltender Dwight Labrosse, who never suited up for the Otters before being dealt to Kingston. The trade has paid dividend for the Otters as they have played well despite a slow start to the season. The Otters have won 7 straight games and 8 of 10 before the Christmas break and started the second half well with a win last night over London.
Guelph Storm
12-16-6-1, 31 points
Div=4th, Conf=8th, OA=15th
Leading Scorer: Dustin Brown (33 GP, 17 G, 24 A, 41
PTS)
The 2002-03 season has not been kind to the Guelph Storm. At the Christmas break the Storm find themselves struggling to hold down a playoff spot. The Storm lost 9 of 10 heading into Christmas and found themselves holding down the 8th and final playoff position in the western Conference. One bright spot for the Storm has been the play of 2003 NHL draft prospect Dustin Brown. Brown has posted 17 goals and 41 points in 33 games for the struggling Storm.
Kingston Frontenacs
11-19-0-4, 26 points
Div=5th, Conf=8th, OA=16th
Leading Scorer: Bryan Rodney (33 GP, 4G, 36 A, 40 PTS)
Not a lot has gone right for the Frontenacs this season. It started with 1st round pick Wes O’Neill not reporting to training camp in late August. Things havent gotten better since then as the Frontenacs have lost 7 of their last 10 games. Head coach Larry Mavety stepped down as coach recently and has made attempts to improve the hockey club as the team’s General Manager. One move was dealing Shane O’Brien to Toronto in exchange for Drew Fata. The Frontenacs currently hold down the Eastern Conference’s final playoff spot but Mississauga is not far behind.
Kitchener Rangers
25-6-2-1, 54 points
Div=1st, Conf=1st, OA=2nd
Leading Scorer: Derek Roy (25 GP, 15 G, 35 A, 50 PTS)
The Rangers have been battling the Plymouth Whalers all season long for top spot in the Western Conference. The Rangers have received solid play from the likes of Mike Richards, Derek Roy, and Greg Campbell. Overage netminder Scott Dickie has played well between the pipes for Kitchener and has one of the OHL’s bets GAA’s. When Dickie received a night off or can’t play rookie goaltender Carlo DiRienzo is more than capable of coming in and giving the Rangers a chance to win. DiRienzo has the OHL’s best GAA at the Christmas break with a 2.22 GAA and .923 save percentage in 12 games this season.
London Knights
14-18-2-1, 31 points
Div=3rd, Conf=7th, OA=14th
Leading Scorer: Ryan Hare (31 GP, 16 G, 25 A, 41 PTS)
Losing a player of Rick Nash’s magnitude would hurt any hockey club. Nash was a big reason, though he wasn’t the only reason, why the Knights upset the Plymouth Whalers in last year’s playoffs and took the eventual league champion-Erie Otters to a 7th game in the second round. Veteran Ryan Hare has stepped up his play in the absence of Nash. Dennis Wideman, who many say is one of the more under rated defencemen in the OHL has put together a solid season as well thus far for the Knights.
Mississauga IceDogs
10-18-6-0, 26 points
Div=4th, Conf=9th, OA=17th
Leading Scorer: Rob Schremp (34 GP, 10 G, 30 A, 40
PTS)
The IceDogs are looking for their first playoff birth in franchise history and are close to reaching that goal. At the Christmas break the IceDogs fins themselves tied with Kingston for 8th in the Eastern Conference, although Kingston would be in right now as they have one more win (11) than the IceDogs 10. 2002 1st overall draft pick Rob Schremp has played well for Mississauga putting up solid offensive numbers for the club. 2001 first overall pick Patrick O’Sullivan has also put up solid offensive numbers. O’Sullivan was sent home earlier in the season because of his defensive play, or lack thereof, but has since resolved the problem and is on his way to helping the IceDogs secure the first playoff birth in franchise history.
Oshawa Generals
19-12-1-1, 40 points
Div=2nd, Conf=4th, OA=8th
Leading Scorer: Jamie Johnson (34 GP, 12 G, 40 A, 52
PTS)
The addition of Anthony Aquino, who spent last season with Merrimack of the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference before signing with the Generals, was a big lift, but the lift was short lived as Aquino was ruled ineligible to play for the Generals in early November. Aquino left Merrimack in order to exploit a loophole in the NHL’s Collective Bargaining Agreement which allowed 20-year-old players to leave college to play Major Jr. and, if they are still unsigned at seasons end, become an unrestricted free agent. Aquino was ruled ineligble by a U.S. court. Aquino was expected to appeal the decision but there has been no word on when the appeal was to be heard. On the ice the Generals have received solid play from the likes of Jamie Johnson and Nathan Horton and solid goaltending from Chris Beckford-Tseu and Kevin Druce to hold onto 2nd spot in the tight East Division race.
Ottawa 67′s
26-6-3-0, 55 points
Div=1st, Conf=1st, OA=1st
Leading Scorer: Corey Locke (33 GP, 36 G, 48 A, 84
PTS)
It’s no surprise that the Ottawa 67′s are one of the OHL’s top teams this season, what is surprising is the players that are leading them. Corey Locke currently sits atop the OHL scoring race with 81 points, an average of nearly 2.5 points per game. 15 points behind him is his linemate Matt Foy. Foy was a teammate of Anthony Aquino at Merrimack of the ECAC last season but made the jump to the OHL as a 19-year-old. Foy has put up solid numbers as Locke’s right winger this season scoring 27 goals and 69 points in 35 games. Goaltender Lukas Mensator has been great in the Ottawa goal this season winning 14 of 17 outings and posting a 2.69 GAA.
Owen Sound Attack
10-19-3-2, 25 points
Div=5th, Conf=9th, OA=18th
Leading Scorer: Miguel Delisle (31 GP, 20 G, 22 A, 42
PTS)
With every passing day the Owen Sound Attack are falling further and further out of the western Conference playoff race. The Attack hit the break 6 points out of the final Western Conference playoff spot, held by the Guelph Storm. The good news is that the Storm have been sliding of late. The bad news is, so have the Attack. The Attack hit the Christmas break having lost 6 straight games and 8 of their last 10. For a team that’s fighting to get into the playoffs that’s not a good sign.
Peterborough Petes
12-13-7-2, 33 points
Div=4th, Conf=7th, OA=12th
Leading Scorer: Eric Staal (32 GP, 20 G, 32 A, 52 PTS)
Right now, the Peterborough Petes are sitting somewhat comfortably in 7th spot in the Eastern Conference. I say comfortably because they hold a 7 point lead over the 8th place Kingston Frontenacs. The Petes are another team that has hovered around the 500 mark all season long. The team has received a strong offensive contribution from 2003 NHL Draft prospect Eric Staal who has 52 points in 32 games. Staal was rated 2nd among OHL players on the Preliminary NHL Central Scouting draft list. The Petes have also received strong offensive contributions from Greg Chambers and Jamie Tardiff.
Plymouth Whalers
22-6-5-1, 50 points
Div=1st, Conf=2nd, OA=3rd
Leading Scorer: Chad Larose (33 GP, 34 G, 30 A, 64
PTS)
The Whalers were not expected to be where they are right now. Before the season started expectations were that they would be a middle of the pack team, but they have surprised a lot of people by challenging for the Western Conference title. The Whalers top line of Chad Larose, Karl Stewart and Ryan Ramsay have provided the team with plenty of offence while goaltender Paul Drew has made big stops when called upon. The Whalers also have to OHL’s second best power play which has a 25.0% efficiency.
