Ottawa 67s 2024 25 Season Thread Part Iii

[analyser]

I don't deny that the $ impact of terminating DC and JB now (versus letting each of them walk away/retire after next season) would result in roughly doubling-up on compensation costs next season. I do, however, think there is a risk of DC's presence with the 67s next season causing some long-lasting damage to the organization. I expect significant difficulties with recruitment/retention, and DC is not a coach I'd want leading a team through a rebuild season, which next season will surely be.

He represents a square peg in a round hole, but I do agree that the additional cost associated with torching one/both of them now is likely THE prevailing consideration.

I did not say it would double the cost but they would still be paying 2 gms and 2 coaches. I do not think that will happen.

 

[OMG67]

With respect to the conversation about $$$ and DC+Boyd, guys that are valued will be resigned. If Boyd and Cameron head into what is effectively year 2 of a rebuild and don’t have an extension, I think the writing is on the wall regardless. If OSEG were happy and those two were “their guys,” this summer will be the time to extend both for anther couple years.

 

[Vector Calculus]

We get the 3rd pick. Could have been worse! We moved up one spot. Pete’s get #1.

 

[OMG67]

67’s moved up a spot and will pick 3rd overall.

 

[analyser]

With respect to the conversation about $$$ and DC+Boyd, guys that are valued will be resigned. If Boyd and Cameron head into what is effectively year 2 of a rebuild and don’t have an extension, I think the writing is on the wall regardless. If OSEG were happy and those two were “their guys,” this summer will be the time to extend both for anther couple years.

They may not be happy with them right now but will wait for their contracts to expire next season.

 

[OMG67]

They may not be happy with them right now but will wait for their contracts to expire next season.

It is not like they can evaluate either of them based on the on ice product. The only evaluator is their ability to sign tough to sign players. That’s basically it.

Who can they trade at the deadline? Marrelli? He is likely a solid OA the following year. They really don’t have any graduating players that are worth much of anything at all. So, the deadline will be meaningless.

Is there an expectation of finishing top-5? No. Should they make the playoffs? Yes. If the projected finish zone is somewhere between 6th and 8th, how do you evaluate against that benchmark?

They quite literally are trying to just get through next season. The only positive going into next season is the new players and hopefully at least two of them are NCAA commits. Anything less is just vanilla to be honest.

 

[dirty12]

Hopefully for everybody’s sake he develops the high first round pick and lets the kid play top 6. The McGregor guy is from Ottawa and on the 1 thread people seem to think Ottawa may take a chance on him. Don’t give the prospects an easy time but also don’t stick them 4th line and press box because it’s hard to develop when you’re not playing. Practices only do so much.

Top six, for the sake of everyone? I very much disagree. The OHL aims to be the best development league for players aged 16-20.
Maybe after a month or so on the 4th line, the true rookie might warrant playing a regular shift with two of the top 4-7 forwards. That might present the kid with a greater challenge he could handle without stalling the development of vets; and maybe, give the team its’ best chance of competing.

 

[frontsfan67]

Top six, for the sake of everyone? I very much disagree. The OHL aims to be the best development league for players aged 16-20.
Maybe after a month or so on the 4th line, the true rookie might warrant playing a regular shift with two of the top 4-7 forwards. That might present the kid with a greater challenge he could handle without stalling the development of vets; and maybe, give the team its’ best chance of competing.

Top 6 for a 3rd overall pick on a crap team is very realistic

 

[OMG67]

Top six, for the sake of everyone? I very much disagree. The OHL aims to be the best development league for players aged 16-20.
Maybe after a month or so on the 4th line, the true rookie might warrant playing a regular shift with two of the top 4-7 forwards. That might present the kid with a greater challenge he could handle without stalling the development of vets; and maybe, give the team its’ best chance of competing.

Best case scenario, barring a major signing, Foster and Ekberg will play line one and Dever will play line two with…..Whitehead? Kelly probably lines up on the right side of one of those line totally by default.

The rest? I dunno. Is Barlas returning as the 3rd OA? Hell, are both Foster and Dever returning? Who knows?

This team is not blessed with top 6 depth. That draft pick could play anywhere. But! If they draft a centre, they do need to play him at centre and that won’t be too 6. If they draft a winger, maybe he can play top 6 but you can’t put him there “just because.” He needs to be a top 6 forward. But on this group, whomever they pick may very well be a top 6 forward. That’s how poor they really are up front.

The 67s will be a team that will play a goal suppression system next year. No way around it.

 

[beastintheeast]

@SidSixpointSeven @analyser

I do not thinkg the players suck I think their development is at issue. Yes Ekberg looked good at the end of the season because he was getting the minutes,

Whitehead and Amidovski also looked good when they got theminutes.

If DC is coming back that is fine. Not tome the best solution but then again he is a good defensive coach. What they then need is an offensive minded assisteant that can develop forwards.

Mush as you have a def and off coordinator in football. find someone that can run the ofence and develop the players offensively. Let Cameron run the defence but have coach X look after the forwards. Obviously DC ul dhave final say as to whoplays but.....

This would also give the teama chance to look at their future coachand establish a system.

I think layers that are copletley goal oriented are going to shy away from the 67's. I think to a ceretain extent that the draft and how it goes may determine the life of Boyd. If he drafts out of the top 10 or theplayer sdrafted wants a trade then questions should be asked.

We have a lot of great players I just think that some of them are being mismanaged or coached. We knew this rebuild was gong to take time probably 3 years. But we hve to look at how we go about getting there. I donot think they want to be in the rebuilding phase when the new arena opens.

As to lists I never said that Delisle was not good I just stated that onthe lists I have access to he is not shown

I would happily look at other lists if I knew where to find them. BUT the only thing that Google gives me is the

2025 OHL Draft Rankings - Elite Prospects

User submitted ranking at Eliteprospects.com - 2025 OHL Draft Rankings

www.eliteprospects.com

 

[BarberPole9]

This could be a game changer. If Jan Egert can deliver as he usually does, maybe two top six forwards come over to join Ekberg?

 

[OMG67]

This could be a game changer. If Jan Egert can deliver as he usually does, maybe two top six forwards come over to join Ekberg?

Gawd DAMMIT! This means Korbler returns!

 

[Vector Calculus]

Gawd DAMMIT! This means Korbler returns!

DC and his favourite son are back baby!

 

[OMG67]

DC and his favourite son are back baby!

Just kill me now…..

 

[sirius67fan]

Gawd DAMMIT! This means Korbler returns!

 

[sirius67fan]

I hope they finally pick a top end center. From what I read the top five guys are centers so no excuse. We're good on D and in goal imo. Could be argued we could use true right wingers too but can get that in the import draft or round 2. If they draft a left wing I'll find out where Boyd lives, break in, steal his skates, sell them at play again, go to lcbo and get wasted.

 

[sirius67fan]

What would be our import pick?

 

[dirty12]

Top 6 for a 3rd overall pick on a crap team is very realistic

Idk. I’m not sure the ‘67s will be a crap team. Vaughn settled on a pretty decent 3rd line and no better than 9th forward on a decent enough 8th place team. Wassilyn played on lines 1-3, but was the 7th forward. Even the Petes added OAs to spread out Fitzgerald and their 3-17 yr old first picked forwards. I don’t think I watched a Sarnia game, so I cannot guess where Di lorio slotted.

 

[OMG67]

Idk. I’m not sure the ‘67s will be a crap team. Vaughn settled on a pretty decent 3rd line and no better than 9th forward on a decent enough 8th place team. Wassilyn played on lines 1-3, but was the 7th forward. Even the Petes added OAs to spread out Fitzgerald and their 3-17 yr old first picked forwards. I don’t think I watched a Sarnia game, so I cannot guess where Di lorio slotted.

Post-deadline, Oshawa and Kingston will be awful. Both will be trading everything not nailed down. If Barrie proves to not be solidly in the top 3, they will likely trade some players as well.

I see Ottawa in that 6th to 8th range depending on what they manage to get in the Import draft and whether they manage to nail down an elite NCAA recruit.

But, I think that 6th to 8th range isn’t going to be all that great next year in the Eastern Conference. I think the Petes, Ottawa, North Bay, and Sudbury (if Mews goes to Michigan) will all sort of be in limbo by post-deadline. Looks like Brantford, Brampton, Barrie, and Niagara are likely the top 4. I’m leaning more towards North Bay and Sudbury to be in that 5-6 range with Ottawa and the Petes in the 7-8 slots. The issue with that is if Kingston and Oshawa end up 9-10, it is unlikely we see four teams from the same division 7th to 10th. So, how all that plays out is yet to be seen. But, regardless, I don’t think the bottom half of the Eastern Conference will be anything to write home about. Underwhelming for sure.

All that to say that even if Ottawa finishes in the 5th seed, it likely wouldn’t be much higher than .500.

 

[OMG67]

What would be our import pick?

I think we pick 8th this year.

The Import Draft is a bit of a mixed bag. It is always best to try to nail down the best player you can get signed. Teams usually don’t have a lineup of player they can choose from and if they do, none of them are usually impactful. So, for Ottawa, they need to take the most impactful 17 year old with a high ceiling no matter the position.

As much as I would like a centre with that pick, they can’t pick a centre with the 8th pick and pass up an elite RW scorer or PP QB style D-Man. They need the most impactful player they can sign.

Provided they can get Foster and Dever to return as OA’s, they will have a safety net available at centre. It is not the ideal scenario but at least the two are serviceable at centre. Ideally, Ekberg and Whitehead grab the reigns as two of the top 3 centres. Our 1st rounder maybe starts as the 4C and works his way up to 3C for the 2nd half.

The reality is, the 67’s have a decent back end returning. They have some depth ont he wings. If they can bring in or convert a couple players to nail down the top 3 centres positions, next year won’t be all that bad. There are options but the Import pick will likely be a 17 year old so there’s only so much you can count on from a 17 year old rookie Import.

 

[dirty12]

Post-deadline, Oshawa and Kingston will be awful. Both will be trading everything not nailed down. If Barrie proves to not be solidly in the top 3, they will likely trade some players as well.

I see Ottawa in that 6th to 8th range depending on what they manage to get in the Import draft and whether they manage to nail down an elite NCAA recruit.

But, I think that 6th to 8th range isn’t going to be all that great next year in the Eastern Conference. I think the Petes, Ottawa, North Bay, and Sudbury (if Mews goes to Michigan) will all sort of be in limbo by post-deadline. Looks like Brantford, Brampton, Barrie, and Niagara are likely the top 4. I’m leaning more towards North Bay and Sudbury to be in that 5-6 range with Ottawa and the Petes in the 7-8 slots. The issue with that is if Kingston and Oshawa end up 9-10, it is unlikely we see four teams from the same division 7th to 10th. So, how all that plays out is yet to be seen. But, regardless, I don’t think the bottom half of the Eastern Conference will be anything to write home about. Underwhelming for sure.

All that to say that even if Ottawa finishes in the 5th seed, it likely wouldn’t be much higher than .500.

I expect Barrie to be top two again, and nothing should stop Brantford from buying.
I believe Brampton and Niagara will need good things to happen for both to be ahead of NB.

 

[beastintheeast]

I think we pick 8th this year.

The Import Draft is a bit of a mixed bag. It is always best to try to nail down the best player you can get signed. Teams usually don’t have a lineup of player they can choose from and if they do, none of them are usually impactful. So, for Ottawa, they need to take the most impactful 17 year old with a high ceiling no matter the position.

As much as I would like a centre with that pick, they can’t pick a centre with the 8th pick and pass up an elite RW scorer or PP QB style D-Man. They need the most impactful player they can sign.

Provided they can get Foster and Dever to return as OA’s, they will have a safety net available at centre. It is not the ideal scenario but at least the two are serviceable at centre. Ideally, Ekberg and Whitehead grab the reigns as two of the top 3 centres. Our 1st rounder maybe starts as the 4C and works his way up to 3C for the 2nd half.

The reality is, the 67’s have a decent back end returning. They have some depth ont he wings. If they can bring in or convert a couple players to nail down the top 3 centres positions, next year won’t be all that bad. There are options but the Import pick will likely be a 17 year old so there’s only so much you can count on from a 17 year old rookie Import.

We need to put Foster and Dever on the same line or at least hve Foster on a wing. If we are developing then we need to develop our centers that we have be they good or not. If they keep both as centers then we end up with no centers that re ready for long minutes or to lead a first line. in 26. You can not have a player getting 3rd line min then have them step up to play first line.

Brantford, Barrie, Brampton and Niagara will be the top 4 next year
Petes Sudbury NB and possibly Kingston ( if they are in the fight I can see Cooper doing the same thing and delaying the rebuld even though they don't have the picks)

Ottawa Oshawa will be at the bottom. If Kingston does a complete sell properly then they may be down here with the 3 teams fighting for 8th place.

As to the Euro draft there are 6 teames the did not make the playoffs inteh west and 5 of them had worse records. the Q had to that didnot make the playoffs. So that leaves us 11th in the draft.

We need a coach or assistant that can run the offence. The proof of that is if you look at the year DC won a gold he had Andre on the bench that I am sure had a lot of input in forwards play,

Ekberg Dever Foster
Yanni/houben Whitehead Kelly
Amidovski 1ST RD/euro Euro
Houben/Yanni ??? Euro

 

[OMG67]

I expect Barrie to be top two again, and nothing should stop Brantford from buying.
I believe Brampton and Niagara will need good things to happen for both to be ahead of NB.

The challenge for Barrie is they can’t buy without trading their 1st round pick. They may be able to buy a player in that two 2nds + two 3rds range but that usually isn’t an elite player. They will lose the three OA’s (OVS, Wakely, and Jelsma). Bertucci is likely gone. Probably 50-50 on Akey returning as an OA. With his long injury, I can see him return though. Same with Romani. That long injury will likely land him back in the OHL as an OA. The key is Beaudoin. I’m not 100% sure he will return. Utah isn‘t a great team. He should return but he does play a pro style game already. It is possible they keep him next year and run him out on the 4th line where he likely could contribute considering how mature his game is. So, for me, Barrie isn’t set in stone. A lot depends on what returns.

In a best case scenario where all ‘06’s return and they have Romani, Gardiner, and Akey as the OA’s, I think they will have a solid team. Solid enough to do damage? Probably. Three lines, a decent defence and solid goalie. They have the main pieces. But, they need everyone on that list to return.

Brampton? Let’s see what they do in the playoffs this year. If they take out Oshawa, they are clearly better than we give them credit. They have a lot returning as well. I think they will be better than you expect.

 

[OMG67]

We need to put Foster and Dever on the same line or at least hve Foster on a wing. If we are developing then we need to develop our centers that we have be they good or not. If they keep both as centers then we end up with no centers that re ready for long minutes or to lead a first line. in 26. You can not have a player getting 3rd line min then have them step up to play first line.

Brantford, Barrie, Brampton and Niagara will be the top 4 next year
Petes Sudbury NB and possibly Kingston ( if they are in the fight I can see Cooper doing the same thing and delaying the rebuld even though they don't have the picks)

Ottawa Oshawa will be at the bottom. If Kingston does a complete sell properly then they may be down here with the 3 teams fighting for 8th place.

As to the Euro draft there are 6 teames the did not make the playoffs inteh west and 5 of them had worse records. the Q had to that didnot make the playoffs. So that leaves us 11th in the draft.

We need a coach or assistant that can run the offence. The proof of that is if you look at the year DC won a gold he had Andre on the bench that I am sure had a lot of input in forwards play,

Ekberg Dever Foster
Yanni/houben Whitehead Kelly
Amidovski 1ST RD/euro Euro
Houben/Yanni ??? Euro

Predicting the lineup is tough. My lineup is likely a bit different. It depends on Whitehead to be honest.

I know this is not in my nature but if they do extend this to three Imports, it makes sense to bring back Korbler. I know. I know. Hear me out. Getting an Import in round one is usually good but, 2nd round Import picks are tough to hit on, especially if they extend it to three Imports. No one will be passing on picks in round one. Ekberg is an ‘07. The 1st pick will likely be an ‘08. Korbler is an ‘06. That is a good rotation. You replace one every year on a solid cycle. I prefer that. So, if they don’t’ bring Korbler back as the 3rd Import, I think they need to try to trade for an ‘06 or an OA ‘05.

Ottawa is too strong on the back end to finish out of the playoffs. Seven eligible d-Men that are all capable in the OHL plus a good goalie in Nelson makes them way more solid than half of the conference on the back end. Their goal prevention will be strong. They will need a lot of defections in order to finish out of the playoffs.

Kingston graduates Uronen, Hayes, Pickell, Willis, Miedema, Hay, Soto, Guindon, Bishop, Pieniniemi, McGowan, Burns, Uens, Vaccari, and schenkel. Pick three to stay as OA’s but if any of them are good, they will be traded by the deadline. That is FOURTEEN players. Battaglia will be a deadline trade, so that’s 15. Hopkins is likley moved as well. He’s going to have nothing left to play with. Sorry, but Kingston will be AWFUL post-deadline. No way around it. They don’t even have a 2nd and 3rd in the draft next month so it is going to be tough for them to even bring in capable 16 year olds. The Fronts will be the worst team in the OHL post-deadline. They need to move players to recoup picks.

 

[beastintheeast]

Predicting the lineup is tough. My lineup is likely a bit different. It depends on Whitehead to be honest.

I know this is not in my nature but if they do extend this to three Imports, it makes sense to bring back Korbler. I know. I know. Hear me out. Getting an Import in round one is usually good but, 2nd round Import picks are tough to hit on, especially if they extend it to three Imports. No one will be passing on picks in round one. Ekberg is an ‘07. The 1st pick will likely be an ‘08. Korbler is an ‘06. That is a good rotation. You replace one every year on a solid cycle. I prefer that. So, if they don’t’ bring Korbler back as the 3rd Import, I think they need to try to trade for an ‘06 or an OA ‘05.

Ottawa is too strong on the back end to finish out of the playoffs. Seven eligible d-Men that are all capable in the OHL plus a good goalie in Nelson makes them way more solid than half of the conference on the back end. Their goal prevention will be strong. They will need a lot of defections in order to finish out of the playoffs.

Kingston graduates Uronen, Hayes, Pickell, Willis, Miedema, Hay, Soto, Guindon, Bishop, Pieniniemi, McGowan, Burns, Uens, Vaccari, and schenkel. Pick three to stay as OA’s but if any of them are good, they will be traded by the deadline. That is FOURTEEN players. Battaglia will be a deadline trade, so that’s 15. Hopkins is likley moved as well. He’s going to have nothing left to play with. Sorry, but Kingston will be AWFUL post-deadline. No way around it. They don’t even have a 2nd and 3rd in the draft next month so it is going to be tough for them to even bring in capable 16 year olds. The Fronts will be the worst team in the OHL post-deadline. They need to move players to recoup picks.

Iagree it is hard to predeict my only concern was tht you can not have 2 OA playing center (unless you have Barlas onteh 4th line)

I really do not see the 3 Euro system working as you said the 3rd year is too much of a crap shoot considering the money teams have topay for those players. As to Korbler as I have stated I eould like to see him traded to a team that can use him and see what happens with a diferent coach. He had rasonable numbers when we drafted him.

As to the Fronts I see Miedema, McGowan and Bishop back. How much of a trade deadline deals they make will depend on a lot. Remember 2 years ago Ottawa thought it had a great team and decided to go after first. This year instead of cleaning house we actually tried to make thelayoffs. Springer is an interesting owner if the team is competitive i can seehim also putting off the rebuild for one year and playig with what they have. This is the Kingston mentality of old andnot realy seen a lot to make me change my mind. Yes the smart thing is to trade players BUT we have both seen teams know what the smart thing (trade Pinelli) was and did not get done. Last yer also weknoew we wre ot afirst placed team but they still wnet for it instead of selling. So anything is possible in this league with these owners