Ottawa 67's 2022 Off-season Thread

[beastintheeast]

Looking at teams rosters from last year Mississauga seems the best choice to trade with they have a lot of 2002

DelBelBelluz, Luca ????

 

[OMG67]

Looking at teams rosters from last year Mississauga seems the best choice to trade with they have a lot of 2002

DelBelBelluz, Luca ????

I don’t think Missy will be making their best player available in a year that they are vying for a Championship.

 

[beastintheeast]

Is there anyone this year that will not be contending for the playoffs?

The conference seems fairly even on paper

 

[dirty12]

Is there anyone this year that will not be contending for the playoffs?

The conference seems fairly even on paper

Oshawa might be the only team below 0.400

 

[beastintheeast]

Oshawa might be the only team below 0.400

I noticed on the Kingston thread you do not consider the 67 a top 5 team. What do you think is missing.
Where do you see Sudbury?

Personally I was trying to figure it out and there is just too many unknowns this year.

 

[dirty12]

I noticed on the Kingston thread you do not consider the 67 a top 5 team. What do you think is missing.
Where do you see Sudbury?

Personally I was trying to figure it out and there is just too many unknowns this year.

I had listed teams I feel can be 4 of the top 5 at the trade deadline. I think the ‘67s can be among the top teams if filling the OA spots and with both Boucher (healthy) and Kasper to start the season.
I think that the wolves team, which I ache for a single victory in round 2 one day soon, face an uphill battle in a loaded division to finish better than 7th.

 

[OMG67]

The 67’s need a front line centre (assuming Rohrer is the #2 centre) and secondarily, they need a puck moving D-Man. If they were to get those two pieces, I think they would be able to score a lot of goals. If they score a lot of goals, their defence wouldn’t be of any real concern. As it stands right now, their defence would be depended on to win games more frequently. I’m not saying they can’t. I’m just saying that with those two other pieces, they wouldn’t need to rely on it.

Then it would be a matter of how well they stack up against the opposition in the playoffs. Once you get to the final four, the differences are usually small but meaningful. We cannot say at this point which teams would honestly fit in the final four. I think the league is a little too close and with the 1.5 years cancelled, too many gaps were formed in the leading indicators.

However, with Boucher and Stonehouse, they have two intangible players that tend to be difference makers in the playoffs. The two of those guys can wear down a team in a seven game series. It is those two players that I look at with respect to Ottawa being able to win a Championship. It isn’t necessarily the top end skill guys that score goals. They are the two antagonists that IMO make all the difference for this team.

 

[dirty12]

The 67’s need a front line centre (assuming Rohrer is the #2 centre) and secondarily, they need a puck moving D-Man. If they were to get those two pieces, I think they would be able to score a lot of goals. If they score a lot of goals, their defence wouldn’t be of any real concern. As it stands right now, their defence would be depended on to win games more frequently. I’m not saying they can’t. I’m just saying that with those two other pieces, they wouldn’t need to rely on it.

Then it would be a matter of how well they stack up against the opposition in the playoffs. Once you get to the final four, the differences are usually small but meaningful. We cannot say at this point which teams would honestly fit in the final four. I think the league is a little too close and with the 1.5 years cancelled, too many gaps were formed in the leading indicators.

However, with Boucher and Stonehouse, they have two intangible players that tend to be difference makers in the playoffs. The two of those guys can wear down a team in a seven game series. It is those two players that I look at with respect to Ottawa being able to win a Championship. It isn’t necessarily the top end skill guys that score goals. They are the two antagonists that IMO make all the difference for this team.

Match ups and home ice matter, a lot. It is not likely the ‘67s wear down any of the battalion, colts, and steelheads. The ‘67s will not wear down the Petes; with a better PP, the ‘67s could limp out of that series.

 

[OMG67]

Match ups and home ice matter, a lot. It is not likely the ‘67s wear down any of the battalion, colts, and steelheads. The ‘67s will not wear down the Petes; with a better PP, the ‘67s could limp out of that series.

I disagree. A guy like Boucher will have the opposition looking behind them with the way he plays. He will connect often enough to wear guys down. A guy like Stonehouse will draw guys away from where they should be (like he always does) with his antics. Guys like Matier, Mayich, GillShane and Smyth have a lot of size on the back end. I expect they will all come in significantly heavier this season. It will be tough for average sized forwards to get to where they need to go. Up front, they are small but they have enough guys that play significant minutes to suck the life out of a team. Boucher alone can cause enough damage to knock multiple players out of a series. You cannot underestimate that. He hits like a truck and he does it without penalty.

