Reply With QuoteNice! Thank you!
[January 25th] OHL Weekly Ramblings
January 25th, 2011
- The OHL has named London Knight's forward Seth Griffith the player of the week. Griffith is from a small town located just 20 minutes south from me and was happy to see him being recognized. The Wallaceburg native helped the London Knights win three games this past week as he scored two goals and recorded 6 assists. Seth put up a goal and four assists on Sunday afternoon to help London defeat the Oshawa Generals in the extra frame. The 5'10" and 187-pound right winger is eligible for the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.
- Boston Bruins' prospect Ryan Spooner also had a strong week as he registered five assists and four assists in three games for the Kingston Frontenacs moving him into a tie for 27th in OHL scoring.
- Spooner's teammate Taylor Doherty joined the party too. The Frontenac's point leading defenseman added 2 goals and 4 assists.
- The OHL's HOTTEST teams are the Windsor Spitfires, Sudbury Wolves and the Plymouth Whalers. The Spits were riding a 5 game winning streak until they finally lost on Sunday to the Owen Sound Attack. Sudbury has won 4 of their last 5 and currently sit in 7th in the Eastern Conference. The Whalers have fared well on their latest home stand as they grabbed 4 of a possible 5 wins.
- For those who want to see my boy Nail Yakupov play live, Sportsnet Ontario is airing the Sarnia Sting vs. Guelph Storm on Friday night @ 7:30. It's not very often we get to see an OHL game being televised on a major network like this. You want some video? Check out NAIL on youtube.
Leading Forward Scorers (as of Jan 24th)
1. Tyler Toffoli (Ottawa) - 42G - 38A - 80P (LAK)
2. Shane Prince (Ottawa) - 21G - 55A - 76P (2011 Draft Eligible)
3. Jason Akeson (Kitchener) - 17G - 58A - 75P (undrafted)
4. Ryan Strome (Niagara) - 24G - 45A - 69P (2011 Draft Eligible)
5. Nail Yakupov* (Sarnia) - 33G - 33A - 66P (2012 Draft Eligible)
*denotes Rookie
Leading Defensemen Scorers (as of Jan 24th)
1. Ryan Murphy (Kitchener) - 17G - 39 - 56P (2011 Draft Eligible)
2. Ryan Ellis (Windsor) - 15G - 38A - 53P (NSH)
3. Dougie Hamilton (Niagara) - 8G - 33A - 41P (2011 Draft Eligible
4. Josh McFadden (Sudbury) - 9G - 31A - 40P (2011 Draft Eligible)
5. Jesse Blacker (Owen Sound) - 9G - 30A - 39P (TOR)
- Check out Jason Davidson's interview with one of the most intriguing draft eligble forwards Ryan Strome. Strome has been firing up a lot of scouts' draft lists with his strong play in Niagara.
- Florida's third overall pick of the 2010 draft has been making news lately and not in the good way. Erik Gudbranson was suspended by his Kingston Frontenacs two weeks ago and stripped of the "A". He returned last week and received a game misconduct for charging in a game on Saturday. Fortunately, Erik had a strong game on Sunday posting 2 assists. It's been a tough few weeks for the youngster. Check out this article that talks about Gudbranson's ups and downs and his confrontation with head coach Dougie Gilmour
- Another article by Sports Lifestyle Network on the Gudbranson situation and the hype that will be surrounding Nail Yakupov next year - click here
- Enjoy!
I will post more as I come across it throughout the week.
Last edited by Dean Youngblood; January 25, 2011 at 9:54 PM.
Nice! Thank you!
I was born and raised in Chatham, ONT and now go to school in London, so it's pretty sweet to see Griffith with POTW.
I also travel to Guelph every weekend and work as a member of the game day staff. I'm pumped that the game is on sportsnet but to be honest, Yakupov has me shaking in my skates. WOW! that kid is good.
I teach in Chatham all the time. Nice to see a new local member on the boards.
I grew up near the big town of Dresden
Oh awesome
Teaching what?
The CHL has announces the Top 10 CHL Teams.
The OHL is represented in the Top 10 only three times and Ottawa gets an honourable mention.
1. Saint John Sea Dogs (QMJHL)
2. Mississauga St. Michael's Majors (OHL)
3. Saskatoon Blades (WHL)
4. Montreal Juniors (QMJHL)
5. Quebec Remparts (QMJHL)
6. Red Deer Rebels (WHL)
7. Saginaw Spirit (OHL)
8. Niagara IceDogs (OHL)
9. Drummondville Voltigeurs (QMJHL)
10. Portland Winterhawks (WHL)
Gudbranson's Week of Hell Continues
It's been learned that Kingston Frontenacs' defenseman Erik Gudbranson (FLA prospect) has been suspended indefinitely by the league for a flying elbow at Oshawa General JP Labardo. Gudbranson received a 5 minute checking-to-the-head major for the incident
The leap and target to the head was definitely intentional and OHL's commissioner David Branch has been known for his movement against these types of hits and heavy suspensions.
Gudbranson's week from hell just got a lot worse.
Puck Daddy writes about the incident (with video)
Hope for Leaf Fans
Here is a good read on Toronto Maple Leafs' prospect and one of the OHL's leading scorers Gregg McKegg
http://www.bettingonhockey.net/greg-...ct-in-the-ohl/
Cheer up Leaf fans
What is with Gubransson this week?
I mean i'd be pissed to if someone took away my "A". But still something else has to be going on.
Quick Update for January 28th
Sarnia Sting vs. Guelph Storm On-Air
- Reminder to tune into Sportsnet Ontario tonight to catch a glimpse of potential 2012 1st Overall pick Nail Yakupov of the Sarnia Sting as they take on the Guelph Storm. Yakupov is a treat to watch (even on a bottom feeder team like Sarnia)
Airing @ 7:00 pm EST
OHL Coming to Waterloo?
- Twitter has had a lot of chatter on bringing another OHL team to the Kitchener-Waterloo area, specifically Waterloo.
- There is a Waterloo group lobbying for the addition of another OHL team (by relocation) to the City of Waterloo. The proposal would have the new Waterloo team play at the Waterloo Recreation Center. This facility is more than capable of hosting a OHL team. I used to play here several times a week when I was doing my Undergraduate studies at Wilfrid Laurier University. The Rec Center would have to add boxes to the facilitie so a renovation would definitely be in order.
The Rivalry would be a tremendous addition. However, I am sure that the Kitchener Rangers would have something to say about another team creeping into their territory. Visit Twitter to voice your opinions on possible Waterloo team names #OHLLooNames
Last edited by Dean Youngblood; January 28, 2011 at 12:05 PM.
The Decision on Erik Gudbranson's suspension --- 8 GAMES!
Check out the hit here
Thoughts?
He definitely left his feet (he was about a foot off the ground) and the fact he took that kind of run at a guy who was just getting up from his knees is a bit much and there was an elbow in there. I honestly dont think the hit deserves 8 games, but then again I havent followed the OHL and their suspension precedents so im just talking out of my ass.Originally Posted by Dean Youngblood
OHL Commissioner David Branch has been leading the way to eliminate head shots (even before the NHL) for a long time. His suspensions are known to be quite "harsh" by NHL standards. I was actually thinking Gudbranson might have received more than the 8 games simply because he targets the head in addition to jumping.
well to be honest good for him then, at least he is trying to protect the young kids. The last thing you need is for a 18-yr old draft pick to have concussion history.
on a somewhat related yet not really note, I thought this might interest you Dean
check out this link,
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/20...ns-interactive
its to an article in National Geogrpahic Magazine (online version) that shows a great graphic of the head trauma suffered by a college football player at UNC. Interstingly it is not necessarily the hits that had the most force that caused his two concussions.
the accompanying article is here
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/20...ncussions-text
Thanks. Very interesting article. I am interested once the determine the answer to the following quote from the article,
The accumulated small blows to the head are definitely underestimated."Are you better with five higher-end impacts or 50 lower-end ones? We don't know," says Guskiewicz. "We're trying to see what the real issues are in the concussion puzzle."
Concussions are a scary thing not because of their impact on players' missing games but simply because the long lasting effects that occur on players' long after they retire. The chance of dimentia, Alzheimers and other brain related diseases increase dramatically.
I have an 11-year-old rambunctious cousin who suffered multiple concussions a few years ago playing hockey (non-contact). He has now been to several concussion spe******ts and been informed that he can no longer play hockey or other contact-related sports (Soccer, Football, etc.). He is a tremendous athlete and he had a great chance at playing hockey at an elite level. Apparently, after being told that he could no longer play hockey he cried (as expected) for hours. Heartbreaking to say the least. The spe******t suggested he take on sports like curling, swimming and bowling. I couldn't imagine being told to go play those types of sports over the sport i have been passionate about since birth. It sucks even more for him because he has such great hockey talents.
Side Rant. I just wanted to share the devastating effects of concussions on all levels of hockey.
Now, back to your OHL news....
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