Zadorov hitting his stride with the Knights Photo: London Knights defenseman and 2013 draft prospect Nikita Zadorov is preparing for his team's OHL Conference Championship series with Plymouth (courtesy of Terry Wilson/OHL Images) “La Femme Nikita” is the story of a secret assassin who works in the shadows. Le “blueliner” Nikita, London Knights' Nikita Zadorov, has no such anonymity. After all, at 6’7” with a propensity for big hits and a big shot, it’s hard to miss the Russian defenseman. Murphy’s OHL career winds down with Carolina on the horizon Photo: Kitchener Rangers defenseman and Carolina Hurricanes prospect Ryan Murphy saw his first NHL action during a brief call-up in February (courtesy of Andy Mead/YCJ/Icon SMI) Looking for a way to rebound after falling behind 3-1 early in the second round of the OHL playoffs, you could forgive Kitchener Rangers’ captain Ryan Murphy for channeling his inner James Taylor. After all, in trying to lead by example he’s got Carolina on his mind. Day tops ISS OHL draft rankings but Konecny the top pick Photo: Although defenseman Sean Day has received much of the attention the past couple of weeks, the Ottawa 67's have elected to choose forward Travis Konecny (above) first overall at the 2013 OHL Priority Selection (Aaron Bell/OHL Images) While the NHL Draft is still a couple of months away, the advent of April means that it is drafting season in the Canadian Hockey Leagues. The OHL, WHL, and QMJHL will hold their respective entry drafts over the course of the next two months, with the first of those drafts taking place this Saturday, April 6th. Podcast: OHL announces exceptional player status for Sean Day Photo: Detroit Compuware defenseman Sean Day is the third consecutive player to receive exceptional player status from the OHF (courtesy of footiepaul) For the third consecutive year and the fourth time since the designation was instituted, the Ontario Hockey Federation has granted exceptional player status to a 15-year-old player. This time, that player is Sean Day of the Detroit Compuware organization. Sproul heads list of top drafted OHL defensemen Photo: Soo Greyhounds defenseman and Detroit Red Wings prospect Ryan Sproul has developed into an effective offensive defenseman (courtesy of CHL Images) With five of the past six first-overall NHL draft picks being forwards from the Ontario Hockey League, OHL defensemen have had a lot of practice playing against elite offensive talent. And that’s reflected in the continued development of these 10 promising young NHL-drafted defensemen. |
