2000 Draft: OHL Prospect Report

by Bob Chery
on
As a follow-up to my November 26/99 report on the OHL’s draft-eligible
prospects, the schedule saw several of the top defencemen pass through the GTA
for a number of games versus the Battalion, Ice Dogs, and Majors in December
and early January. What follows is a more in-depth look at five of these prospects.

KURTIS FOSTER (Peterborough) — If it’s an offensive defenceman that you’re
looking for, this 6-5, 205-pound giant fits the bill. The lack of coordination one
expects to see from a youngster this size who has not yet grown comfortable
with his body is apparent, but not to the usual extent. Kurtis is a fluid skater and
puck-carrier while at the same time showing promise of further improvement. He’s
not TOTALLY fluid just yet, but that will come with time. The NHL comparison
at this juncture would be Kevin Hatcher. Of course it is hoped that Foster can be a
force in his own end of the rink as well as the offensive zone.

And this is the area where Foster requires the most improvement. Fortunately he is
well aware of that fact and is making the required efforts. His big stride allows him
to close a hole while skating backwards with one cross-over. The wing-span of his
poke-check also covers a lot of ice. It is the physical element of his game that needs
the most work. Early in the season he would engage opposing forwards with nothing
more than stick-checks. He is now beginning to apply the body more frequently. Read more»

2001 An OHL Draft Odyssey

by Jason Ahrens
on

Here is a look at a few OHLers who will be eligible for the 2001 draft,
and who should end up being ranked fairly high. Quite frankly this years draft does little
to excite me, but if the WHL, QMJHL, NCAA, and European leagues have players as talented as the OHL for 2001 it will be one heck of a draft.

Jason Spezza-Plays centre for the Mississauga IceDogs and has posted 40 points in 30 games this year. He has just made the National Junior team at the age of 16 (along with Jay Bouwmeester), the only other 16 year olds in Canadian history to do this were Wayne Gretzky and Eric Lindros. He is not just along for the ride. I expect him to be a key component on the team, and to average a point a game, if not lead the team in scoring.
At the last exhibition game in Kitchener vs the OUAA allstars, the only forwards who could have said that maybe they played better than Spezza were, Mike Riberio and Manny Malhotra, both of whom are on loan from the NHL. Spezza had 2 points and could have had 5 with a bit of luck.
I believe that he is the most talented player that Canada has produced since Paul Kariya. He is a lock to go first overall, barring serious injury.

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OHL Rookie Report

by Jes Golbez
on
The 1999-2000 OHL season has been blessed with many pleasant surprises.
Teams have been playing better than expected and some have played worse.
Looking back at the first half of the OHL season I think that one of those
pleasant surprises has been the play of the rookie players around the OHL.

Teams like the Windsor Spitfires have benefited greatly from the play
of their rookies. The Spitfires for example have a rookie line made up of
Steve Ott, Craig Kennedy and Shawn Mather. All three of them have been
playing great for the Spitfires.

Here is a look at some of the top rookies from around the OHL.

Stephen Weiss of Plymouth–Weiss was the Whalers first round pick in the
1999 OHL draft. He sits in second among OHL rookies in scoring. He has
helped the Whalers plant themselves in third spot in the OHL’s West
Division.

Derek Roy of Kitchener–Roy is the OHL’s leading rookie scorer and has also
been playing great hockey. Once he gets some more help around him the
Rangers will be a good hockey club and drafting Roy was a step in the right
direction.

Steve Ott, Craig Kennedy & Shawn Mather of Windsor–All three have been
scoring and playing really well. Kennedy and Ott are both among the top
scoring rookies. Windsor is lucky to have these three. If these three stick
with Windsor for a couple more seasons the Spitfires could be a team to beat Read more»

Brampton Battalion Report

by pbadmin
on

Team leads OHL Midwest Division as halfway point nears

After struggling through their maiden season with only 8 wins in 68 games, the Brampton
Battalion have emerged in their sophomore season as one of the surprise teams, not only in the OHL but also in the entire
Canadian Hockey League.

Stan Butler’s squad currently stands atop the OHL Midwest Division with a 13-8-5-2 record (33 points) through 28 games. Their closest divisional pursuers are the Erie Otters, who have racked up 26 points in 24 games.

The season started on a positive note with home ice wins over the highly-regarded Barrie Colts and Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds and a 2-1 road victory over their rivals from Mississauga. Brampton and Erie battled to a scoreless draw on October 3, which gave goaltender David Chant the distinction of being the first Battalion netminder to record a shutout. Read more»

Tom Webster Has The Spitfires Soaring

by Jason Ahrens
on

A quick scan of the OHL Western conference shows three teams fighting
for the top spot. The Sault Greyhounds were expected to be there. Brampton was not and their amazing second season rolls on without any overagers and only 2 19 year olds in the lineup. The Windsor Spitfires are also there, much to the surprise of many. Their success has been due to a team effort, they do not have the stars that other teams boast. Yet they are ranked in the CHL top ten, sitting 7th.

Over the last few years this team has made headlines for all the wrong reasons. Whether it was star players being charged for off ice incidents, stars breaking curfews and being suspended, or the Jeff Kugel disgrace, a dark cloud has hung over this franchise. The hiring of Tom Webster has brought some class, leadership, stability and hope to the Spits. He has them playing tough, disciplined, hard nosed hockey, rolling 4 lines, pounding teams along the boards, and producing victory after victory. They follow through on their hits (if you are at a game, don’t follow the puck or you might miss a Spitfire run over an opponent who was admiring his pass), they forecheck tenaciously, and unlike the Peter Sarno years the forwards can pick their goalie out of a crowd of strangers.

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