 

[dirty12]

I disagree. A guy like Boucher will have the opposition looking behind them with the way he plays. He will connect often enough to wear guys down. A guy like Stonehouse will draw guys away from where they should be (like he always does) with his antics. Guys like Matier, Mayich, GillShane and Smyth have a lot of size on the back end. I expect they will all come in significantly heavier this season. It will be tough for average sized forwards to get to where they need to go. Up front, they are small but they have enough guys that play significant minutes to suck the life out of a team. Boucher alone can cause enough damage to knock multiple players out of a series. You cannot underestimate that. He hits like a truck and he does it without penalty.

According to the Sens, Boucher was the best hitter in the draft class with ability to play in the NHL; apparently that’s worth a pick in the top half of round 1.
Still, the east is big; and getting bigger in large part to match up with teams like the battalion and Petes. I don’t doubt Boucher will hurt people, but I ain’t buying the ‘67s will wear down four line teams like the Petes, Battalion, Colts, Niagara, & Steelheads. An unusual amount of extra picks used in the past few drafts by a few of those teams plus a lack of player movement during the shut down has resulted in an usual amount of deep rosters.

 

[beastintheeast]

The 67 defense can make a big difference in a playoff.

However, I really do not care about the playoffs. You have to qualify for the Playoffs in order to play in them.

Again areas of concern are
scoring - we need second-year players to step up
defence - we need toughness in the corner and in front of the net.
Goaltending - I like Donoso's but this team needs to show support for him and he needs to step up and steal games.

Cameron needs to step up as player developer

Boucher needs to concentrate on points through assists and stay out of the penalty box
Stonehouse needs to not only be an agitator but also be a point player.

The way it looks we are going to start the season with Tolnai as the first-line center and Rohrer on the second line.

 

[OMG67]

The 67 defense can make a big difference in a playoff.

However, I really do not care about the playoffs. You have to qualify for the Playoffs in order to play in them.

Again areas of concern are
scoring - we need second-year players to step up
defence - we need toughness in the corner and in front of the net.
Goaltending - I like Donoso's but this team needs to show support for him and he needs to step up and steal games.

Cameron needs to step up as player developer

Boucher needs to concentrate on points through assists and stay out of the penalty box
Stonehouse needs to not only be an agitator but also be a point player.

The way it looks we are going to start the season with Tolnai as the first-line center and Rohrer on the second line.

That’s ridiculous. 8 of 10 teams per conference make the playoffs in the OHL. The 67’s should not be spoken about within the context of “worrying about making the playoffs.” That is just plain silly.

They are returning their entire roster other than a half useless OA, a goalie that lost his starting job and a decent OA that they claimed on waivers.

Let’s ground ourselves in reality first.

 

[dirty12]

That’s ridiculous. 8 of 10 teams per conference make the playoffs in the OHL. The 67’s should not be spoken about within the context of “worrying about making the playoffs.” That is just plain silly.

They are returning their entire roster other than a half useless OA, a goalie that lost his starting job and a decent OA that they claimed on waivers.

Let’s ground ourselves in reality first.

I can’t imagine the ‘67s missing the playoffs either, but they are just one of seven teams that should be better than last season; and, one of a handful of teams that will return nearly all of last years roster. The east is just going to be stronger than last season.
The Petes graduate two OAs from an 8th placed team that played ~0.550 over the final 3 months. Niagara graduated 3 from their post deadline roster, but added five 19-20 yr olds during the brief trade window. Depending on the status of Winslow, the Battalion return 19-20 that played in the conference final. Of those, 13 were first year players. Ertel committing to the Battalion is a pretty big deal. Missasauga needs two middling D with OHL experience to be considered a serious contender. Barrie is simply loaded. The wolves made out like bandits in both of their big dead line deals imo, had lottery picks in consecutive drafts, and a good chance of having their import pick show.
That is seven teams that ‘should’ be better. Teams that don’t get what they need early will get left behind imo.

 

[beastintheeast]

That’s ridiculous. 8 of 10 teams per conference make the playoffs in the OHL. The 67’s should not be spoken about within the context of “worrying about making the playoffs.” That is just plain silly.

They are returning their entire roster other than a half useless OA, a goalie that lost his starting job and a decent OA that they claimed on waivers.

Let’s ground ourselves in reality first.

You missed my point. My point was that talking about the playoffs at this stage of the season seems a little silly. What we need to concentrate on is the team that will play in the regular season and how they will do.

Yes 8 teams make the playoffs but if we are using that I think we are missing the point.

We made the playoffs last year and were happy.

This year I am expecting this team to compete for the top 4 so that we have home ice advantage for at least the first round.
We have a good first line and a IMO a very good second line. If we stay healthy we should have a very competitive team and plenty of scoring.

The defence that we have returning needs to step up to the next level.

Just getting by and playing 500 or qualifying for the playoffs is not the goal this year being one of the top teams n the conference or league.

 

[OMG67]

I can’t imagine the ‘67s missing the playoffs either, but they are just one of seven teams that should be better than last season; and, one of a handful of teams that will return nearly all of last years roster. The east is just going to be stronger than last season.
The Petes graduate two OAs from an 8th placed team that played ~0.550 over the final 3 months. Niagara graduated 3 from their post deadline roster, but added five 19-20 yr olds during the brief trade window. Depending on the status of Winslow, the Battalion return 19-20 that played in the conference final. Of those, 13 were first year players. Ertel committing to the Battalion is a pretty big deal. Missasauga needs two middling D with OHL experience to be considered a serious contender. Barrie is simply loaded. The wolves made out like bandits in both of their big dead line deals imo, had lottery picks in consecutive drafts, and a good chance of having their import pick show.
That is seven teams that ‘should’ be better. Teams that don’t get what they need early will get left behind imo.

It’s definitely going to be interesting to see how things play out, that is for certain.

North Bay graduates Coe, Russell and Ladd, all pretty great OA’s. That’s a tough pill to swallow. McDonald and Jackson will likely get an opportunity to play Pro. Whether they grasp the opportunity or return for an OA year is TBD. If they do move on, that could be 140 goals moving on. They’ll still return a decent team but that’s a lot of goals evaporating.

It will be interesting to see what happens in Niagara. There is definitely a breath of fresh air circulating there and that may help their situation even more than the players they added. I still see that team as a piecemeal project. I hope it works out for them. They need a resurgence. It would be good for the league if it were to happen.

Mississauga has a lot of roster turnover. Two 01’s and nine ‘02’s. They will still be very good though. They have some work to do regardless. Barrie is in a similar situation although not as deep in the 02’s.

To me, it is the Petes that look to return the most significant portion of their roster when it comes to proven impact. The other teams do return a significant number of players but they lose a significant number of their impact players. Although, that is the advantage of many of the bottom teams. They are near the bottom because they are younger and have less impact veteran players so they return their key contributors. I think the Petes and 67’s will battle it out for the division this year. Kingston could enter that battle if Wright were to return unexpectedly. If he doesn’t, I could see Kingston go into sell mode and retool for a future run.

Some caveats for Ottawa:
1> Boucher gets sent to Belleville (AHL). I look at Boucher as an integral part of a playoff run. His heavy presence adds a dimension most, if not all, teams don’t have and Ottawa would benefit fromt hat greatly.
2> Kasper does not sign and the 67’s aren’t able to add an impact Import.
3> The Seller market causes Boyd to pull back and remain status quo not wanting to move a kid like Marrelli.
***These things could likely happen which would put Ottawa in a difficult situation. We know they need a front line centre to help drive the offence and stretch out to three lines. We also know they need a puck moving D-Man assuming Mews can’t step in right away and play top pairing minutes.

 

[OMG67]

You missed my point. My point was that talking about the playoffs at this stage of the season seems a little silly. What we need to concentrate on is the team that will play in the regular season and how they will do.

Yes 8 teams make the playoffs but if we are using that I think we are missing the point.

We made the playoffs last year and were happy.

This year I am expecting this team to compete for the top 4 so that we have home ice advantage for at least the first round.
We have a good first line and a IMO a very good second line. If we stay healthy we should have a very competitive team and plenty of scoring.

The defence that we have returning needs to step up to the next level.

Just getting by and playing 500 or qualifying for the playoffs is not the goal this year being one of the top teams n the conference or league.

I think you do need to talk about playoff roster construction 100%. This team can stay status quo as is and easily make the playoffs without any doubt whatsoever. You are contradicting yourself. You say talking about playoffs is silly but they need to be one of the top teams in the conference. I get that you are trying to say we shouldn’t put the cart in front of the horse but by talking about playoffs and roster construction to be a championship calibre team, it goes without saying that to do that, they would need to finish top of the Conference.

On top of that, we need to measure ourselves with the top of the other conference as well. All too often the Ottaw amanagement has measured themselves based on the top team in our own conference only to be pummelled in The Finals.

An OHL Team needs certain elements to be successful and win a Championship. Those elements need to be discussed and eventually acquired. Without those elements, we are doomed to be bridesmades, either at the Conference Final or the Championship Final….if we were to get there.

 

[beastintheeast]

I think you do need to talk about playoff roster construction 100%. This team can stay status quo as is and easily make the playoffs without any doubt whatsoever. You are contradicting yourself. You say talking about playoffs is silly but they need to be one of the top teams in the conference. I get that you are trying to say we shouldn’t put the cart in front of the horse but by talking about playoffs and roster construction to be a championship calibre team, it goes without saying that to do that, they would need to finish top of the Conference.

On top of that, we need to measure ourselves with the top of the other conference as well. All too often the Ottaw amanagement has measured themselves based on the top team in our own conference only to be pummelled in The Finals.

An OHL Team needs certain elements to be successful and win a Championship. Those elements need to be discussed and eventually acquired. Without those elements, we are doomed to be bridesmades, either at the Conference Final or the Championship Final….if we were to get there.

on paper, every team in our conference is coming back with a better lineup except maybe Kingston and that is up in the air.
I am not convinced that on paper we line up as one of the top teams however, I think instead of looking at league championships, we should be looking at getting home ice or placing 4th in the conference.
There are a lot of unknowns on this lineup.

I( am l;ooking for ateam that can compete at the top level. If they win a couple of rounds in the playoffs then that is fine.

I think you know me by now to know that I am not an all-in fan.
Let's see what the first months of the season show us of this team. Then we can talk about playoffs.

 

[OMG67]

on paper, every team in our conference is coming back with a better lineup except maybe Kingston and that is up in the air.
I am not convinced that on paper we line up as one of the top teams however, I think instead of looking at league championships, we should be looking at getting home ice or placing 4th in the conference.
There are a lot of unknowns on this lineup.

I( am l;ooking for ateam that can compete at the top level. If they win a couple of rounds in the playoffs then that is fine.

I think you know me by now to know that I am not an all-in fan.
Let's see what the first months of the season show us of this team. Then we can talk about playoffs.

You just said ”every team in our conference is coming back with a better lineup except maybe Kingston.”

Based on that sentence alone, we are entering the season as a non-playoff team…. In your opinion.

Based on that, we should be considering selling rather than buying…..

My opinion is that Ottawa has a top 3 team in our Conference with no clear cut leader at this point. We need to see what teams have returning as OA’s before we can truly make a solid prediction.

 

[HockeyPops]

Hamilton will likely not have a better lineup either

 

[dirty12]

Oshawa is the one team I am confident misses the playoffs.

 

[dirty12]

You just said ”every team in our conference is coming back with a better lineup except maybe Kingston.”

Based on that sentence alone, we are entering the season as a non-playoff team…. In your opinion.

Based on that, we should be considering selling rather than buying…..

My opinion is that Ottawa has a top 3 team in our Conference with no clear cut leader at this point. We need to see what teams have returning as OA’s before we can truly make a solid prediction.

Anything can happen. Niagara added five 19-20 yr olds in a half day trading window. Boucher could make one hit then head for shoulder surgery in rookie camp.
But you can most certainly project rosters realistically. Without Kasper and adding a top OA, I project the ‘67s in the 5-7 range at the Christmas break.

 

[OMG67]

Anything can happen. Niagara added five 19-20 yr olds in a half day trading window. Boucher could make one hit then head for shoulder surgery in rookie camp.
But you can most certainly project rosters realistically. Without Kasper and adding a top OA, I project the ‘67s in the 5-7 range at the Christmas break.

Without those players last year they were in the CHL Top 10 until they were decimated by injuries. They were 10-5-1 and then Beck went down and a ton of guys right after. So, yes, injuries can happen but that is the case with all teams. Then they sold at the deadline and weren’t the same team at all. Yet, they still had three one goal losses to NB in the first round. Not bad.

I think you are making a big mistake predicting them 5-7 at the break. I think you are overestimating the value of the returning players on many of the teams you have referenced. I remember when Don Cherry was bragging about how many returning players he had for year two of the Ice Dogs. His second season wasn’t much prettier than the first. It doesn’t matter how many players you return if you have to replace four of your top six forwards, your starting goalie and two of your top 3 D-Men. And there are teams in that similar situation that you have ahead of Ottawa.

It matters the quality of players you lose and whether the recruits behind can take their place. I can say with confidence that the 67’s have not lost one single significant player and they finished 7th last year only 2 points out of 6th. I find it very hard to believe that the 67’s returning every single significant roster player from last season will not improve their standing even staying status quo.

i will admit that adding Zito, Papais and Jesus will improve Niagara but the reality is they aren’t building on a heck of a lot. Will they be improved? Yes but let’s face it, they were horrid last year. Add in Ribau and that is three OA’s. What are they going to do for goaltending? They are hanging their hat on Rosenzweig? Niagara is not even on the same page as the 67’s. Ottawa only gave up 14 more total goals than Barrie last year. They return their entire defence and starting goalie…and they added more defence through the draft.

Ottawa also has a cupboard full of picks and a plethora of excess OHL level talent to offer up to acquire players as needed. It’s not like they are going to sit on those assets.

I admit they are one top two line centre and potentially a puck moving D-Man away but they have that open OA spot as well as an open Import spot if Kasper doesn’t sign. Those two pieces are usually relatively cheap to fill as opposed to needing to go after 18 or 19 year old Non-Imports.

There will be some solid lineups to contend with but those lineups did graduate significant players. I jsut cannot see Ottawa giving up 250 goals again and they definitely (healthy) will not score a lowly 199 goals.

I like the Petes chances though. They’ve got a good mix. And if NB can get their OA’s back, they should be solid. Barrie? I think so but they should have been better last year. Something smells a little fishy there and I can’t put my finger on it.

 

[dirty12]

Without those players last year they were in the CHL Top 10 until they were decimated by injuries. They were 10-5-1 and then Beck went down and a ton of guys right after. So, yes, injuries can happen but that is the case with all teams. Then they sold at the deadline and weren’t the same team at all. Yet, they still had three one goal losses to NB in the first round. Not bad.

I think you are making a big mistake predicting them 5-7 at the break. I think you are overestimating the value of the returning players on many of the teams you have referenced. I remember when Don Cherry was bragging about how many returning players he had for year two of the Ice Dogs. His second season wasn’t much prettier than the first. It doesn’t matter how many players you return if you have to replace four of your top six forwards, your starting goalie and two of your top 3 D-Men. And there are teams in that similar situation that you have ahead of Ottawa.

It matters the quality of players you lose and whether the recruits behind can take their place. I can say with confidence that the 67’s have not lost one single significant player and they finished 7th last year only 2 points out of 6th. I find it very hard to believe that the 67’s returning every single significant roster player from last season will not improve their standing even staying status quo.

i will admit that adding Zito, Papais and Jesus will improve Niagara but the reality is they aren’t building on a heck of a lot. Will they be improved? Yes but let’s face it, they were horrid last year. Add in Ribau and that is three OA’s. What are they going to do for goaltending? They are hanging their hat on Rosenzweig? Niagara is not even on the same page as the 67’s. Ottawa only gave up 14 more total goals than Barrie last year. They return their entire defence and starting goalie…and they added more defence through the draft.

Ottawa also has a cupboard full of picks and a plethora of excess OHL level talent to offer up to acquire players as needed. It’s not like they are going to sit on those assets.

I admit they are one top two line centre and potentially a puck moving D-Man away but they have that open OA spot as well as an open Import spot if Kasper doesn’t sign. Those two pieces are usually relatively cheap to fill as opposed to needing to go after 18 or 19 year old Non-Imports.

There will be some solid lineups to contend with but those lineups did graduate significant players. I jsut cannot see Ottawa giving up 250 goals again and they definitely (healthy) will not score a lowly 199 goals.

I like the Petes chances though. They’ve got a good mix. And if NB can get their OA’s back, they should be solid. Barrie? I think so but they should have been better last year. Something smells a little fishy there and I can’t put my finger on it.

I agree there was something off in Barrie, maybe frustration more than anything else. But suspensions, then injury did them in. With Clarke out and Guzda still missing games in the playoffs, they could not beat Missasauga.
Barrie starts with a goalie this year though, and a top 4 D of Clarke, Punnett, Cholach, Akey is as good or better than any at this point imo. Once the colts make the decisions on which of the 15 F stay, they should look like the front runner.
The Petes are committed.
I am expecting Jackson & MacDonald to be with the battalion. The third OA is probably a D even though the team returns six others that played in the conference final. I believe the battalion will be better than last season and sitting 3-5 at the Christmas break.

