Press Release
The great ones – like Steven
Stamkos played in the OMHA – and the next ones like Barrie’s Tyler
MacArthur and Kingston’s Josh Leblanc will take to the ice at the OMHA
Showcase in Barrie December 1 and 2.
Thirteen teams from the Eastern [ETA] minor midget AAAs will battle
head-to-head in a series of games in front of pro, junior and university
scouts at Holly Community Centre. The event is a preview of the top
picks in next spring’s Ontario Hockey League’s Priority Selection Draft
and, in a few short years, the National Hockey League draft. The OMHA is
a premier development league with recent NHL grads including Stamkos,
Matt Duchene, Corey Perry and Cody Hodgson.
A list of players to watch, including Tyler MacArthur and Josh
Leblanc is listed below with comments from OHL Central Scouting. The
Showcase rosters, schedule and television schedule on Rogers TV – Barrie
are available by visiting www.omha.net.
“When the players know scouts are watching and can step up their play
it’s an indication as they get older they can deal with the pressures
of hockey and move on,” said Dave Reid, former General Manager of the
OHL’s Peterborough Petes. “They all know a good show will go a long
way.”
The participating clubs are the Central Ontario Wolves, Peterborough
Minor Petes, Quinte Red Devils, Kingston Junior Frontenacs, Barrie
Junior Colts, Ajax-Pickering Raiders, Markham Waxers, Clarington Toros,
North Central Predators, South Central Coyotes, Oshawa Generals, Whitby
Wildcats, York Simcoe Express and the North Ontario Hockey Association
All-Stars.
The event is projected to draw 1,000 people and provide a boost to the Barrie economy.
“Profiling our AAA athletes at the Showcase events is an excellent
way for scouts and universities to see all players,” said OMHA President
Joyce Junker. “The OMHA is proud of every player and wants to do the
best job possible to support them and their families by hosting such
events as this.”
The OMHA AAA Showcase is also used to promote a path to
post-secondary education for the athletes. Many OMHA graduates move on
to attend and play at Ontario universities.
“The Ontario Hockey League offers student-athletes the best of both
worlds when it comes to on ice development and opportunities in
education,” said OHL Commissioner David Branch. “We look forward to the
opportunity to meet so many of the OMHA’s great student-athletes and
future stars of the OHL at these events.”
The OUA and OHL will host information sessions at the Showcase to
explain the pathways to junior hockey and university life. OUA hockey is
filled with OMHA grads, many who enjoyed OHL careers including David
Searle [Peterborough], Tony Rizzi, Anthony and Kaine Geldart [Kingston]
and Steve Ferry [Richmond Hill].
"Ontario University Athletics has a shared interest with the Ontario
Hockey League in helping prepare their student-athletes for life after
their junior playing careers. We hope that the OMHA AAA Showcase is the
first of many opportunities for hockey fans to celebrate the
accomplishments of exceptional student-athletes in both leagues," said
OUA Executive Director Ward Dilse.
Some of the games will be broadcast on Rogers TV – Barrie, with a schedule available at www.omha.net.
The Showcase sponsors include the OHL, OUA, Barrie Colts, the City of
Barrie, Under Armour, Rogers TV-Barrie, Pro Hockey Life, Forse Hockey,
Rinknet Scouting Software, Shoeless Joe’s Restaurant, Garner’s Source
for Sports, Panera Bread, and Pixels Photography.
Players to watch
Here are some top players to watch in the tournament, with quotes
about each from Darrell Woodley, Director of Central Scouting for the
OHL.
Ajax Pickering Raiders, Dallas Baird, Centre. “Dallas is a big
centre with lots of potential. He is at his best when he is driving the
net and creating scoring chances and using his solid frame to win
battles for the puck.”
Barrie Colts, Tyler MacArthur, defenseman. “He is a big, solid
defenseman with good mobility. He likes to join the rush and create
offense for his team when he can. Runs power play and has a good shot
from the point.”
