Ottawa 67's 2023-24 Off-Season Thread (Part 1)

[OMG67]

View attachment 836439
I don't know how the words rocky and inconsistent can be used to describe this.
They are 9-1 in their last 10 and on a 8 game win streak against mostly top teams.
6 of those 7 are against some of the best teams in the OHL. -And they won them all.

"They have not been inspiring in any way" Huh? lol
I really feel like you are trying to talk yourself into thinking Oshawa is not as good as Ottawa lol.

When you take a snap shot on their year, you will see what I am talking about. I cannot use the word “inconsistent” and apply it to an 4 week stretch. It needs to be used on a larger sample size like the entire season to date. Also, if you use the eye test you see it quite a bit as well. OShawa doesnt’ have a second gear. They seem to play in one gear. If they are behind, there is no sense of urgency in that team. That could be coaching or leadership.

There is not doubt the team is better when Ritchie is in the lineup and that very well could be the catalyst for their inconsistency, especially in the first half.

Every team goes through periods where they go on a run. OR, at least the stronger teams do at least. But, when you look deeper into those games, many of them are not because theya re the better team. It may be goaltending or puck luck or many other reasons why a team wins games they shouldn’t. Early in the season, Ottawa won games because MacKenzie stood on his head. Early games vs SSM and Sudbury are great examples. Just because they won those games, doesn’t mean they deserved to win them.

What happens is teams that go on a run like Oshawa is currently on, you look for the reasons why they won. What sort of game did they play? Did they win the game because they outplayed those opponent or were they simply fortunate? IMO, Brantford has been winning with smoke and mirrors. They got silly good goaltending from Drobak. They wn games being outshot 2-1. That is because of injury of course but the reality is it is not sustainable.

Lining that up with Oshawa’s current run, you have to assess whether that run is “likely” to be maintained or “unlikely” to be maintained. The game vs Ottawa wasn’t a great game for Oshawa. They won, but there were a lot of circumstances in that game that fell In their favour. In reality, that was a game that could have gone either way. Same with the Mississauga game. That is a game Oshawa should not have won. Brantford was depleted like crazy and it was a very close game after being up 4-0 early. When you take those indicators into consideration and not just the scoreboard, you open the door for questions regarding their likeliness of maintaining that streak. Then you look at their upcoming competition and factor that in. IMO, it is less likely the Generals maintain their streak. First, they’ve sort of struggled winning three of the last four wins (Barrie game excepted because Barrie is crap). Second, they are up against some stronger teams that will likely push them harder. If Oshawa continues their inconsistent play (as evidenced over the entire season), then they are vulnerable in their last four games. If they managed to nail it over their next four games, maybe they have that Peterborough trend in them where the Petes managed to FINALLY piece it together and live up to expectations. THAT is what I was eluding to in that post.

Look at the stretch from Feb 6 to 23rd. Losses to Kingston, Flint, Owen Sound, Niagara, and Ottawa. Then a stretch from the 25th to now with a bunch of wins. How does an elite team go on a stretch against teams like Kingston, Flint, Owen Sound, Niagara etc with losses or OT/SO losses considered not inconsistent? Prior to this 8-0 stretch, they were 9 games above .500. Solid but not a bonafide contender. The point is as I said, the team “looks” like they are poised to end their streak, especially in light of the teams that lay ahead of them.

 

[sirius67fan]

It's great to see Korbler rewarding the organization's confidence in him. He obviously struggled mightily in the first few months of the season, adjusting to everything - smaller ice, different style of game, new country, language, you name it. And the kid was barely 17 on top of it. Now in the back half of the year he is really coming on and looking far more confident, finding his scoring touch in the process. He's not even draft eligible this year - he doesn't turn 18 until after September 15, so he has to wait for the 2025 draft. If you were judging him purely on what you saw early you would have put him on a one way flight home - it's a good lesson about staying patient with young players...

Guilty as charged, I did not think Korbler would pan out. Now I suspect his ceiling is higher than I thought. If he can bulk up as OMG says it might be interesting the next two years.

 

[ScoutLife4]

When you take a snap shot on their year, you will see what I am talking about. I cannot use the word “inconsistent” and apply it to an 4 week stretch. It needs to be used on a larger sample size like the entire season to date. Also, if you use the eye test you see it quite a bit as well. OShawa doesnt’ have a second gear. They seem to play in one gear. If they are behind, there is no sense of urgency in that team. That could be coaching or leadership.

There is not doubt the team is better when Ritchie is in the lineup and that very well could be the catalyst for their inconsistency, especially in the first half.

