OHL Weekend Notebook: Nov. 14, 2023
We’ve reached the quarter-mark of the OHL season! Here’s the latest look at on-ice developments across the league.
Rangers show no signs of slowing down
With the unexpected additions of Filip Mesar (Montreal) and Roman Schmidt (Tampa Bay), the Kitchener Rangers have the wind at their backs as they climbed to the top of the Week 7 OHL Power Rankings after being unranked in the inaugural preseason edition. Kitchener has paced the league offensively with 91 goals scored, producing the OHL’s top three scorers in Carson Rehkopf (19-14–33), defenceman Hunter Brzustewicz (5-27–32) and overager Matthew Sop (10-20–30). The Blueshirts extended their winning streak to five games with wins over Owen Sound, Peterborough and Sault Ste. Marie. OHL Goaltender of the Week Jackson Parsons put together 181 minutes and 25 seconds of shutout hockey in his back-to-back clean slates last week. The Rangers also moved Czech defender Tomas Hamara to the Brantford Bulldogs over the weekend, making some space on what was becoming a crowded blueline in light of the addition of Schmidt, and the return of Canadian U17 gold medalist Cameron Reid.
Collecting three wins and two shutouts for the red hot @OHLRangers, Jackson Parsons is the #OHL Goaltender of the Week.#OHLGOTW 📰: https://t.co/lEAEDYk97B pic.twitter.com/bWp8laEgh1
— Ontario Hockey League (@OHLHockey) November 13, 2023
Spirit pull-off rare four-win week
The Saginaw Spirit had a busy schedule last week that yielded successful results. The Spirit needed a big week and they got one, defeating Sarnia and Windsor before doubling-up on Windsor. Overage winger and Michigander Dean Loukus led the charge offensively with six points (3-3–6) while 2024 NHL Draft prospect Zayne Parekh netted his first OHL hat-trick in Wednesday’s win over Flint. The Spirit continue to excel on the power play (1st ranked) and penalty kill (2nd ranked).
From fierce rivals to playmaking linemates!
Dean Loukus fed #GoBolts prospect and former Flint foe Ethan Hay twice on Sunday as @SpiritHockey won a fifth straight contest 🎥 pic.twitter.com/NnbfPaqH0s
— Ontario Hockey League (@OHLHockey) November 13, 2023
Colts come back strong with three-win week
The Barrie Colts were pushed off the OHL Power Rankings two weeks ago, and apparently took things pretty hard. They’re right back in the Top-16 this week following three straight wins to improve their record to 9-8-0-0. Barrie bested Kingston, Mississauga and North Bay as rookie forward Shamar Moses had a coming-out party with four points (3-1–4) in the three wins. Up-and-coming netminder Sam Hillebrandt continues to show well as he backstopped the Colts to wins over the Steelheads and Battalion, improving to 6-4 with a 2.46 goals-against average and .923 save percentage. Seattle Kraken prospect made the switch from #26 over to #12, the number he wore growing up – he has points in five of his last six games. Veteran forward Beau Jelsma is Barrie’s leading scorer, putting together three points (1-2–3) on Sunday to sit at 19 (6-13–19) on the campaign.
Took the @OHLHockey power rankings personal 😤 #GiddyUp pic.twitter.com/of7PspRmBs
— Barrie Colts (@OHLBarrieColts) November 12, 2023
Otters continue strong play
The Erie Otters had a forgettable 0-4 start to the season, but things are looking up after another solid week. After going 3-0 on a road trip two weeks ago, the Otters picked up three of a possible four points. A Spencer Sova overtime winner on Friday secured a 4-3 win over the Sudbury Wolves at Erie Insurance Arena before the Otters scooped up a point in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Flint Firebirds on Saturday. Overage goaltender Ben Gaudreau has helped Erie turn things around, playing to an 8-4-1-0 mark since coming over from the Sarnia Sting in October. Anaheim Ducks prospect Carey Terrance leads Erie offensively with 23 points (13-10–23) in 18 games.
Captain Sova to the rescue 🫡 pic.twitter.com/K7nnhfG2cS
— Erie Otters 🦦 (@ErieOtters) November 11, 2023
Injury update
As the season pushes into mid-November, injuries inevitably occur and a few new ones have emerged in recent weeks, with the North Bay Battalion losing star goaltender Dom DiVincentiis to start the month. DiVincentiis remains out week-to-week while the tandem of Charlie Robertson and Mike McIvor tend the goal for the Troops. The London Knights have missed shutdown blueliner Ethan MacKinnon since Oct. 12th as he proved valuable for them in their playoff run last spring. Another overager in Kitchener Rangers forward Mitchell Martin suffered a lower body injury on Nov. 5th, but with the Rangers getting Roman Schmidt back from the AHL, the Blueshirts will slot him into the lineup alongside Simon Motew and Matthew Sop. Up Highway 6 in Guelph, the Storm will be without rookie defenceman Quinn Beauchesne for 6-8 weeks after he suffered a wrist fracture while representing Canada Red at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge. Additionally, the Ottawa 67’s announced last week they’ll miss Vegas Golden Knights prospect Tuomas Uronen indefinitely as a result of a lower body injury.
