OHL 2017-2018 Season Preview: Western Conference

East look to get back on top after Western Conference wins league championship

Sault Ste Marie Greyhounds

Division: West
Coach: Drew Bannister
2016-17 Record: 48-16- 3-1

Key Additions:

Hayden Fowler (C) (Round 1, 19th overall),
Robert Calisti (LD), (Round 3, 44 overall)
Rasmus Sandin (RD, Sweden) (Round 1, 52nd overall)
Keeghan Howdeshell—Originally drafted 10th overall by the Greyhounds in 2014 but spent two years with the U.S. National development program and one year playing for the Muskegon Lumberjacks of the USHL last season.

Key Departures:

Bobby Macintyre —leading scorer in 2017, signed by Cleveland Monsters (Columbus)
Zachary Senyshyn —Leading goal scorer in 2017 (42), drafted 2015, 15 th
overall—Boston—playing in Providence next season
Blake Speers – Drafted 67 th by New Jersey in the 2015 draft, Speers has graduated from the OHL and will most likely begin the season playing in the AHL for Albany.

The Greyhounds finished atop the West division and ended the season with the third most wins (48) and points (100) across the entire OHL. Led largely by Macintyre and Senyshyn up front, the Greyhounds owned the leagues fourth best offense, scoring 287 goals over their 68-game campaign.

It was a slow start at home for the team, posting a 2-5- 1 record over their first eight games at the Essar Centre, but as the season moved forward, the Greyhounds finally got settled in front of their fans and ended the season with a 29-9- 3 record in their building. With their excellent play throughout the regular season, the Greyhounds earned home ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs where they faced off against the seventh seeded Flint Firebirds.

After splitting the first two games of the series at the Essar Centre, the Greyhounds kicked it up a gear, winning three straight to advance to the second round against the Owen Sound Attack. Sault Ste. Marie were able to keep the momentum going, winning the first two games of the series 4-1, but stumbled in game three and could not recover, losing four in a row on route to
their elimination in six games.

Top Players:

Boris Katchouk (LW)- 66 GP/ 35 G/ 29 A/ 64 Pts/ 46 PIM/ +18
Katchouk is a six-foot- three winger whose combination of size and skill has allowed him to enjoy a productive OHL career thus far. The Kitchener native recorded 51 points two seasons ago and 64 last year and will be counted upon heavily after losing Bobby Macintyre and Zachary Senyshyn this off-season.

Katchouk also led the Greyhound skaters during the 2017 OHL playoffs in both goals with eight and points with 13 in 11 games. He was selected in the 2nd round, 44th overall, by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft.

Morgan Frost (C)– 67 GP/ 20 G/ 42 A/ 62 Pts/ 36 PIM/ +15
Morgan Frost is an extremely talented playmaking center who is coming off an incredible sophomore season with the Greyhounds. Frost jumped from recording 27 points two seasons ago to 62 last season and will most likely see that number increase once again this year.

On the night of the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, the Philadelphia Flyers traded Brayden Schenn to the St. Louis Blues in exchange for Jori Lehtera and their first-round pick. The Flyers selected Nolan Patrick second overall in the draft and Frost with this newly acquired pick, at 27th overall.

Conor Timmins (D)– 67 GP/ 7 G/ 54 A/ 61 Pts/ 69 PIM/ +53
It was a breakout season for Thorold Ontario’s Conor Timmins last year, as the 18-year- old finished fourth in points and third in assists among all OHL defenceman. Timmins dominated at both ends of the ice, recording a plus/minus of 53, good for sixth in the league.

Timmins will be the leader on the back-end for the Greyhounds this season and will have a fresh bode of confidence after being drafted in the second round, 32 nd overall by the Colorado Avalanche at the 2017 NHL Entry Draft.

Tim Gettinger (LW)– 65 GP/ 31 G/ 23 A/ 54 Pts/ 27 PIM/ +26

Tim Gettinger is a towering, six-foot- six, 220-pound power-forward with some great offensive potential. The Ohio native has improved his game and stat line in each of his three years with the Greyhounds and cracked the 30 goals mark for the first time in his career last season.

The strapping winger was selected to participate in the 2015-16 CHL Top Prospects Game and did his best to impress the scouts. Gettinger was ultimately selected in the fifth round, 141st overall by the New York Rangers at the 2016 NHL Entry Draft.

Matthew Villalta (G)– 33 GP/ 25 W/ 3 L/ 2.41 GAA/ 0.918 SAV%/ 1 SO
In his rookie season with the club, Matthew Villalta thrived and ended up playing 33 games, providing more of a platoon role than a back-up for starter Joseph Raaymakers. The Godfrey Ontario native stands at six-foot- three and posted an incredible record of 25-3 in his rookie campaign.

Villalta was awarded the 2017 F.W. “Dinty” Moore Trophy for rookie goaltender with lowest Goals against average and was the first Greyhounds goalie to win the award since 2005. He was drafted by the Los Angeles Kings, 72 nd overall at the 2017 NHL Entry Draft.

The Greyhounds should find similar success in the upcoming season, with a handful of players on their roster being close to NHL ready. Losing Macintyre and Senyshyn will force talents like Frost and Katchouk to step up their games once again—a task that the two highly touted NHL prospects should be ready to handle.

The Greyhounds have won at least 44 games and their division three of the past four years and are on track for another season of elite status. With Villalta between the pipes coming off of his award-winning rookie campaign, the Greyhounds are solid in every department. Expect them to finish near the top of the Western Conference once again.

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Posted: Sep 23 2017 6:53 pm
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