Every team goes through periods where they go on a run. OR, at least the stronger teams do at least. But, when you look deeper into those games, many of them are not because theya re the better team. It may be goaltending or puck luck or many other reasons why a team wins games they shouldn’t. Early in the season, Ottawa won games because MacKenzie stood on his head. Early games vs SSM and Sudbury are great examples. Just because they won those games, doesn’t mean they deserved to win them.

What happens is teams that go on a run like Oshawa is currently on, you look for the reasons why they won. What sort of game did they play? Did they win the game because they outplayed those opponent or were they simply fortunate? IMO, Brantford has been winning with smoke and mirrors. They got silly good goaltending from Drobak. They wn games being outshot 2-1. That is because of injury of course but the reality is it is not sustainable.

Lining that up with Oshawa’s current run, you have to assess whether that run is “likely” to be maintained or “unlikely” to be maintained. The game vs Ottawa wasn’t a great game for Oshawa. They won, but there were a lot of circumstances in that game that fell In their favour. In reality, that was a game that could have gone either way. Same with the Mississauga game. That is a game Oshawa should not have won. Brantford was depleted like crazy and it was a very close game after being up 4-0 early. When you take those indicators into consideration and not just the scoreboard, you open the door for questions regarding their likeliness of maintaining that streak. Then you look at their upcoming competition and factor that in. IMO, it is less likely the Generals maintain their streak. First, they’ve sort of struggled winning three of the last four wins (Barrie game excepted because Barrie is crap). Second, they are up against some stronger teams that will likely push them harder. If Oshawa continues their inconsistent play (as evidenced over the entire season), then they are vulnerable in their last four games. If they managed to nail it over their next four games, maybe they have that Peterborough trend in them where the Petes managed to FINALLY piece it together and live up to expectations. THAT is what I was eluding to in that post.

Look at the stretch from Feb 6 to 23rd. Losses to Kingston, Flint, Owen Sound, Niagara, and Ottawa. Then a stretch from the 25th to now with a bunch of wins. How does an elite team go on a stretch against teams like Kingston, Flint, Owen Sound, Niagara etc with losses or OT/SO losses considered not inconsistent? Prior to this 8-0 stretch, they were 9 games above .500. Solid but not a bonafide contender. The point is as I said, the team “looks” like they are poised to end their streak, especially in light of the teams that lay ahead of them.

You seem to leave out on that Feb 6th stretch the massive distraction that was taking place with the Lockhart issue. -This all played out at the same time.

I wouldn't call them inconsistent. -They just had a slow start to the season.
They lost a couple very tight games when they are battling some adversity and still have managed to grab the conference lead. -I would say that's inspiring and I have been a critic of the team most of the season.

This has pretty much played out exactly how I envisioned it would from when we made our $100 bet at the start of January minus the Lockhart issue which was a clear distraction and probably affected the team. -I'm sure some will downplay this but these are teenagers who are very emotional and these things have a deep effect on the brotherhood formed in a locker room.

 

[sirius67fan]

I saw a hard-clean shoulder-on-shoulder check, which is why I thought the 5-minute major was dubious. If "blindside" hits are majors, then the hit on Horner seems to fit the definition. I stepped away for a bit but glad to hear he was able to return and seemed fine.

Based on what I've seen, this would be my ideal lineup for the Brantford game tomorrow:

Pinelli - Kressler - Gerrior
Foster - Maillet - Horner
Stonehouse - Gardiner - Dever
Korbler - Barlas - Kelly

I suspect Cameron will go back to Korbler on the 1st line, but I really think Gerrior is much more impactful there as he has better finishing ability and puckhandling skills, and loses nothing to Korbler in speed or aggression on the forecheck. Additionally, I think Dever is too valuable to keep on the 4th line. I know he's not the best finisher, but has tremendous speed and plays well in his own zone. Stoney can be the triggerman on that line. I wouldn't hesitate to use a line of Gardiner, between Stoney and Dever, as a shutdown line.

Reality is Gerrior is that type of player that for whatever reason makes any line better. Heck in the playoffs start double shifting him more. There's a reason they call him the generator!

 

[dirty12]

I think Lockhart allows the Gens to scrape together two very good lines. Someone other than myself can check the record of the Gens with Ritchie, plus with Lockhart and without Lockhart.
The Gens most likely need to go 3-0-1 winning both games against the wolves to finish 1st in the conference. It looks like OMG67 got it right predicting 88-89 points to claim the conference

 

[OMG67]

You seem to leave out on that Feb 6th stretch the massive distraction that was taking place with the Lockhart issue. -This all played out at the same time.

I wouldn't call them inconsistent. -They just had a slow start to the season.
They lost a couple very tight games when they are battling some adversity and still have managed to grab the conference lead. -I would say that's inspiring and I have been a critic of the team most of the season.

This has pretty much played out exactly how I envisioned it would from when we made our $100 bet at the start of January minus the Lockhart issue which was a clear distraction and probably affected the team. -I'm sure some will downplay this but these are teenagers who are very emotional and these things have a deep effect on the brotherhood formed in a locker room.

I 100% agree that the Lockhart issue was a distraction. HOWEVER, I will also state that teams that are mentally dialed in and capable of playing through adversity don’t usually let these sorts of issues creep in as easily.

This has been my issue with Oshawa all season. On paper they are pretty good. They have a lot of the elements required to be successful in the playoffs. On that we both agree. Where I point fingers is their inability to find a second gear when needed. I’ve watched ~20 Generals games this year, mostly because I like their team construction and really enjoy watching guys like Senneke and Ritchie. The one thing that has held me back from really getting behind them is their inability to play hungry, more specifically when they are down in the game. If we look at the most recent games as the example (Brantford and Mississauga), we see them up 4-0 early on Brantford. Brantford has a depleted lineup. Then, all of a sudden it is 4-3. How? Brantford is dead in the water. Five key players out of the lineup. Team playing on fumes the last three weeks. Boom. Back in it. Oshawa pulled it out but were outshot 15-6 in the 2nd and 10-3 in the 3rd. Then the Mississauga game rolled around and that was a brutal game for Oshawa. They did manage to win with a solid 3rd period effort but again, that inconsistency is brutal.

No team in the Eastern Conference has been consistent so it is not like I am singling out Oshawa. All I am doing is emphasizing how they currently look going into a tough final stretch of four games. They are winning and good teams find a way to win when they are outplayed. For sure. But I don’t like what I am seeing. I don’t like what I have seen all year.

At the end of the 67’s season, I usually do a report card. But, I don’t do it based on relative performance/success. I do it based on pre-season expectations. Like I said once before, if a player scores 30 goals and 80 points but the pre-season expectation was 40 goals and 100 points, their grade isn’t very good even though they may have led the team in scoring. Oshawa fits that sort of bill for me. They haven’t done anything “yet” to inspire me to score them highly.

 

[OMG67]

I think Lockhart allows the Gens to scrape together two very good lines. Someone other than myself can check the record of the Gens with Ritchie, plus with Lockhart and without Lockhart.
The Gens most likely need to go 3-0-1 winning both games against the wolves to finish 1st in the conference. It looks like OMG67 got it right predicting 88-89 points to claim the conference

I think Ritchie is probably the biggest difference. Him starting the season in the stands for as long as he did wasn’t helpful, that is for sure. They were fortunate Kumpalainen was so good. Oster has also been very good. They don’t play as a team as well as some of the others in the conference. It is sort of like Peterborough last year. Just couldn’t get the team game pieced together and then the playoffs came around and they flipped the script. Oshawa and Sudbury are the two teams that could be paddling that same boat. I am not sure any of the other teams have the same ceiling as those two team should they get everything aligned properly.

If the Gens beat Sudbury twice, then it would likely come down to Ottawa vs Brantford. If Ottawa were to beat Brantford twice then Oshawa would need more wins. If they tie that home and home, I don’t think Oshawa would need more than 86 points for the conference. The two wins vs Sudbury pretty much locks Sudbury out of it. Missy has a tough stretch. North Bay would need to win all five games to get to 88. Their consistency hasn’t been great either. I’m sort of leaning as low as 86 points to win the Conference as a strong possibility right now.

 

[ScoutLife4]

I think Ritchie is probably the biggest difference. Him starting the season in the stands for as long as he did wasn’t helpful, that is for sure. They were fortunate Kumpalainen was so good. Oster has also been very good. They don’t play as a team as well as some of the others in the conference. It is sort of like Peterborough last year. Just couldn’t get the team game pieced together and then the playoffs came around and they flipped the script. Oshawa and Sudbury are the two teams that could be paddling that same boat. I am not sure any of the other teams have the same ceiling as those two team should they get everything aligned properly.

I would agree with you there is some individual play issues on the team.
Oster also was not great the first 2 months when I viewed him but the team defense was also pretty bad.
Brantford is a very well coached team. It's not easy to be outcoached by Mckee.
I Also think there was a bit of a adjustment period for Derek Laxdal adjusting back to JR Hockey from Pro hockey again and getting the young players to buy in.

Regardless, This should be an exciting finish to the OHL Season and I plan on spending that $100 to buy a couple jugs of Pink Whitney for the start of Cottage season which is quickly approaching Lol

 

[dirty12]

I 100% agree that the Lockhart issue was a distraction. HOWEVER, I will also state that teams that are mentally dialed in and capable of playing through adversity don’t usually let these sorts of issues creep in as easily.

This has been my issue with Oshawa all season. On paper they are pretty good. They have a lot of the elements required to be successful in the playoffs. On that we both agree. Where I point fingers is their inability to find a second gear when needed. I’ve watched ~20 Generals games this year, mostly because I like their team construction and really enjoy watching guys like Senneke and Ritchie. The one thing that has held me back from really getting behind them is their inability to play hungry, more specifically when they are down in the game. If we look at the most recent games as the example (Brantford and Mississauga), we see them up 4-0 early on Brantford. Brantford has a depleted lineup. Then, all of a sudden it is 4-3. How? Brantford is dead in the water. Five key players out of the lineup. Team playing on fumes the last three weeks. Boom. Back in it. Oshawa pulled it out but were outshot 15-6 in the 2nd and 10-3 in the 3rd. Then the Mississauga game rolled around and that was a brutal game for Oshawa. They did manage to win with a solid 3rd period effort but again, that inconsistency is brutal.

No team in the Eastern Conference has been consistent so it is not like I am singling out Oshawa. All I am doing is emphasizing how they currently look going into a tough final stretch of four games. They are winning and good teams find a way to win when they are outplayed. For sure. But I don’t like what I am seeing. I don’t like what I have seen all year.

At the end of the 67’s season, I usually do a report card. But, I don’t do it based on relative performance/success. I do it based on pre-season expectations. Like I said once before, if a player scores 30 goals and 80 points but the pre-season expectation was 40 goals and 100 points, their grade isn’t very good even though they may have led the team in scoring. Oshawa fits that sort of bill for me. They haven’t done anything “yet” to inspire me to score them highly.

I think the Gens just can’t piece together two scoring lines with one of their top four forwards missing.
Brantford are missing two key pieces and a couple of decent enough depth players

 

[OMG67]

I would agree with you there is some individual play issues on the team.
Oster also was not great the first 2 months when I viewed him but the team defense was also pretty bad.
Brantford is a very well coached team. It's not easy to be outcoached by Mckee.
I Also think there was a bit of a adjustment period for Derek Laxdal adjusting back to JR Hockey from Pro hockey again and getting the young players to buy in.

Regardless, This should be an exciting finish to the OHL Season and I plan on spending that $100 to buy a couple jugs of Pink Whitney for the start of Cottage season which is quickly approaching Lol

LOL.

All good. I don’t mind losing this bet. The reality is no matter what happens, both of us were close regardless. I think Ottawa has been better than you anticipated and Oshawa has been better than I anticipated. The finish will be close so I am happy either way.

Brantford, to me, has been the shocker. I thought they would fall back. Not only have they not fallen back but they faced a crazy rash of key injuries and have managed to stay in the hunt. To me, that is the story of the season. McKee gets Coach of the Year in my books and I really don’t think that vote should be close.

All of this parity and lack of teams like Sudbury and North Bay being able to pull away fromt he pack let Mississauga participate in the party. I felt there would end up being a separation between 4 and 5 in the Conference. I had Sudbury, North Bay, Oshawa, and Ottawa solid in the top 4. Then Mississauga and Brantford likely 5-6 with Kingston maybe keeping pace to nose out one of them.

This has been a great second half. Loads of excitement and frustration. I think that goes for most all of the six teams to be honest.

If Brantford enters the playoffs healthy, I would be VERY VERY scared. Lardis is a game changer. Okitundu and Hamara will help that defence. Bujold adds that depth required. That team doesn’t have a quitting bone in their body. They quite simply don’t give a crap what the score is. They just flat out play. If that team can turn in that effort next season, they will be very good. I have Mississauga as the odds on favourite for good reason but the performance Brantford has put on to date is making me second guess that assertion.

 

[PuckStop75]

Oshawa is currently on a good run but the last few games have been rocky. Their Barrie game set to the side, you see a pretty erratic game vs Brantford (Brantford was very undermanned), not the greatest game vs Ottawa and most suggest Mississauga should have won their last game. That points to something that has bothered me about Oshawa all season. Although they may be the best team in the division on paper, they just have not been inspiring in any real way. They’ve been inconsistent. They go through good and bad stretches. They don’t seem to have a second gear so when things go poorly, they don’t seem to have the drive to rebound. I’m starting to get that feeling, based on some of their recent thin wins, that they are poised to go into that next dip in performance. They do have a bit of a tough schedule to finish the season (2 vs Sudbury and 1 vs Kitchener) so we shall see where they truely stand going into the playoffs. If they nail down the division and go 3-1 to finish their schedule, I think they will be fine. Maybe they’ll have shrugged off some of that inconsistency. But, if they do falter a bit down the stretch here, it will be interesting to see what team enters the playoffs.

Brantford needs to get healthy. Plain and simple. They are dogged tired now. They’ve been running on fumes. A win tomorrow and the 67’s pass them in the standings and that is when so many said they were not catchable. Super impressive run for them though. They have that drive and 2nd gear that Oshawa doesn’t have.

Oshawa is the class of the east right now, both on paper and since the 5-0 humbling Ottawa gave them. I think that was a wake up call for them and they have discovered how to play as a team which makes them dangerous. I don't think Oshawa is a team that is going to win with blinding speed, but who ever they play is going to have to work to get into the tough areas and win some puck battles against the walls to have success. Prototypical physical hockey which does well in playoffs.

Ottawa needs to find their game in a different way; not prototypical for playoffs but can be effective if they execute and take advantage of the chances they get.

Brantford when healthy has all the tools to matchup against any team in the east, they aren't healthy and that is plaguing them badly right now.

 

[dirty12]

LOL.

All good. I don’t mind losing this bet. The reality is no matter what happens, both of us were close regardless. I think Ottawa has been better than you anticipated and Oshawa has been better than I anticipated. The finish will be close so I am happy either way.

Brantford, to me, has been the shocker. I thought they would fall back. Not only have they not fallen back but they faced a crazy rash of key injuries and have managed to stay in the hunt. To me, that is the story of the season. McKee gets Coach of the Year in my books and I really don’t think that vote should be close.

All of this parity and lack of teams like Sudbury and North Bay being able to pull away fromt he pack let Mississauga participate in the party. I felt there would end up being a separation between 4 and 5 in the Conference. I had Sudbury, North Bay, Oshawa, and Ottawa solid in the top 4. Then Mississauga and Brantford likely 5-6 with Kingston maybe keeping pace to nose out one of them.

This has been a great second half. Loads of excitement and frustration. I think that goes for most all of the six teams to be honest.

If Brantford enters the playoffs healthy, I would be VERY VERY scared. Lardis is a game changer. Okitundu and Hamara will help that defence. Bujold adds that depth required. That team doesn’t have a quitting bone in their body. They quite simply don’t give a crap what the score is. They just flat out play. If that team can turn in that effort next season, they will be very good. I have Mississauga as the odds on favourite for good reason but the performance Brantford has put on to date is making me second guess that assertion.

Probably not quite as close, but I It will be more of the same next season I think. Sudbury, Oshawa, Kingston, Brampton, Brantford, and Barrie should all be in the hunt for the top four seeds.

 

[OMG67]

Oshawa is the class of the east right now, both on paper and since the 5-0 humbling Ottawa gave them. I think that was a wake up call for them and they have discovered how to play as a team which makes them dangerous. I don't think Oshawa is a team that is going to win with blinding speed, but who ever they play is going to have to work to get into the tough areas and win some puck battles against the walls to have success. Prototypical physical hockey which does well in playoffs.

Ottawa needs to find their game in a different way; not prototypical for playoffs but can be effective if they execute and take advantage of the chances they get.

Brantford when healthy has all the tools to matchup against any team in the east, they aren't healthy and that is plaguing them badly right now.

Oshawa struggles vs the speedy teams that can move the puck quickly. North Bay and Ottawa are the two teams they would struggle with in the playoffs. I don’t think they’d struggle agaisnt any of the other teams provided they are playing their game.

 

[OMG67]

Probably not quite as close, but I It will be more of the same next season I think. Sudbury, Oshawa, Kingston, Brampton, Brantford, and Barrie should all be in the hunt for the top four seeds.

If we go that wide of a group then Ottawa should be included. I think a few of those teams, Ottawa included, will likely not end up being close enough and will sell.

I’ve said it before but I think Mississauga/Brampton will separate from the pack. Brantford may follow them. I really don’t see Kingston or Barrie holding up against those two teams and what they return. Akey returns for Barrie but I don’t think we can put them in the same group as those other two. We shall see what Sudbury does this year in the playoffs and whether they learn anything to take forward….aka can they commit to defence? Oshawa is probably the most likely to trail the top 2. I am not sold on Kumpalainen returning as much as others are. If Minnesota signs him, I can see them putting him in the AHL. He has the size and enough skill to manage it. If he doesn’t return, that is a big hole for Oshawa to fill. They will be top heavy so it will depend a lot on what sort of performance jump they can get fromt heir supporting cast. If they can get the same jump the Petes got this year form their supporting cast from last year, Oshawa will be in good shape. If not? It may be tough for them to keep up with the top of the Conference.

Ottawa is poised to return a solid team. They will still be short down the middle though. That will hurt them. Plus, it is lining up to be a seller year, even if just a modest sale. Playoffs? Yes. 6th place? Probably after they sell Pinelli at the deadline. If they keep their best OA’s and Pinelli, maybe they can sneak into 4th? Maybe? May be hard with some of the better teams easily nailing down the top 2-3 spots.

