NEWS

(pictured - Daniel Lafontaine is one Peter Kneulman's Buffalo Jr. Sabres players to watch this season - Photo Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig/OJHL Images)

The OJHL’s West Division spans from as far north as Orangeville all the way down to Buffalo, NY with 3 teams from Halton and 1 team from Hamilton in between. Last season 3 teams saw time in the CJHL Top 20 with Buffalo, Georgetown and Milton while the Raiders had the most playoff success as they made it all the way to the conference finals.

The hope for the division this year is to get more playoff teams as 3 of the 6 teams in the division failed to make the playoffs with Burlington, Orangeville and Hamilton missing the big dance. Milton and Georgetown met up in the first round thus cannibalizing one of the divisions playoff entrants.

It will be an interesting season none the less and without further ado here are the teams.

Buffalo Jr. Sabres
The Jr. Sabres are coming off of back to back division titles and again face a large roster turnover. What is different this time around though is that head coach Mike Peca will no longer be behind the bench as he has stepped back to take a greater front office role and former NHL Sabre John Tucker takes over behind the bench. On the ice, the team will be led by returning players like Daniel Lafontaine and Nico Gonzalaz. Some fresh blood infused into the team includes recent Brown commit and USA select 16 camp invite Christopher Brown as well as 2013-14 AP Christopher Moses.

Last Season:
Regular Season: 31-16-3-3 (68 Points, 1st in Conference) 
Playoffs: Lost in 2nd Round
Players to Watch: 
Daniel Lafontaine (F), Chris Berger (F)

Burlington Cougars
In what seemed like a lost season early on for the Burlington Cougars only turned worse as they traded away some of their better talent as they approached the trade deadline. The Cougars scored the 2nd fewest goals in the league while allowing the most. To compound problems the Cougars did not have a single 16 year old on their team last year so there is no young talent coming up with OJHL experience that you would hope would be taking the next step like some of the other teams in the West division. 

This season however there are a pair of ‘98s on the team including Guelph Storm 7th round pick Kyle West. Between the pipes is Eugene Makovski who has looked fantastic in preseason play which gives the Cougars faithful some hope. It does seem however that offence in general will be a place where the Cougars will struggle again.

Last Season:
Regular Season: 10-37-2-4 (26 points, 5th in Division) 
Playoffs: Missed Playoffs
Players to Watch: 
Adam West (F), Viktor Mueller (F)

Georgetown Raiders
The Raiders finished 2nd in the West division last year before making a run in the playoffs to the Conference finals where they ultimately fell to the league champion Toronto Lakeshore Patriots. With star goalie and OJHL 1st team all prospect Michael McNiven off to the OHL there are questions as to who will take over in net. Does lightning string twice with 16 year olds as ’98 and highly touted goalie Jack Lafontaine will be suiting up for the Raiders this season. Also suiting up for Georgetown this preseason has been former OHL 1st round pick David Perklin. Can he find the scoring touch he was unable to obtain while playing Major Junior?

If there is one thing Georgetown has shown is their ability to answer questions quickly and answer them in a favorable manor.

Last Season:
Regular Season: 38-13-4 (80 Points, 2nd in Division) 
Playoffs: Lost in Conference Finals
Players to Watch:
David Perklin (F), Richard Court (F), Andrew Court (F)

Hamilton Red Wings
After a season to forget in 12-13 that the Hamilton Red Wings concentrated on bringing in local talent and the team turned around with great success. While they ultimately missed the playoffs they were one of the more exciting teams in the West division and a team you could see growing into a championship contender within a few years. Then the offseason happened and everything was blown up. There is some quality talent coming in including SCTA minor midget player of the year Rylee St Onge and Sudbury ’98 star Jacob Stos.

Not returning however are Connor Bramwell who will be skating in the GOJHL, last years leading scorer Corey Caruso and trade deadline acquisition Adam Burnett, who were both traded.

Do they have a team in Hamilton or just a collection of players who won’t come together? If the preseason is any indication it is the latter and not the former.

Last Season:
Regular Season: 18-31-1-3 (40 Points, 5th in Division) 
Playoffs: Missed Playoffs
Players to Watch: 
Rylee St Onge (F), Jacob Stos (F), Josh Chariot (D)

Milton IceHawks
A team that may not have reached its full potential last year due to undisciplined play and plenty of time in the box. The IceHawks were a team that was fun to watch because of Ben Blacker between the pipes. Now with most of their offensive talent off the university and Blacker off to the USHL there are plenty of questions marks in Milton. Where will the offense come from and who will be in net are the big questions that will need to be answered. Alex Richie for one will be counted on to shoulder a heavy portion of the scoring load but he will not be able to do it all himself. With ’97 born defenders TJ Fergus and Stephen Templeton graduating to the OHL there are also questions as to who will patrol the Icehawks blueline.

Last Season:
Regular Season: 29-21-0-3 (61 points, 3rd in Division) 
Playoffs: Lost in 1st round
Players to Watch:
Alex Richie (F), 

Orangeville Flyers
I may be in the minority here but I am a fan of what they are doing in Orangeville. Their two ‘97s from last years roster performed fantastically last season. Matt Mercer on the blueline has asserted himself as one of the top uncommitted players in the province. Up front Lucas Smilsky provided fantastic offensive value for a player his age and will be looking to take the next step. More young talent is on the way as Soo Greyhounds draft pick Ryan Da Silva has been suiting up for the Flyers in the preseason. Ryan also attended team Canada’s U17 camp in Calgary this summer.

While the jump from last place to a playoff spot is a steep one, I feel it is one the Flyers can make if their young stars continue to grow and they can find some consistent goaltending. With another year under their belt and their young stars score more goals and give up fewer shots? I am a believer that they can.

Last Season:
Regular Season: 4-46-1-2 (11 Points, 6th in Division) 
Playoffs: Missed Playoffs
Players to Watch:
Connor Stack (F), Matt Mercer (D), Lucas Smilsky (F), Ryan Da Silva (D)

Peter Kneulman covers the OJHL West Division for In The O... and more articles by the author can be found at intheoradio.com. In The O...
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