Northern lights of the OHL


By
May 6, 2020

It has been said that hockey players from northern Ontario are, on average, overlooked when compared to those from the Greater Toronto Area and the southwestern and eastern parts of the province.

And while there are those of us who are not sure why some clubs in the Ontario Hockey League even bother to employ scouts who are based in the north, there is a fair harvest of prime talent hailing from northeastern Ontario with a current affiliation to OHL teams.

Following, in alphabetical order, are a blaze of northern lights who have played at least one full season in the OHL and should be average to impact players in the league in 2019-2020.

CAMARYN BABER. Often referred to as the ‘undercover MVP’ of the Saginaw Spirit, the 2001 birth year forward from Sault Ste. Marie is one of the more under-rated players in the entire OHL.

Camaryn Baber of the Saginaw Spirit.

Baber has been a third or fourth line skater over two full seasons in Saginaw and is coming off of a 2019-2020 campaign in which he managed nine goals, 18 assists, 27 points in 57 games.

Fast, fearless and furious, Baber — who Saginaw took in the third round of the 2017 OHL priority selections draft — plays a pro-style game and is seen as the ultimate team player.

As a heart and soul performer, his value to Saginaw certainly cannot be measured in statistics.

BEN GAUDREAU. The best goalie to come out of the Great North Midget Hockey League in decades, the pride of the North Bay area town of Corbeil had a very good rookie season with the Sarnia Sting in 2019-2020.

Ben Gaudreau of the Sarnia Sting.

A 6-foot-2 puck-stopper who is a relentless competitor, Gaudreau had a 10-13-2 record with an .890 save percentage and a 4.34 goals against average for a Sarnia squad that finished last in the Western Conference in 2019-2020 with a 22-34-6 mark.

Gaudreau, who has a 2003 birth date, was a first round pick by Sarnia from the North Bay Major Trappers at the 2019 OHL priority selections draft.

MAX GRONDIN. Originally a second-round pick by Saginaw in 2016, the 6-foot-4 center is coming off of a 2019-2020 season in which he potted 13 goals, 20 assists, 33 points in 60 games for the Peterborough Petes.

Hailing from the small northeastern Ontario town of Hearst, Grondin, who has a 2000 birth date, looms as an overage candidate for the 2020-2021 season, if not with Peterborough, then with another OHL club.

DANNY KATIC. Yet another potential overage (2000 birth year) skater for the 2020-2021 campaign, the hulking left winger has spent his entire OHL career with Saginaw since the Spirit snagged him in the eighth round of the 2016 draft.

A Timmins product, the 6-foot-4 Katic is fresh from his best OHL season in 2019-2020, having put up 13 goals, 23 assists, 36 points in 62 games for Saginaw.

COLE MACKAY. A fifth round draft pick of his hometown Soo Greyhounds in 2017, the 2001 birth year forward has already played three full seasons in the OHL.

MacKay netted 25 goals, 26 assists, 51 points for the Greyhounds in 2019-2020.

A consistent game in, game out performer, MacKay has suited up in 171 regular season games for the Greyhounds and scored 57 goals.

JACK MATIER. A right-handed shooting defenseman with good size, the Sault Ste. Marie product was a first round pick of the Ottawa 67’s from the Soo minor midgets at the 2019 OHL priority selections draft.

Despite playing for a powerhouse Ottawa team that had the OHL’s best record in 2019-2020, the rookie Matier — who has a 2003 birth date — got into 56 games for the 67’s and collected nine points, all of them assists.

MAX MCCUE. As is their norm when it comes to developing rookies, the always contending London Knights took their time with McCue over the course of the 2019-2020 OHL season.

Max McCue of the London Knights.

McCue got into just 34 games with the Knights this past season and produced modest totals of two goals, four assists, six points. But what is worth noting is how the 6-foot, 165-pound center/left wing with the 2003 birth date finished the 2019-2020 season in London.

That is, of the 2-4-6 totals that McCue managed in the 34 games that he dressed for with London, he netted two goals, two assists, four points over eight outings between January 19 and March 1 of this year.

London landed McCue in the second round of the 2019 OHL draft from the Sudbury Minor Wolves of the Great North midget loop.

BILLY MOSKAL. A top overage prospect for London in 2020-2021, the 2000 birth year center was a second round pick of the Knights from the Sudbury minor midgets at the 2016 OHL draft.

After spending most of his 2016-2017 rookie season with the St. Mary’s Lincolns of the Greater Ontario Jr. Hockey League — he did get into 13 OHL games with London — the six foot, 190 pound Moskal has now played in more than 200 matches on the Knight shift.

More of a shutdown forward than a scorer, Moskal netted 13 goals, 14 assists, 27 points in 58 games for London during the 2019-2020 OHL season.

NICK PORCO. It was a tough season for the Sault Ste. Marie product in 2019-2020.

The 2001 birth year forward requested a trade from Saginaw after having been a first round pick of the Spirit, two years earlier, in 2017.

Nick Porco of the Barrie Colts.

The speedy left winger and National Hockey League prospect of the Dallas Stars ended up being traded to the Barrie Colts.

But after arriving in Barrie, Porco had to deal with the death of his maternal grandfather. He also missed several weeks of action after getting mononucleosis.

In all, Porco played in just 50 games and had nine goals, 11 assists, 20 points.

Known for being a character individual with a pleasant personality, Porco will be looking to come up big for Barrie in 2020-2021 and earn an NHL contract from Dallas.

ZACHARY ROY. A 2001 birth year goalie from the North Bay area town of Callander, Roy has played in two full seasons for the Hamilton Bulldogs after being a fourth round pick in 2017.

Playing for a below .500 Hamilton team in 2019-2020, Roy had a 14-13-2 record with an .889 save percentage and 3.81 goals against average.

PACEY SCHLUETING. The big defenseman was taken by his hometown North Bay Battalion from the minor midget North Bay Trappers in the first round of the 2018 OHL priority selections draft.

Pacey Schlueting of the North Bay Battalion.

Through two full OHL seasons with the Battalion, the 2002 birth year defender has struggled on lowly teams and has yet to score a goal in 116 games.

There are those who feel that Schlueting will achieve potential in 2020-2021 under Battalion coach Ryan Oulahen, who took over behind the North Bay bench part way through the 2019-2020 campaign.

KEEGAN STEVENSON. The 2000 birth year forward (he was born on December 31) is poised to be an overage player in 2020-2021 after a productive 2019-2020 season for the Guelph Storm in which the Sault Ste. Marie product had 21 goals, 22 assists, 43 points in 63 games.

And if Guelph should decide to move on from Stevenson after three seasons, there will be no shortage of OHL teams looking to trade for the solid, 6-foot-1 winger.

PAYTON VESCIO. A 2001 birth year defenseman, Vescio was taken by his hometown North Bay Battalion in the fourth round of the 2017 OHL priority selections draft.

After being traded to Hamilton, the right-handed shooting Vescio came into his own with the Bulldogs in 2019-2020 and finished the season with three goals, 11 assists, 14 points in 61 games.


What you think about “Northern lights of the OHL”

  1. Also Iroquois Falls product Chad Denault with North Bay. Randy is it true Elliot Lake has pulled the plug for a year?

    1. Nick, Denault is going to university in North Bay next season … Yes, Elliot Lake has pulled the plug.

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