Saginaw Spirit
5-21-3-4, 17 points
Div=5th, Conf=10th, OA=20th
Leading Scorer: Chris Thorburn (30 GP, 15 G, 14 A, 29
PTS)
It’s been an extremely tough season for the Saginaw Spirit. The team will have some tough decisions to make when the trade deadline comes along on Jan. 10th. The main questions is whether the team will deal leading scorer Chris Thorburn to a contender. Thorburn has spent his entire OHL career with the Spirit/North Bay Centennials franchise, but hasn’t had a chance to play for a contending team. The team is 14 points out of a playoff spot and decisions will need to be made.
Sarnia Sting
21-11-2-1, 45 points
Div=3rd, Conf=4th, OA=5th
Leading Scorer: Joey Tenute (35 GP, 14 G, 33 A, 47
PTS)
After starting the season on a roll and finding themsleves near the top of the Western Conference standings, the Sting have faltered of late. The Sting lost 6 of their last 10 games heading into the Christmas break. In all fairness the Sting have run into injuries of laste which could be contributing to their recent slide. The trade with Barrie that brought in Joey Tenute, Tyler Hanchuck and Aaron Power has worked out well for the Sting as well. All 3 have provided the Sting with toughness and leadership.
Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds
14-21-3-1, 32 points
Div=4th, Conf=6th, OA=13th
Leading Scorer: Jeff Carter (36 GP, 21 G, 23 A, 44
PTS)
The Greyhounds started the season slowly but since picking up Jeff Doyle, Scott Dobben and goaltender Adam Munro from Erie the Greyhounds seem to be turning things around. They managed to get themsleves back into a playoff spot and they are slowly climbing in the standings. Munro has given the team stability in goal which is something that they didn’t have at the stat of the season. Despite making a number of moves that saw many different players put on a Greyhound uniform early this season it looks as though the dealing may be done and the Greyhonds can now worry about the task at hand, which is winning hockey games.
Sudbury Wolves
9-26-1-1, 20 points
Div=5th, Conf=10th, OA=19th
Leading Scorer: Bobby Chaumont (37 GP, 10 G, 18 A, 28
PTS)
The Wolves are a hockey club that has to work for every point they get in the standings. The Wolves are a hard working team but they don’t have many guys that can break a game open. Also their goaltending hasn’t been as good as it needs to be when your team lacks scoring power. The Wolves will be in tough in the second half to catch up and nail down a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
Toronto St. Michael’s Majors
18-13-3-2, 41 points
Div=2nd, Conf=3rd, OA=7th
Leading Scorer: Frantisek Lukes (33 GP, 17 G, 26 A, 43
PTS)
The Majors have received solid goaltending, strong defensive play and timely offence whic are the key ingredients to any teams success. Goaltender Andy Chiodo has played well when the need arises postiong a solid 2.98 GAA in 28 games. Rookie backup Justin Peters has also been strong when called upon posting an equally strong 2.81 GAA in 16 games. Offensively the Majors have the guns to spread their offence around. Frantisek Lukes, Tim Brent, newly acquired Shane O’Brien, Darryl Boyce and defenceman Kevin Klein have all put up solid offensive numbers for the Majors.
Windsor Spitfires
22-11-1-1, 46 points
Div=2nd, Conf=3rd, OA=4th
Leading Scorer: Kyle Wellwood (30 GP, 27 G, 35 A, 62
PTS)
The Spitfires have been one of the OHL’s hottest teams of late. Before the Christmas break they had won 5 straight games and 9 of their last 10. The loss of Kyle Wellwood, who is playing for Canada in the World Junior Tournament, as well as Tim Gleason, who is also playing in the World Junior Tounament for the U.S.A will hurt as well. Gleason broke his foot in the first game of the tournament and early indications are that he will be out of the Spitfires lineup for 6-8 weeks.
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Overall the first half has had its share of ups and downs and surprises, but if the second half of the season is as interesting as the first half it should be an interesting run to the playoffs.
Note: Last night’s action in the OHL was included. In last night’s action Erie beat London 2-1, Kitchener beat Windsor 6-3, Plymouth beat Saginaw 4-1 and Ottawa beat Oshawa 5-2.
