OHL 2017-18 Season Preview: Eastern Conference

The Bobby Orr Trophy is up for grabs again this year, and there are several teams vying for the crown

Niagara IceDogs

Division: Central

Coach: Billy Burke

2016-17 Record: 23-35-10 (3rd in division, 8th in conference)

Key Additions:

Phillip Tomasino (C, OHL Priority Selection), Elijah Roberts (D, Acquired from KIT), Ian Martin (RW, OHL Priority Selection), Billy Constantinou (D, OHL Priority Selection), Zach Shankar (D, Acquired from NB)

Key Departures:

Aaron Haydon, Justin Brack (Brock University), Ryan Mantha (Bakersfield Condors)

Niagara finished sixth in the Eastern Conference but were promptly swept out of the playoffs by the Peterborogh Petes.

 Top Players:

Johnny Cornell (C) – 67 GP / 31 G / 31 A / 62 Pts / 32 PIM / -15

Ben Jones (C) – 63 GP / 13 G / 37 A / 50 Pts / 56 PIM / -9

Akil Thomas (C) – 61 GP / 21 G / 27 A / 48 Pts / 17 PIM / -23

Kirill Maximov (RW) – 66 GP / 21 G / 17 A / 38 Pts / 41 PIM / -1

Stephen Dhillon (G) – 59 GP / 3.46 GAA / .914 Sv% / 1 Shutout

Whereas most teams in hockey suffer from lack of centre depth, Niagara might just have too many centres going into the 2017-18 season. Their top three returning scorers all play down the middle, as does 2017 fifth overall pick Phillip Tomasino.

The IceDogs are losing their top two defenders from last year in Haydon and Mantha. Elijah Roberts, Billy Constantinou, and Zach Shankar will all be playing pivotal roles on the backend this year.

Dhillon will return to his role as the main netminder for the team. He was tied for the most games played in the league last season with 59, and was one of the top goalies in terms of save percentage.

The additions to the team this season will almost surely push Niagara up the standings in the conference.

Mississauga will be the top competition for the IceDogs this year. They are supposed to have a top 10 units in the entire CHL. Watch for their matchups throughout the season.

About this article

By: , , , , , , and
Posted: Sep 23 2017 6:45 pm
Edition:
Filed under: Hockey Sports
Topics: