NEWS

Photo: Eric Ciccolini of the Toronto Jr. Canadiens skates with the puck in the first period on Oct. 5 at Iroquois Park Recreation Complex in Whitby. (Photo by Shawn Muir / OJHL Images)

Eric Ciccolini of the Toronto Jr. Canadiens (Photo by Andy Corneau/OJHL Images) is the 2018-19 recipient of the Top Prospect award in the Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL).

The award was voted on by a panel of league general managers and media representatives.

Ciccolini was ranked 95th amongst North American skaters in mid-term rankings for this year’s NHL Draft – tops of the five OJHL players who made the January list.

“He’s grounded, his family is grounded,” said Jeff Angelidis, his coach the past two seasons with the Jr. Canadiens. “Wonderful people. Never did he let the attention get to his head. Some of these kids have a little bit of swagger to them. I’ve never seen that with Eric. He’s head down, feet on the ground and continues to grind. A ton of fun to work with.”

“When your best players are your hardest workers, you’re bound for success.”

Coach and player have seen this movie before. Jack McBain of the Jr. Canadiens was the OJ’s Top Prospect a year ago. Before being drafted by the Minnesota Wild and heading to Boston College, he, like Ciccolini, drew NHL scouts in droves to Jr. Canadiens’ practices and games.

“(Coach Angelidis) made me a better player and a better person on and off the ice,” said Ciccolini, who turned 18 in January. “He taught to keep my focus, knowing there was going to be more pressure.”

Ciccolini will play hockey at the University of Michigan this fall, taking a route that took fellow Vaughan residents Mike Cammalleri (Bramalea), Andrew Cogliano (St. Michael’s) and Phil Di Giuseppe (Villanova) took – from the OJHL to the NCAA and eventually the NHL.

It’s no coincidence.

Ciccolini knows his predecessors from the “City North of Toronto”, especially Cammalleri, who is a family friend. And Ciccolini played on summer teams with Jack Hughes, the projected No. 1 pick in this year’s NHL draft. Older brother Quinn Hughes,19, left Michigan for the Vancouver Canucks this month.

Ciccolini represented the OJHL on Team Canada East at the World Jr. A Challenge last fall and at the CJHL Prospects Game in January, both in Alberta.  

“Great experiences,” he told the OJHL this week. “You see what you’re up against. You see how good you have to be to play at the next level and not just against other Canadians. We saw it when we played the U.S. and the Russians.”

The 6-foot, 170-pound winger had 62 points (27 goals/35 assists) in 48 games this season, ninth highest in the OJHL.

Ciccolini began his OJHL career by splitting the 2017-18 season between the Jr. Canadiens and Milton Icehawks. He thanks the teammates and coaches who helped him the past two seasons.

“Coming into the league, I had little bit of a chance to get drafted,” he said. “Now I have a very good chance of being drafted.”

Angelidis, who stepped down as Jr. Canadiens coach this week, thinks Ciccolini will be selected in the “third or fourth round. Obviously, big fan, after coaching him for two years: I hope he goes higher for the Canadiens’ program and our league.”

The 2019 NHL Draft will be held June 21-22 at Rogers Arena, home of the Vancouver Canucks.

Ciccolini is awaiting next month’s NHL Central Scouting rankings before deciding if he’ll attend the draft in person.

In the meantime, he’s completing high school classes at Holy Cross Catholic Academy. The postseason break from training will end soon. He works out at In-Tech High Performance Hockey in North York.

Ciccolini and other OJHL trophy winners will be honoured at a ceremony during the OJHL championship final next month.