Storm defenceman Quinn Beauchesne suffered a wrist fracture last night against the Swedes. Quinn is expected to miss 6-8 weeks, including the balance of the U17 World Hockey Challenge. He will be re-evaluated upon his return to Guelph. pic.twitter.com/LxFMOibS1a
— Guelph Storm (@Storm_City) November 7, 2023
Ritchie records two points in season debut
The Oshawa Generals came up just short on Sunday, losing 5-4 to the Kingston Frontenacs in a shootout but the good news for Gennies fans is that Calum Ritchie is back in the lineup. The Colorado Avalanche first round pick recorded a goal and an assist in his return after undergoing offseason shoulder surgery, causing him to miss a month and a half of the season. The Generals are strong down the middle with Ritchie joining Minnesota Wild prospect Rasmus Kumpulainen and New York Rangers pick Dylan Roobroeck. Oshawa sits fourth in the East Division with an 8-9-0-1 record, entering a quiet week with just one game at home to Peterborough on Sunday afternoon.
"Guess who, welcome back, Calum Ritchie!" 🎙️🔥
The @Avalanche first-rounder finds the back of the net in his season debut to bring the @Oshawa_Generals back into the hockey game 📽️ pic.twitter.com/BKTOMGiwUv
— Ontario Hockey League (@OHLHockey) November 13, 2023
Ludwinski rolling for Frontenacs
The Kingston Frontenacs continued their strong start to the Troy Mann era over the weekend, rebounding from a Thursday night loss in Barrie with wins over Sarnia and Oshawa. Chicago Blackhawks prospect and captain Paul Ludwinski has points in nine games, collecting 14 points (6-8–14) in that span. Linemate Matthew Soto scored five times last week. Kingston is 5-2 since the hiring of head coach Troy Mann on Oct. 24th.
The Captain is on a heater 🔥🔥#BearTheK | @OHLHockey | #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/CUC1YeIOyZ
— Kingston Frontenacs (@KingstonFronts) November 13, 2023
Greentree has big week for struggling Spitfires
The Windsor Spitfires aren’t where they’d like to be in the standings, but 2024 NHL Draft prospect Liam Greentree is doing his part to try and elevate them. Despite three losses last week, the Oshawa, Ont. native posted seven points (3-4–7) to give him 24 (11-13–24) in 15 games. Greentree was listed as an A rated prospect by NHL Central Scouting in their October players to watch list for the 2024 NHL Draft. Greentree wore an ‘A’ for the Spitfires on Thursday against London.
The @SpitsHockey fire back with three unanswered! 🚨
Goals from Greentree, Davis, and Abraham and the hosts rally to take the lead 🎥 pic.twitter.com/ieOn8Pc7td
— Ontario Hockey League (@OHLHockey) November 10, 2023
Wolves juggle lineup on the road
The Sudbury Wolves were in Niagara, Erie and Brantford last weekend. After winning 7-2 in St. Catharines, the Wolves hit some lineup challenges as Quentin Musty and Nathan Villeneuve were both sidelined due to illness while overage winger Landon McCallum was assessed a two-game suspension. Sudbury fell 4-3 in overtime against Erie before being blanked 4-0 by Brantford. On a positive note, Ottawa Senators prospect Djibril Toure was back in the lineup last week after missing time due to injury. The Wolves sit one point back of first place Mississauga in the Central Division.
Wolves Top Five Plays: Nov. 6-Nov. 12 🐺🔥
5️⃣ Alex Pharand
4️⃣ Nate Krawchuk
3️⃣ Andre Anania, Nick DeAngelis, Dalibor Dvorsky
2️⃣ Kieron Walton, Kocha Delic
1️⃣ Andre Anania#WeAreWolves 🐾 pic.twitter.com/EklYyTjaDs— Sudbury Wolves (@Sudbury_Wolves) November 13, 2023
IceDogs enter Ben Boudreau era
The Niagara IceDogs made a coaching change last week, dismissing Ryan Kuwabara from his post following a 3-7-4-1 start to the season. Ben Boudreau, the son of long-time NHL coach Bruce Boudreau, is his replacement. The St. Catharines native coached the ECHL’s Fort Wayne Komets to a championship in 2021. The Dogs lost 5-3 to the Brantford Bulldogs in Boudreau’s debut on Friday before falling 5-4 to the Soo Greyhounds on a last minute difference-maker Saturday night. Boudreau looks for his first OHL coaching win on Thursday night at home to the Barrie Colts.
📣 Our latest #IceDogs episode is up on @ArmchairGMPod!
Brandon, Cam, & Drew react to the coaching news from this weekend. #NiagaraNow #OHL
🎤 Postgame thoughts from Ben Boudreau on being named the team’s new Head Coach.
🎧 https://t.co/fpj9GjC9PN pic.twitter.com/J8jutvcDCK
— The Dog Pound Podcast (@DogPoundPodcast) November 13, 2023
Attack look for stability on coming road trip
The Owen Sound Attack dropped three decisions last week, continuing a first quarter of the season marked by some inconsistency. The Bears were blanked 5-0 by Kitchener, lost 5-4 to London in overtime and dropped a 5-2 decision against the Mississauga Steelheads. The 7-9-2-0 Bears were without captain Colby Barlow for the weekend after he suffered an injury on Wednesday against Kitchener. They hit the road for the next five games, visiting Windsor, Sarnia and Flint this coming weekend.
Servac with a snipe! 🇸🇰
The @mnwild prospect ties it up for the @AttackOHL with a perfectly placed shot 🎯 pic.twitter.com/iEbbvyDJb6
— Ontario Hockey League (@OHLHockey) November 11, 2023
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