We obviously disagree on the potential of the Icedogs. There are 8-2nd round picked players covering every position born 2003-05. I can see them essentially punt the 2006 class to buy and sell at the deadline to make the best possible bid to host the 2023-24 memorial cup.

The only real unknowns in Missasauga are the first selected goalies in their respective drafts. This roster should not surprise anyone by being top 5 at the break.
(Hardie?)-DelBelBelluz-(Collins?)
Misa-Beck-Lavoie
William Hull-Uberti-Kamiris
Schwindt-Schwindt-Veccia

DelMaestro-Sharpe
(OA?)-Terry/Gauvreau/Hollett 19-20 yr old depth types that other teams do not want to make room for, even though probably better short term if they did.
Gordon-VonRichter

 

[OMG67]

I agree there was something off in Barrie, maybe frustration more than anything else. But suspensions, then injury did them in. With Clarke out and Guzda still missing games in the playoffs, they could not beat Missasauga.
Barrie starts with a goalie this year though, and a top 4 D of Clarke, Punnett, Cholach, Akey is as good or better than any at this point imo. Once the colts make the decisions on which of the 15 F stay, they should look like the front runner.
The Petes are committed.
I am expecting Jackson & MacDonald to be with the battalion. The third OA is probably a D even though the team returns six others that played in the conference final. I believe the battalion will be better than last season and sitting 3-5 at the Christmas break.

We obviously disagree on the potential of the Icedogs. There are 8-2nd round picked players covering every position born 2003-05. I can see them essentially punt the 2006 class to buy and sell at the deadline to make the best possible bid to host the 2023-24 memorial cup.

The only real unknowns in Missasauga are the first selected goalies in their respective drafts. This roster should not surprise anyone by being top 5 at the break.
(Hardie?)-DelBelBelluz-(Collins?)
Misa-Beck-Lavoie
William Hull-Uberti-Kamiris
Schwindt-Schwindt-Veccia

DelMaestro-Sharpe
(OA?)-Terry/Gauvreau/Hollett 19-20 yr old depth types that other teams do not want to make room for, even though probably better short term if they did.
Gordon-VonRichter

It’s definitely going to be interesting to see what happens in Barrie. Sometimes talent on paper doesn’t translate for some strange reason and it didnt’ seem to translate last year. See if they can figure it out this season. But, I agree that if they can figure it out, they are definitely the front runner.

If North Bay can return their OA’s, it will be a different story for them. If they can’t, just pack it in. They won’t score enough.

I’m not sold on Niagara as you mention. I’m also not sold on them hosting a Memorial Cup either. I know there is new ownership and all but I think it would be a tough pill to swallow tossing a premier event to that franchise.

There is still a lot of runway to get to the first game. Let’s see how rosters start to shape up. I still have the Petes as the front runner but if Ottawa gets their two pieces, they will be tough to beat in a seven gamer. I really like Boucher and Stonehouse as difference makers. I’ve been around this league for a long time and teams with those types of players tend to outlast opponents. It’s that intangible that makes a difference.

 

[dirty12]

It’s definitely going to be interesting to see what happens in Barrie. Sometimes talent on paper doesn’t translate for some strange reason and it didnt’ seem to translate last year. See if they can figure it out this season. But, I agree that if they can figure it out, they are definitely the front runner.

If North Bay can return their OA’s, it will be a different story for them. If they can’t, just pack it in. They won’t score enough.

I’m not sold on Niagara as you mention. I’m also not sold on them hosting a Memorial Cup either. I know there is new ownership and all but I think it would be a tough pill to swallow tossing a premier event to that franchise.

There is still a lot of runway to get to the first game. Let’s see how rosters start to shape up. I still have the Petes as the front runner but if Ottawa gets their two pieces, they will be tough to beat in a seven gamer. I really like Boucher and Stonehouse as difference makers. I’ve been around this league for a long time and teams with those types of players tend to outlast opponents. It’s that intangible that makes a difference.

Agree; but NB, Petes, Miss are loaded with size, grit, hitters; and a whole lot more skill than you seem to think (imo). Arnsby might be the most effective and disruptive hitter in the league.
And I agree that if the ‘67s get their pieces early, they can be at or near enough to the top as the trade deadline approaches.
Barrie played >0.800 for stretch from acquiring Guzda up to 3 suspensions in about four games. There is not whole lot to figure out other than how much future they will part with.

St. Catherines/Niagara has every requirement + and is a near lock for sell outs