Hey OHL fans! It's time for a big serving of news, stats and notes of interest.
The theme of this column is also going to focus on mid-season
MVPs and top teams. Here are my choices for the Wolves first
half MVP, top rookie, and best defenceman.
Team MVP: Devin DiDiomete. The six-foot, 190-pound forward has
given a new meaning to the word determination. Every time he
steps on the ice, DiDiomete has made an impact whether it's by
a big hit, goal or fight. In 33 games, he has 17 goals, 27
points, 110 penalty minutes and four game-winning goals.
Top Rookie: Jesse Messier. After coming back from a serious
neck injury that threatened his career, Messier has made the
most out his return, scoring 14 goals and 28 points in 35
games.
Top Defenceman: Jonathan D'Aversa. In this new age of hockey
where offensive is at a premium, defender D'Aversa has stepped
up and taken control. D'Aversa is one of the leading scoring
defencemen in the OHL with 10 goals and 38 points in 34 games.
He has seven power play goals. D'Aversa is also reliable as he
has a +7 rating.
I thought it would be interesting to dish out some unofficial
mid-season awards for stellar and dubious achievements. I will
break it down into Eastern and Western Conference
categories.
Here's my picks on the Eastern Conference side.
Surprise team of the first half: The Mississauga IceDogs. The
IceDogs are only a move or two away from being a championship
contender. Mississauga has a record of 20-12-0-2, good for
second overall in the Eastern Conference. The IceDogs are
getting success by scoring goals and lots of them. Mississauga
leads the OHL with 160 goals for.
Most disappointing team: Kingston Frontenacs. Despite a wealth
of offensive talent, the Frontenacs have under-achieved big
time. They have a record of 13-17-4-1, and they sit in last
place in the East Division. Upfront, Kingston features some of
the league's best pure talents - Chris Stewart, Cory Emmerton,
Bobby Hughes and Peder Skinner - but weak goaltending and a
spotty defence corps has spelled almost disaster for the
club.
Eastern Conference MVP: Barrie Colts centre Bryan Little. The
five-foot-10 forward has been terrific, scoring 24 goals and 62
points in 30 games. Little has registered a point in every game
except for four contests. He also has five game-winning goals.
Barrie owns the best record in the OHL at 25-8-0-1.
Now my picks on the Western Conference side.
Surprise Team of the first half: Kitchener Rangers. Kitchener
started the year going 2-5. After last season, they lost the
league's best goalie (Dan Turple) as well as 100-point scorer
Evan McGrath. Still, head coach and GM Pete DeBoer has made
several shrewd moves and has every player believing in
themselves and each other. It shows as the team owns the second
best record in the OHL at 24-10-0-2.
Most Disappointing Team: Owen Sound Attack. This was supposed
to be the year the Attack climbed to the top of the OHL
standings. Instead, they're struggling to stay above .500. Owen
Sound sits third in the Midwest Division with a record of
17-15-1-3. They own an envious defence corps highlighted by
Bobby Sanguinetti, Theo Peckham and former WHLer Dayln Flatt.
They also boast an impressive forward group with the likes of
Bobby Ryan and Trevor Lewis - both first round NHL Draft picks.
They entered the Christmas break going 3-5-1-1 in their last 10
games.
Western Conference MVP: Kitchener goalie John Murray. I have to
give it to Murray over two dynamic duos - London's young
superstars Patrick Kane and Sam Gagner and Plymouth's goalie
tandem of Jeremy Smith and Michal Neuvirth. Murray, a rookie,
has been, in one word, brilliant. Murray has a record of
22-4-0-1. His wins place him second overall in the league.
Murray also owns the league's best GAA (2.34) and second best
save percentage (.921). He also won 14 straight games at one
point in the first half, helping Kitchener soar to the top of
the standings.