EDIT:
To clarify, I see Brampton being a 105+ point team next year. Brantford with the right moves could also be a 100+ point team. After that, I don’t see any of the others challenging for over 90 points. That’s why I wouldn’t speak in the terms when it comes to contenders. Just for perspective.

 

[AGranderson]

Horner came back and played but there were a lot of penalties which meant he wasn’t getting ice at 4 on 4 as well as the special teams. It seemed like he was fine. He threw a really good hit int he 3rd. Dumped the player into his bench.

Regarding the Match penalty, based on the OHL rulebook, it is a Match penalty. He was blindsided and it caused injury. So, based on that, it fits the definition. The question is whether blindside “clean” hits should be a penalty. IMO, if you go shoulder to shoulder and it is not a charging penalty, it should not be a penalty. But, I am a little more old school in that regard.

I agree about Stonehouse. He isn’t the type of player to work with those two. He is a much better compliment to Maillet or Gardiner. Gerrior is 3x more impactful with Pinelli and Kressler. But, I think Cameron is trying to squeeze some production out of the Gardiner line so I can understand the juggling. Unfortunately, this goes back to not getting that one extra winger. It is what it is. I think they are going to have to configure the Gardiner line as a shit down line. Try to put that line up against a top 6 line at 5 on 5 and focus on goal suppression. If they have a 3rd line that plays against other teams top lines and holds them scoreless, that is a win IMO. That allows one of the Kressler or Maillet lines going up against the oppositions 3rd line where we may see a mismatch and take advantage.

Horner did not finish the game on the bench.

 

[dirty12]

If we go that wide of a group then Ottawa should be included. I think a few of those teams, Ottawa included, will likely not end up being close enough and will sell.

I’ve said it before but I think Mississauga/Brampton will separate from the pack. Brantford may follow them. I really don’t see Kingston or Barrie holding up against those two teams and what they return. Akey returns for Barrie but I don’t think we can put them in the same group as those other two. We shall see what Sudbury does this year in the playoffs and whether they learn anything to take forward….aka can they commit to defence? Oshawa is probably the most likely to trail the top 2. I am not sold on Kumpalainen returning as much as others are. If Minnesota signs him, I can see them putting him in the AHL. He has the size and enough skill to manage it. If he doesn’t return, that is a big hole for Oshawa to fill. They will be top heavy so it will depend a lot on what sort of performance jump they can get fromt heir supporting cast. If they can get the same jump the Petes got this year form their supporting cast from last year, Oshawa will be in good shape. If not? It may be tough for them to keep up with the top of the Conference.

Ottawa is poised to return a solid team. They will still be short down the middle though. That will hurt them. Plus, it is lining up to be a seller year, even if just a modest sale. Playoffs? Yes. 6th place? Probably after they sell Pinelli at the deadline. If they keep their best OA’s and Pinelli, maybe they can sneak into 4th? Maybe? May be hard with some of the better teams easily nailing down the top 2-3 spots.

EDIT:
To clarify, I see Brampton being a 105+ point team next year. Brantford with the right moves could also be a 100+ point team. After that, I don’t see any of the others challenging for over 90 points. That’s why I wouldn’t speak in the terms when it comes to contenders. Just for perspective.

The eastern conference should be loaded for the next two seasons.
I’m not making any $100 wagers, but mid-January I’ll accept all the I told-ya-so you can dish out if Kingston is not in the race for the division.

The wolves with (Musty), Delic, and two of DeAngelis/VanVliet and McCoy/Collins will likely replicate the season the battalion had. They should be the team to beat. The colts forwards are every bit as good as the steelheads imo and they have goaltending. The central should also be a 3 horse race

 

[OMG67]

The eastern conference should be loaded for the next two seasons.
I’m not making any $100 wagers, but mid-January I’ll accept all the I told-ya-so you can dish out if Kingston is not in the race for the division.

The wolves with (Musty), Delic, and two of DeAngelis/VanVliet and McCoy/Collins will likely replicate the season the battalion had. They should be the team to beat. The colts forwards are every bit as good as the steelheads imo and they have goaltending. The central should also be a 3 horse race

I don’t think that will happen when extended to final standings. Brantford and Brampton are both loaded for bear if they choose to flex asset muscles.

 

[dirty12]

I don’t think that will happen when extended to final standings. Brantford and Brampton are both loaded for bear if they choose to flex asset muscles.

The wolves were loaded for polar bear. The law of diminishing returns applies, beyond a certain point it’s not worth it to add. Unless Brampton is the team to get Romani and Wakely while foregoing 2025-26, they may as well just add reasonably priced RW & C/RW OAs and wait for their year; 2026.

 

[OMG67]

The wolves were loaded for polar bear. The law of diminishing returns applies, beyond a certain point it’s not worth it to add. Unless Brampton is the team to get Romani and Wakely while foregoing 2025-26, they may as well just add reasonably priced RW & C/RW OAs and wait for their year; 2026.

Brampton “could” upgrade each OA. Plus they could add one super dynamic individual player like Michael Misa. We don’t know if they will try for a two year run or not. I think we both lean toward a two year run but then you look at Saginaw doing what they did with a guaranteed spot in the Memorial Cup, they really didn’t need to go after Donovan and Beck. They could have made two lower key moves instead and probably would have improved enough. But, teams get salivating and respond to the hype etc and that takes over.

It also depends on what the goal is. So many say they just want to be competitive every season until they are in position for a Championship and then they don’t care about the next year. If Brampton and Brantford decide to push in, they take the big guns off the table for the second tier teams. You see it happen all the time. I dont see why next year should be any different.

 

[beastintheeast]

I think the Gens just can’t piece together two scoring lines with one of their top four forwards missing.
Brantford are missing two key pieces and a couple of decent enough depth players

Kingston needs to solve the goaltending and defence situation.

 

[dirty12]

Brampton “could” upgrade each OA. Plus they could add one super dynamic individual player like Michael Misa. We don’t know if they will try for a two year run or not. I think we both lean toward a two year run but then you look at Saginaw doing what they did with a guaranteed spot in the Memorial Cup, they really didn’t need to go after Donovan and Beck. They could have made two lower key moves instead and probably would have improved enough. But, teams get salivating and respond to the hype etc and that takes over.

It also depends on what the goal is. So many say they just want to be competitive every season until they are in position for a Championship and then they don’t care about the next year. If Brampton and Brantford decide to push in, they take the big guns off the table for the second tier teams. You see it happen all the time. I dont see why next year should be any different.

The steelheads could be somewhat in or all-in next season, and be a 1-5 seed either way. They just aren’t going to be a whole lot better than and scare off any of Kingston, Oshawa, and Sudbury or even Barrie for that matter.
They’re all going to be good teams that likely try to make themselves better. For Sudbury that might require a new GM and coach.
The final OSH-SBY game of the season could get ugly. I’d like to see that be a playoff matchup.

 

[OMG67]

The steelheads could be somewhat in or all-in next season, and be a 1-5 seed either way. They just aren’t going to be a whole lot better than and scare off any of Kingston, Oshawa, and Sudbury or even Barrie for that matter.
They’re all going to be good teams that likely try to make themselves better. For Sudbury that might require a new GM and coach.
The final OSH-SBY game of the season could get ugly. I’d like to see that be a playoff matchup.

Mississauga will finish this season with over 80 points. They basically return their whole team outside of Sharpe, Loukes, and Boudreau. They return with one viable OA (Leskovar). Those two OA spots open are key. Aeven if they get two relatively inexpensive OA’s and call it a day, with year over year improvement alone plus two OA’s to replace Loukes and Sharpe, they should be a 100 point team. Suggesting they may be in the 1-5 range when that teams should be a 100 point team just filling out their OA spots seems disingenuous to me. Unless they get killed by injury or somehow don’t improve man over man, that is easily a first place team in the division.

Sudbury has twelve ‘04s. They are graduating a ton of players. NB And Niagara will still be behind those three teams.

Barrie is in a similar situation as Mississauga BUT they won’t have th luxury of filling OA spots at a discount to improve their returning roster. Barrie will hav eh their OA spots filled internally. So, not reall additions ont he cheap for them. Plus they will start with around a 25 point deficit to make up just on returning players. I can’t see that happening.

So, to me, their division isn’t as close as you suggest it is.

Kingston graduates Dubois, Schmidt, and Holmes. I can’t see Ludwinski and Hemstrom returning for an OA season. That is a lot graduating. They are also starting about 25 points back of Mississauga.

At least Brantford is starting from the same starting position. They graduate a lot of players in the same manner as most of the others. But, they have the disposable assets to make moves as needed. At least more easily than Kingston.

Oshawa should be solid.

Ottawa is sort of in it but I can’t see them being a factor. They’d need to spend to be a factor and they can’t do that three years in a row.

Petes on the rebuild.

Rolofs, Punnett, and Loackhart will be a loss but to me it comes down to Kumpalainen. IF he returns, they will have a great nucleus. If not, it may be tougher filling that centre position.

To me, there are two teams that can honestly chase Mississauga/Brampton (Oshawa and Brantford). The others have a lot of heavy lifting. They will need to spend assets just to catch up. Meanwhile Brantford and Brampton will have more than enough assets to maintain their status.

I really cannot see it being nearly close. That is not to diminish those other teams. I jsut think Brampton is definitely ahead barring injuries. The bar for Mississauga by just adding two really good OA’s is 105 points.

 

[OMG67]

Oshawa with the big win tonight. Sudbury goaltending is just horrendous. I’d love to play that team in the playoffs.

It is starting to look like Sudbury, Mississauga and Ottawa will finish 4-6 in some order. North Bay and Oshawa winning the two divisions with Brantford in the 3 seed?

I think I’d like to play Sudbury if I had my choice. Mississauga would need to finish 6th for that to happen.


Ottawa could finish ahead of Brantford for the 3rd seed but I don’t think that would really matter. All those teams play each other one way or the other….

If healthy, I don’t want to play Brantford. I don’t think we match up against NB All that well either. Has Oshawa turned the corner on the season like the Petes did last year? I’d really like to see the result tonight if Sudbury had something better in net. I so badly want to use tonight as a measuring stick for Oshawa but it is almost like Sudbury gifted it. They are so bad for having such a strong roster. I really had faith in them this year.

 

[beastintheeast]

Mississauga will finish this season with over 80 points. They basically return their whole team outside of Sharpe, Loukes, and Boudreau. They return with one viable OA (Leskovar). Those two OA spots open are key. Aeven if they get two relatively inexpensive OA’s and call it a day, with year over year improvement alone plus two OA’s to replace Loukes and Sharpe, they should be a 100 point team. Suggesting they may be in the 1-5 range when that teams should be a 100 point team just filling out their OA spots seems disingenuous to me. Unless they get killed by injury or somehow don’t improve man over man, that is easily a first place team in the division.

Sudbury has twelve ‘04s. They are graduating a ton of players. NB And Niagara will still be behind those three teams.

Barrie is in a similar situation as Mississauga BUT they won’t have th luxury of filling OA spots at a discount to improve their returning roster. Barrie will hav eh their OA spots filled internally. So, not reall additions ont he cheap for them. Plus they will start with around a 25 point deficit to make up just on returning players. I can’t see that happening.

So, to me, their division isn’t as close as you suggest it is.

Kingston graduates Dubois, Schmidt, and Holmes. I can’t see Ludwinski and Hemstrom returning for an OA season. That is a lot graduating. They are also starting about 25 points back of Mississauga.

At least Brantford is starting from the same starting position. They graduate a lot of players in the same manner as most of the others. But, they have the disposable assets to make moves as needed. At least more easily than Kingston.

Oshawa should be solid.

Ottawa is sort of in it but I can’t see them being a factor. They’d need to spend to be a factor and they can’t do that three years in a row.

Petes on the rebuild.

Rolofs, Punnett, and Loackhart will be a loss but to me it comes down to Kumpalainen. IF he returns, they will have a great nucleus. If not, it may be tougher filling that centre position.

To me, there are two teams that can honestly chase Mississauga/Brampton (Oshawa and Brantford). The others have a lot of heavy lifting. They will need to spend assets just to catch up. Meanwhile Brantford and Brampton will have more than enough assets to maintain their status.

I really cannot see it being nearly close. That is not to diminish those other teams. I jsut think Brampton is definitely ahead barring injuries. The bar for Mississauga by just adding two really good OA’s is 105 points.

You will not see either Ludwinski or Hemstrom back. It does not make sense.

Hemstrom would be tying up both an OA and a Euro spot. He is not NHL drafted, so if he does not get an AHL slot, the best thing for him is to go home and start his Euro career as a pro.

Ludwinski has already signed, so at worst, he will be playing for Rockford to learn to be a 3rd line center. He won't develop in the OHL.

Ottawa will be a rebuild. I can see them trading a lot of their top forwards and possibly Mayich and MacK (if Nelson develops)


We will probably make the playoffs, but it should be close at the bottom between Kingston Niagara Petes and 67's.

You must also figure out what they will do in North Bay next year.

Once the 67 are eliminated, I can see Mayich possibly getting a game in Springfield if not signed, then definitely next year he will be traded by deadline.

If he looks good there, he may end up there next year. Not likely, but they may have an opening.

Pinelli will be back, but I can see him traded at the deadline or pulling a Beck and saying he wants to start the season somewhere else.

Stonehouse is a wild card. I think that with development, the Oilers will want him in the AHL or to start the season in the ECHL.

 

[AGranderson]

Final Standings predictions

Northbay 88
Oshawa 87
Sudbury 86
Brantford 86
Ottawa 83
Mississauga 82
Kingston 64
Barrie 62