Barrie Colts, Michael Holmes, defenseman. “Michael is a very
reliable defenseman with a very high hockey IQ. He is used in all
situations and excels on the defensive side of the puck, good all-round
Dman.”
Central Ontario Wolves, Jake Bricknell, forward. “Jake is the type of
that other teams don’t like to play against, he is very hard on the
puck and wins most of his battles. He is not afraid to go to the dirty
areas and has the skill to capitalize on chances he gets.”
Central Ontario Wolves, Brady Baker, defenseman. “Brady is a smooth
skating defenseman with very good mobility, he has the ability to skate
the puck out of his own end, he makes a good first pass and he is not
afraid to join the rush when needed.”
Clarington Toros, Evan Cormier, goalie. “Evan is a good sized goalie
that takes up a lot of the net, He always keeps his team in the game and
has the ability to steal games as well. Evan is very technically sound
with a good glove hand.”
Kingston Jr Frontenacs, Josh Leblanc, Centre. “Josh has great speed
and is always using it to create offense and put pressure on the other
team’s defense. He competes hard shift in shift out and has a good
skill set.”
Kingston Jr Frontenacs, Matthew Scott, defenseman. “Matthew is a tall
lengthy defenseman with pretty good mobility, he is a very smart player
and he is very rarely caught out of position. He is very hard to beat 1
on 1 because he has such a good stick and he uses it all over the ice.”
Markham Waxers, Jonathan Ang, forward. “Jonathan is an underage
playing at the Minor Midget level. He a very skilled player with good
speed and vision and you notice him every time he is on the ice. A name
to watch for in the future.”
North Central Predators, Trayvon Henry, forward. “Trayvon is a tall,
lengthy centre. He is their best player night in night out, competes
hard every shift and has a good skill set.”
Oshawa Generals, Ryan Heeps, forward. “Ryan and is very responsible
player in all 3 zones on the ice, he has a great understanding of all
aspects of the game. He also has pretty good skill which allows him to
create offense for himself and his teammates.”
Peterborough Petes, Tiger Brennan, centre. “Tiger competes hard game
in game out. You notice him because of his work ethic. He is a team
player and is used in most situations by his coaches.”
Quinte Red Devils, Brodie Butt, forward. “Brodie is a competitive
player that does whatever it takes to help his team win a game. He is a
good skater with a good skill set, which helps him create scoring
chances for himself and his teammates.”
South Central Coyotes, Marcus Crawford, defenseman. “Marcus is
smaller offensive minded defenseman that is always looking to create
offense. He has great vision and is able to find the open forward
whether it’s on the power play or hitting them on a stretch pass for a
breakaway.
Whitby Wildcats, Hayden McCool, centre. “Hayden has all the
attributes to be a very good player at the next level and beyond; Good
size, skates well and has a great shot. When Hayden is on the top of
his game he is one of the best players in this age group.”
Whitby Wildcats, Justin Lemcke, defenseman. “Justin is one of the
most physically intimidating players to play against in this league. He
has continued to develop since the beginning of the season and his
coaching staff uses him in all situations.
York Simcoe Express, Graham Knott, forward. “Graham enjoys the
physical side of the game, he uses his size to gain advantages in all 3
three zones. He has a good skill set which allows him to capitalize on
his chance or make a play to set up his teammates.”
York Simcoe Express, Tyler Boston, centre. “Tyler is the type of
player that coaches love to have on their team. He has a good
understanding of the game and never takes a shift off. He is a big part
of his teams early success and is used in every situation.”
About the Ontario Minor Hockey Association
The
Ontario Minor Hockey Association, founded in 1935, is the largest minor
hockey association in the world and oversees a participant base of
300,000 consisting of players, coaches, trainers, officials, hockey
volunteers and parents across the province. The OMHA has 246 active
member minor hockey associations and annually coordinates 45 leagues and
approximately 600 development clinics throughout Ontario. For more
information, visit www.omha.net.
(Nathan can be reached at nathanfournier@mainehockeyjournal.com)
