Hot and cold in the OHL


By
November 13, 2017

As the Ontario Hockey League inches towards the one-third mark of the 2017-2018 regular season we check in on some of who are hot and some of who are not.

HOT: Guelph Storm is brewing with three straight wins and a 7-2-1 record in its last 10 outings to improve to 10-7-2 and into the upper half of the Western Conference. Thus far, goalie Anthony Popovich is silencing the doubters — myself included — with a 10-6-1 record, 2.58 goals against average and .924 save percentage.

COLD: After a hot start, Flint Firebirds have gone cold with an 0-8-1 record in their last 9 games to drop to 6-11-2. Overage goalie Garrett Forrest has likewise gone cold and is win-less in his last 9 starts and has overall numbers that are not pretty, leading to speculation that Flint general manager Barclay Branch and head coach Ryan Oulahen may be looking elsewhere.

HOT: London Knights. Yes folks, the Knights are back on track with a 6-2-2 record over their last 10 games to improve to 7-9-2. Goalie Joseph Raaymakers has been a work horse on the Knight shift since being acquired from the Soo Greyhounds. Raaymakers has a 6-1-1 mark with a 2.23 goals against average and .921 save percentage in Knights armour.

COLD: North Bay Battalion has dropped four straight games and has a 6-12-2 record and fans are getting restless in the Gateway City. The Battalion missed the playoffs last season and I shudder to think what will happen if it misses again.

HOT: Saginaw Spirit, the youngest team in the OHL, has won four of its last five games to improve its record to 7-9-2. After producing only one assist in his first nine games, rookie forward Blade Jenkins has 7 goals, 4 assists, 11 points in his last nine outings.

COLD: Sudbury Wolves are win-less in their last four games and have an overall record of 6-12-4. Injuries and sub-par goal-tending have been an issue in Wolves country.

HOT: Soo Greyhounds have won six straight games and have a record of 15-3-2 through 20 outings. Seasoned skater Boris Katchouk has lit the lamp 18 times in 20 games to date.

COLD: After an 8-3-2 start to the season, Oshawa Generals have lost five straight games. Over those five losses, Oshawa has been out-scored by a 27-8 margin.


What you think about “Hot and cold in the OHL”

  1. Randy, you and I were the same on Popovich. Skeptical but he has shown he seems capable of carrying the load of a number one starter. Guelph has not really had its own home grown developed starter since Garrett Sparks.

  2. Something’s rotten in Battalion-land for sure. Either the scouts have just not been doing a good job – or potential picks won’t report – or the time has come for a younger coach. No one seems to have a solution although most fans would say the goaltending has been pitiful. On the other hand, Owen Sound is about as small a market as North Bay but things there seem to be humming along just fine. Time will tell but attendance is definitely declining.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *