Gavin Chiasson
The 2023 OHL Cup has now come and gone and I personally made the trip down to Toronto at the Scotiabank Pond to catch the action. The tournament includes some of the top names for the 2023 OHL Draft, and can showcase some of the future top OHL talent, and possibly some of the top future NHL talent.
I decided to make some notes on nearly a hundred players who I caught at the year-end tournament, but some notes are worth mentioning before we get into that.
This will not be a ranking or anything within those realms. I have caught some other tournaments and games from some of the players I’ll mention (so if it sounds like I’ve seen them outside the OHL cup, that’s because I have) but I don’t have a fantastic read on the 2007 age group enough to do a ranking. This is (almost) solely my notes from the OHL Cup and that is all.
A quick disclaimer to players and parents who may be reading this; don’t read too much into my notes here. There are going to be some omissions in this write up, it has nothing to do with skill, perhaps I just did not feel confident enough to write about some players that I have only caught a handful of games. Through talking with some other scouts at the arenas and my own personal finding on players, we can jump into my write ups. Some of these write ups will be filled with praise, some others may not; I am trying to keep this as honest as I can, no matter how good or bad.
Given that I am from Northern Ontario, I will be talking about those players more. I have seen some of them play a couple of games up north already, and I take it as my duty to highlight and promote the players up here.
Southern Tier Admirals
Isaac Gravelle- Gravelle was a name I was very familiar with before the OHL draft, and as one of the top goalies eligible this year, I had to catch his game. I found Gravelle to be well-above average with his mobility and he has good athleticism. Keep in mind it is a tournament and it’s hard enough to grasp goalies as it is, but I can understand the hype.
Dryden Allen- Allen had some good games at the tournament, is smart positionally and has some fun upside for a defender. I found that STA had more scoring chances when he was on the ice and he can drive offence fairly well from the blue line.
Trent Vaillancourt- Vaillancourt is one of the few players in this tournament I would consider my favourites. Vaillancourt may not have a ton of upside in his game but I do believe he is one of the top defenders available in this early-to-mid stages of the draft. Vaillancourt was honestly a tank on the ice, in just one period I remember counting 4 huge hits that left his opponents on the ice. He’s certainly one of the more powerful defenders in this draft and boasts a good shot too.
Kaleb Dietsch- Dietsch wasn’t a name I was expecting to catch my eye as much as it did, but I’m not complaining. Dietsch is very reliable in his own end, reads the developing plays well from the other team and has a good defensive stick. He was able to skate up and curl the other team to the boards quite often and effortlessly poke the puck away.
Joey Sinclair- This name caught my eye fairly often on offence and felt he delivered some sort of positive in every shift he took. Sinclair can through a hit and cause opponents defence to struggle in their own end due to his relentless forecheck and back check. Sinclair has that ‘dog’ in him and, at this tournament, felt like the standout on offence.
Other players worth mentioning from the Southern Tier Admirals were Jake Salvatore and Noah Read.
Huron-Perth Lakers
Aidan Hill- I do not mind Hill as a goalie at all. Catching some of HPL’s games, I felt Hill did not have the best first showing, but his second start I was impressed the whole way through. Hill stood on his head and had great poise in the crease and had a really good game.
Teague Vader- Vader was definitely the standout on defence on this team, a smooth skater, Vader has a good first past and good breakout tendencies. Defensively, Vader showed good habits of scanning for the high guy to come in and had a good defensive stick when it came to intercepting passes.
Dax Vader- The other Vader on this team, Dax was continuously one of the few on HPL who ran their offence. Vader was relentless on checking opponents and did not shy away from the dirty areas of the ice. Vader did try to take the middle quite a bit, but against tougher competition, wasn’t getting away with it.
Carson Harmer- Probably the standout in general on HPL, Harmer is a smooth skater and shows good puck skills. Although I wasn’t noticing him every shift, Harmer was able to put on his wheels and show some high-end skills when he was relied on. In the final game I caught of HPL, Harmer had good wheels on the breakout and turned up the ice, had a nice deke that brought him deeper into the offensive zone and while he didn’t score, he did pull me out of my seat slightly.
Another player worth mentioning on the Huron-Perth Lakers was Colin Slattery.
Don Mills Flyers
Leo Zhou- Zhou was one of the defence on the Flyers who delivered some pretty big hits in the games I caught. Don Mills as a whole were a pretty physical team, but Zhou was someone who caught my eye with his hits on more than a couple occasions. However, in the game against Peterborough, none of the Flyers had proven themselves defensively as all 5 goals were scored through major-defensive positioning mistakes. Zhou was not the only one, as it was genuinely the entire team, but I did find that he was not a defender who held down the house greatly.
P.J. Fagan II- Fagan showed great bursts of speed and physicality and I could tell that he was a well-rounded athlete. Fagan’s compete level and heart were certainly visible during the tournament and he had great signs of potential as well. Fagan moved the puck up the ice through his powerful skating on multiple occasions and walked through the other team more than once. Probably the player who caught my eye the most on the Flyers.
Max Anderson- Anderson had a few good bursts of skill that I caught. A talented skater, Anderson drove quite a bit of offence from the flyers, however, he did struggle at holding the middle in the offensive zone. Anderson had good shifts that highlighted his playmaking skillset and was fairly active coming back to help defence.
Jimmy Lombardi- Lombardi had an impressive short-handed goal that I had caught during the week, and he continued to impress otherwise as well. Lombardi is a gifted skater who offers a decent shot as well, his entries and exits were often controlled, his spatial awareness was good, and I saw a lot of potential in his offensive flare. However, I felt Lombardi sometimes lacked off-puck abilities and looked more on-his-game when he had the puck.
Shamar Moses- One of the biggest forwards in terms of size at this tournament, Moses showed that he was a dominating force with DMF. Moses, using his size, was really good at holding down the house offensively which gave him plenty of scoring chances. A good shoot to boot, Moses looks like someone who could easily be a good power-forward in the OHL sooner rather than later.
Another player who stood out from the Don Mills Flyers was Dylan Tsherma.
Thunder Bay Kings
Jack Lambert- One of the players that caught my eye with the Kings was Defenceman Jack Lambert. Lambert showed good habits of putting the puck off the glass defensively and had good vision for breakout passes. Albeit not the biggest defender, Lambert was able to hold his own in front of the net and was sneaky at stealing pucks away from the opponents.
Hudson Gerry- Another defence I’ll highlight here is Gerry, who I believed showed good physicality and strong flares in his game. Gerry played hard defence against opponents and was more mobile the more I watched him. Despite the Kings Defenceman lacking point totals throughout the year, I feel Gerry is deserving of being drafted as I see a lot of potential there.
Matthew Bertolin- A small but shifty forward, Bertolin highlighted the ‘skills’ section of the Kings roster. With decent feet, and good hands, Bertolin generated a lot of good entries to get the Kings into the offensive zone. However, Bertolin often forced the puck to the middle in pass attempts high in the slot and I feel he should be more confident with getting shots off or trying to work the puck down low. Too many times he forced passes that were not going to work out.
Easton Mikus- With size on his side, Mikus also highlights his good two-way game. Mikus is a good skater with a powerful stride and seems to have good hockey sense in a defensive aspect. Good at stick checking and physicality in general, Mikus was one of the few who really caught my eye for the Kings. Mikus did try to force offence, but I liked it. Thunder Bay being the weaker team at the tournament, Mikus did try to make something out of it through taking the middle. He got beat a lot by defence holding down the middle, but Mikus was never really knocked over or outworked.
Carter Poddubny- Another standout on the Kings, Poddubny had one of the cleanest goals of the tournament in their last game. Poddubny has above-average skating and heart, but his shot is what caught my eye. When given space and even a bit of time, Poddubny got shots off clean. Apart from the strength of the shot, his selection was also noticeable, always shooting for the rebound if an odd-man rush occurred, and was not afraid to work the puck down low and whack for rebounds.
Other players worth mentioning for the Kings were Cooper Labelle, Travis VanderZwaag and Chase Furlong. Although it was hard to get reads on the goalies as they both faced so many shots; they were both impressive from what I saw.
Sun County Panthers
Zach Jovanovski- A stand out in net, Jovanovski really impressed me with his crease positioning and poise. Always put the body in the direct line of shooting to face easier shots. Not sure what scouts think of him, but I believe I’m high on him from what I saw at the cup.
Ethan Tatomir- Tatomir was one of the defence to highlight on this team, and for good reason. He has decent size and skating and reads the ice fairly well. Always pushing the open spots of the ice and taking what’s open for him. He controlled the blue line well and offered an above-average shot too.
Bryce Belleau- Another defence to highlight from the SCP was Belleau. I found Belleau held the blue line very well and has an above-average shot as well. Belleau is a smaller defender but showed to be physical at times and handles the rush pretty well, always making sure to drive to the outside.
Cameron Arquette- This was the player who really drove the offence for SCP. A smaller forward, but Arquette showed good skating abilities, worked the middle well and didn’t cough up the puck all that much for being a smaller guy in the middle. He has good hands and shows above-average strength in his shot too. Arquette reads the ice very well and understands when to pass, shoot, and work it down low.
Another player worth mentioning from the Panthers was Kieran McNally.
York-Simcoe Express
Isaac Oldenhof- Oldenhof is the middle ground of the defenders on YSE I feel. From watching him at the tournament, he’s great at moving the puck offensively, good at holding the blue line, and isn’t afraid to take matters into his own hands, but he’s also good defensively. With a good work ethic, Oldenhof battles in front of the net and intercepts passes often. Oldenhof has a strong skating stance and doesn’t shy away from skating it out himself on the breakout.
Lucas Manikis- Manikis is another defender on YSE that stood out to me, as they all did. One area of the game that really caught my eye with Manikis is his athleticism, skating and blue line management. Manikis uses effective skating on the blue line to open up the lanes in the offensive end, and protects the puck well too. A creative defender, Manikis should also be high on people’s draft lists.
Rylan Singh- The most noticeable defender on this team in terms of hype is Singh. Getting to watch Singh this weekend definitely sold me on him and his teammates respectively. Singh is great at joining the rush or initiating it and is likely one of the best puck-distributors in this draft for defencemen. Trusted on the power-play, Singh was excellent at getting the puck to teammates for shot attempts, making him a likely primary-point defender at the next level. All 3 defenders on YSE are likely deserving of second and third round picks.
Ryan Brown- Brown seemed to have a chip on his soldier and I felt he played well in the games I caught. A smart but small forward, Brown had no issues getting into the rougher areas and making his presence felt in front of the net. I’d like to see him be more confident with the puck however and take charge of plays himself from time to time.
Owen Griffin- Griffin was the most noticeable player on YSE however and had some nice highlights that I caught. One characteristic that really stood out to me about Griffin is his elusiveness and patience, that often work hand in hand with each other. A skilled forward, I have no doubt that Griffin will be able to bring this slick-skill style of hockey to the next level with him. An above-average hockey IQ should be beneficial for a player such as himself who does well in the middle of the ice and the most dangerous areas.
Other players certainly worth mentioning on York-Simcoe were Connor Sooley, Owen Meli and Wesley Royston.
Mississauga Senators
Jack Ivankovic- Likely the Ontario regions best 2007 birth year goaltender, Ivankovic positions himself very well and has incredible poise in the net. Not letting up too many rebounds, Ivankovic positions himself well in anticipations for shots and doesn’t drop down too early. His mobility in net is also notable.
Gabriel Trozzo- A good puck-distributor for the Senators, Trozzo is relied on plenty for the teams breakouts. Pucks always come his way for his vision up the ice, his pass selection is good and he follows up with the plays.
Jayden Connors- A small defender, Connors has good feet and agility that allows him to maneuver around the ice well when he’s in trouble. Connors also has a good first pass and his vision up the middle is similar to Trozzo’s, as the both excel in moving the puck through the neutral zone.
Adam Valentini- Although a 2008 birth year, Valentini was one of the more noticeable players on the Senators. A talented skater, Valentini also made a lot of great passes in the offensive end. My concerns with Valentini (albeit he still has a year before his draft) is to drive the pucks more, as I felt he played on the perimeter quite a bit and was not as active in scoring areas as he could have been.
Matthew Manza- Another player who has a bit of an ‘it’ factor to his game, I felt Manza was a dual threat offensively. He had great passes that resulted in dangerous scoring chances, he drove the pucks deep with quick skating, and he also had a few great shots that led me to believe he’ll be a decent scorer at the next level.
Caden Taylor- The star of the Senators shined bright in the OHL cup, and while there are concerns about off-puck play and effort, his on puck and offensive play look solid. Taylor had a couple of beautiful looking goals that I had the pleasure to see, and could rip the puck from the top of the circles well. He’s among the best in the class for goal scoring potential at the next levels, as his release is dangerous. Taylor is also 6’2 and has a powerful stride that he uses to force both exits and entries. He’s also confident enough to hold down the middle and drive to the net, showing good puck control and hands. No doubt he’ll hear his name called early at the draft.
Other players from the Senators worth mentioning is 2008-born Luca Bonomo, Ethan Brassard, Shawn Costello and Briir Long.
Whitby Wildcats
Jaiden Newton- Newton was one of the few Whitby players who looked really good at the tournament, with his ability to generate offence and push through checking opponents, Newton proved to be a good ‘down the lane’ player who drives low successfully and often. Newton also has a good shot which he used just outside of the house a couple of times.
Evan Elliot- Elliot was a speedster on the ice- able to generate offence using his quick feet and push through the middle of the offensive zone. Elliot did well in the neutral zone as well, positioning himself well for passes and uses good hands and spatial control to drive the puck deep.
Drew McLennan- McLennan was another one of my favourites in this tournament, as it felt he was a huge minute-muncher with Whitby. Reliable in all 3 ends of the ice, McLennan played power-play, penalty-kill and even strength and looked great each time. In the game against London, McLennan must’ve played 30 plus minutes in a game that lasted into overtime. McLennan pushes the puck up the ice well and has great skating abilities. McLennan generates so much speed with his crossovers, passes the puck strongly and accurately causing a lot of successful zone entries. Physicality was also a checkmark and I see a lot of potential in McLennan’s game, enough for me to pick him within the first three rounds for sure.
Other notable Whitby players are Griffen Boyle and Carson Shewchuck.
Mississauga Rebels
Kyle Secko- Secko was a recognizable player each time he jumped onto the ice. Good physicality, good defensive stick and understood his defensive responsibilities very well. Certainly someone I could see playing special teams in juniors.
Tristan Delisle- Delisle excelled with his positioning with the Rebels, allowing him to always sneakily find the soft ice. While not putting many goals up throughout the tournament, Delisle should be destined to finish his chances at the next level.
Ethan Czata- Czata was very impressive in what I caught of him at the tournament. Able to take pucks end to end with quick skating and elusiveness, good hands that allowed him to bring the pucks deeper, and a wicked shot. Czata could’ve had more highlights if the tournament was longer for the team, and I think he’s certainly a name that shouldn’t have to wait long on draft day. Czata should be able to show off his shiftiness at the next level well, and pot a few nice ones as I find him one of the more ‘difficult shooters’ to read for goaltenders.
Other notable Rebels players were Oliver Turner and Curtis Freeman
TPH Hockey
Niko Smilovic- Smilovic was a dominating player for TPH and showcased a lot of his skillset at the cup. Smilovic has a good skating stride, good strength in his shots and lays the body well too. Smilovic is good at driving the puck and not getting knocked off balance, all while using players as screens for his release.
Niles Benson- I was surprised to see Benson had not caught the scoresheet at the OHL cup, because the games I saw, he was dominant in. Benson is a polarizing player who drives the play well, using his body to stay balanced, has a terrific shot and has good hands in tight. I was most impressed with Benson’s defensive physicality, as he was relentless and seemed to leave players a little sore after the hits. Benson is someone I’d rank fairly high for the OHL Draft as an American.
Other players on TPH that caught my eyes were Cole Peters and Brady Walters.
Team NOHA
Alex Hall- Hall played well for NOHA, as both goaltenders did. Hall is a bit on the smaller size but is very mobile and poised in the net. In the game against the Rebels, Hall made 2 incredible stops that should be able to help his name in the upcoming draft.
Candon O’Neill- I believe O’Neill is underrated. Clicking at an almost point-per-game pace in the GNML U18 AAA league, he’s shown he can be offensive. At the OHL cup, O’Neill highlighted his skating, edge work and elusiveness. With good puck movements as well, he makes great choices and passes in the offensive end and even nailed a goal from the blue line.
Declan Gallivan- Gallivan, who captained NOHA looked fairly solid in the games I saw. Gallivan is a larger body, able to dish out physicality but also boasts above average hockey IQ. Gallivan makes smart first passes and positions himself nicely for the next plays to happen. Gallivan could use some higher top end speed, but he’s a safe pick due to his IQ, physicality and offensive flare.
Carter Carriere- Carriere has been underrated much of the year. On the smaller size of defensemen, Carriere offers great skating and edge work, but not only does his skating work fluidly, he uses his skating for real reasons. Carriere always skates to areas that matter and is positionally intelligent. It’s not often that Carriere is making dumb decisions or going to pointless areas, he’s definitely worthy of a mid round draft pick.
Brant Romaniuk- Small, but a speedy player. Romaniuk has good crossovers and builds a lot of speed by using them, showcases good hands when in tight situations and has a real nose for the net. Romaniuk is hard to miss on the ice due to his ‘give it all’ hustle that he brings shift by shift.
Bryden Shank- Shank started out my viewings of him with two bad plays back to back. Two passes without looking that resulted in turnovers. However, every single shift after that impressed me. Shank has a nose for the net, but plays fearless in driving to the scoring areas. He’s very aggressive and has good foot speed that helped him complete controlled entries. He also has a good shot to boot, which I was lucky to catch a few times.
Brendan Cooke- One of the Soo boys who stood out the most to me in the NOHA evaluation camp was Brendan Cooke. Cooke has some great raw athleticism that should set him up to have high potential for the years to come. Quick on his fit and a wicked release, Cooke is lightning bug on the ice. However, perhaps his feet move faster than his brain at times and can get caught trying to do one too many moves, I still believe there is a lot of potential in Cooke for years to come.
Hudson Chitaroni- The name to watch from the north this year was Hudson Chitaroni, and he impressed me during the OHL cup despite not putting up crazy stats. Chitaroni has a lot of patience and great hockey IQ when it comes to positioning himself for points. It’s what helped him pot 62 points in 33 games in the GNML U18 AAA this season. Chitaroni has a good work ethic too and isn’t afraid to battle for pucks. A relentless worker who should be taken within the first few rounds in the OHL Draft.
Other Team NOHA players who impressed me were Nathan Maguire, Rylan Fellinger, Deven Jones-McDonald, Cole Dubowsky and Max Campbell.
Barrie Jr. Colts
Curtis Allen- Allen had bits and pieces that I really liked this tournament, namely his offensive skillset which I think he showcased well. Allen takes smart shots from the blue line and always attempts to force the middle. A controlled player, I never noticed Allen panic in any situation and he was always hard on his stick, making good passes and able to capture them back even if they weren’t ideal.
Nolan Jackson- A bigger defender, Jackson really impressed me. Was always being physical, knew to push the opposition to the outside, and finished his checks well. Jackson also has a good first pass, and can really fly up the sides if necessary. Like Allen, Jackson is very patient with the puck and controls the power-play well, taking smart shots and making smart passes. Should be a name to watch early in the draft.
Jonathan Cirone- Cirone impressed me with his relentless forecheck and ability to dive head first into scrums. Cirone is someone who battled hard for Barrie and did well at taking the puck up the wings. A smart shooter as well, Cirone used opponents as screens and would shoot for rebounds if the opportunity was better for them.
Logan Hawery- A 2008 birth year, Hawery was an underager at this tournament and didn’t look like it for a second. Hawery already boasts some decent size and battles hard enough to look like he’s a year older. Was one of the most noticeable Barrie players all weekend, Hawery uses great angles in his skating to deliver ‘difficult-to-read’ shots for the goalies. With a wide stance, Hawery is able to crossover when attacking opponents and blow by them as he’s difficult to read. Definitely someone to keep an eye on next year as he’d be projected to go very high in the 2008-born 2024 OHL Draft.
Other players who impressed from the Barrie Jr. Colts were Matt Andersen, Hudson Wiles, Sam Pye, Paul Mazanik, Cole Hodgson and Ethen Fines.
Halton Hurricanes
Casey Bridgewater- Bridgewater was fun to watch over the weekend. A small-ish defender, Bridgewater played physical enough and skated well enough for me to notice him almost immediately. Bridgewater has good skating in all 4 directions, and uses the East-to-West skating to open up the ice before making good breakout passes. I would like to see Bridgewater use his skating to drive the play up the ice more often however.
Tyler Hopkins- Hopkins was incredible in the games I caught. A high-hockey IQ type of player, Hopkins positions himself very well off-puck and puts himself in dangerous areas consistently when on-puck. Hopkins skating is also well-above average and he’s able to open up a lot of the ice with how he uses it. A deadly shooter as well, he’s able to pick pockets in the net when he’s given an inch of space. Definitely someone who is worthy of a top-10 pick in this class.
Matthew Schaeffer- The name to watch from not only Halton, but potentially in this draft class is Matthew Schaeffer. One of the best skaters at this tournament, Schaeffer has a compete level and pure-athleticism that will carry him over very nicely to the OHL. Schaeffer pushes offence more than any other defender I saw at the tournament, and has great potential to work with defensively, even though he’s fairly good at that role as well. Uber-confidence in himself, Schaeffer is still a team player who was able to manipulate opening passing lanes and dishing some pucks to his teammates. Creativity, speed and good hockey-sense are all characteristics I would use to describe Schaeffer.
Other Halton Hurricanes that caught my eye were Nico Krmpotic, Brady Smith and Tanner Lam.
London Jr. Knights
Ethan Weir- Weir has some question marks about him. There is no denying the on-ice skillset that he brings, but I have heard some issues regarding off-ice behaviour. However, Weir has great wheels and does a good job at bringing the puck down the wings and getting shots on net. Good hands as well, as Weir was able to make more than a few shifty moves coming down the lanes to gain space. His passing ability is above average too and he shouldn’t have to wait very long to hear his name called on draft day.
Parker Snelgrove- This London team was deep for forwards. Snelgrove was one of them who consistently generated the most offence. I’m not sure there was a player at this tournament who created as many high-danger scoring opportunities than Snelgrove if I’m honest. With excellent patience and well-above average IQ, Snelgrove did a fantastic job at working the puck outside of the house to pull opponents in before making passes back to the house, on the tape. A big body as well, Snelgrove wasn’t just a playmaker but someone who could fire pucks on net, and I did catch a lot of London games, so Snelgrove certainly raised his draft-stock on my sheet.
Aiden Young- Young is another one of ‘my boys’ who I really wanted to highlight in this article. Young brings so much excitement to the ice each time he was on, working very well with whatever teammates he was on the ice with. With great potential, Young has good wheels that he uses to beat opponents frequently, delivers a good shot-in-stride to beat goaltenders, but has great patience and hockey sense as well. Similar to Snelgrove, I believe he raised his draft stock greatly at this tournament and should be called upon within the first 30 picks of the draft in my eyes. Young does a tremendous job at carrying the puck through the neutral and offensive zone and getting it deep, resulting in a lot of potential scoring chances, or at the least, keeping the puck in the opponents end.
Ryan Roobroeck- I had watched Roobroeck earlier on in the year at the Wendy Dufton tournament and wasn’t overall impressed. Now, before you criticize myself or Roobroeck throughout the year, let me finish. Roobroeck in October was putting up plenty of points and creating a lot of dangerous scoring opportunities no matter what; through passes, shots and offensive positioning, he was all over the other team. If you are asking what happened to him for having such a ‘disappointing’ OHL cup, I’ll let you know my thoughts. In October, Roobroeck did all that through hovering. He hovered at the blue line, would circle and lap the ice until an opportunity came up. In other words, he was a big-time passenger that was only really noticeable in the offensive end. At the OHL cup, those points did not come, but upon further consideration in the games I saw, this is how I feel about Roobroeck. His overall game is better than before, and if I were an OHL GM, I would believe in my mind that through his development, Roobroeck will eventually turn into a really good player. He was much harder on the back check, he was relentless on the forecheck, and Roobroeck interrupted a lot of the opponents scoring chances. So sure, the offence may not have been clicking at the OHL Cup, but I saw a more well-rounded player in Roobroeck who did not care about points, but rather the bigger goal; helping the team win. This means Roobroeck might not put up as many points as expected in the OHL, but once he figures out how to fully utilize his two-way game, will be a much better player down the line. The more I thought about Roobroeck’s game, the less I thought his OHL cup performance was disappointing. It helps that he’s a team-player as well.
Other London Jr. Knights players that caught my eye were Easton Falls, Tyler Pais, Luke Readings, Braedon Clark, Tanner Ducharme, and Gavin Puhl.
Toronto Young Nationals
Ajay Rai- Rai was the player who I found generated the most amount of offence to the Nats team over the week. With controlled entries, good feet and speed to beat opponents, Rai was able to make good use of the lanes given and make great passes to the slot over and over again. I’d like to see Rai have some more patience however, as I felt he had forced too many plays too quickly rather than holding on to the puck.
Kieran Riley- Riley was the most impressive player on the Nats squad, as he offered good size, great defensive instincts, well-rounded ability in all 3 zones, and his aggressive powerfulness. Riley was a dominating player who looked like a football player on skates with how he played. It didn’t look like too many players were willing to hit Riley, who often laid out opponents as well. With a booming shot and aggressiveness in front of his own net, I’d expect Riley shouldn’t have to wait very long on draft day either.
Other players on the Nats who caught my eye were Ryan Arpin, Austin Punchard, Matthew Sarabando, Chase Del Colombo and Callum Mainville.
Peterborough Petes
Andrew MacNeil- Solid on both sides of the puck, MacNeil has size and makes smart breakout passes. Always looking up the ice, MacNeil has good scanning habits and can jump in with the rush too. However, as solid as he is defensively, there is still room to clean up as he jumped into offence far too early a lot of the time.
Ben Radley- A solid defender, Radley can also play in all 4 directions. Not afraid to be physical and eat hits, Radley is a great puck distributor offensively and creates a lot of space with how he holds the blue line.
Josh Avery- Avery looked better and better each game of the tournament. Unafraid to take and give a hit, Avery was very physical and demanded space. He works well in the neutral zone, winning a lot of puck battles or driving through defenders, Avery also gets the puck off with ease. With good body language offensively, Avery is able to make smart passing plays that open up a lot of the ice. Other than that, Avery can really fire the puck as well, so he shouldn’t have to wait for his name too long come draft day.
Kaiden Harmon- Although undersized, Harmon is a very shifty skater who was relied on in an OT win and always delivered silky smooth plays when he was on the ice. Harmon’s next steps to take is to be more engaged when off-puck as I felt I didn’t notice him unless he had it on his stick.
Cohen Bidgood- Another player who stood out more and more throughout the tournament, Bidgood has some size and room to fill out, good wheels and his hands make it that much more exciting. Bidgood had a couple of plays that made the crowd react, with nice toe drags and moves under the opponents sticks, it’s clear Bidgood has a knack for the skillful side of hockey. I’d like him to be more engaged with the play as well, and increase his physicality.
Will McFadden- Again, although undersized a little bit, McFadden was one of the more entertaining players that I had the chance to see. With good wheels, great hands and an above-average hockey sense, McFadden is able to capture the eyes of scouts with almost every shift. McFadden is also a relentless worker, which works well for a player who is under 5’10, because he was able to handle himself in physical situations.
Other players worth mentioning on the Petes were Masen Johnston, Nathan McHattie, Graydon Jones, Lukas Moore, Nate Curson, and Max Seon.
Waterloo Wolves
Hunter Solomon- It’s hard to pick who the most standout D was for Waterloo during this tournament, I think all of them had good attributes about them and had flashes of upside-potential, but I have to pick Solomon as maybe doing that the best. Solomon already has some size to him and is able to make fantastic passes to his teammates. Whether using the boards, using his puck-protection, or manipulating opponents, Solomon had a lot of nice plays from the defensive zone and the neutral zone. On the blue line, Solomon has a good shot which he uses in the middle, and defensively he’s able to battle with opponents leaving few high-danger opportunities arise.
Sam Black- I’m picking Sam Black to highlight here between a few players because I felt he was the most physical out of most of the Waterloo forwards. Black laid the body a lot and really caught my eye because these hits were not just selfish physicality, but often actually led to the Wolves gaining possession. Black also went to the dirty areas of the ice and had some good opportunities offensively that caught my attention.
Brendan Gerber- Gerber showed a lot of signs of potential through his skating ability, his physicality and his playmaking abilities. Gerber had a lot of good entries and beat defenders clean a lot of the time. Gerber doesn’t take his time to release the puck either, offering a fun release that led to some great scoring chances.
Brady Martin- A bit of the talk of the tournament, Martin really excelled in my eyes and locked himself within my personal top 3, of which, I don’t think I have a specific order of. Martin has a great skating technique, able to build a lot of speed with his crossovers; isn’t afraid to go east-to-west and has a fantastic shot. Quite literally the Quarter-Finals game was Brady Martin (3) to the Toronto Marlboros (2). One issue that I did find with Martin was that he often made a lot of careless mistakes, I will admit however, that these mistakes mostly came out of exhaustion when playing 2 minutes straight or playing 8 of the last 11 minutes and so on. These issues are not going to be evident in the OHL, especially in his first two seasons most likely. A relentless work ethic, Martin is an extremely intriguing prospect in this draft. It also helps that he’s an absolute team player with a humble attitude and is liked by his peers.
Others who caught my eye from the Waterloo Wolves were Matthew Darrigan, Cameron Biesel, Owen Miloje, Sam Ratcliffe, Noah Vandenberg and Luke Schofield.
Toronto Marlboros
Sebastian Dell’Elce- Dell’Elce stood out to me because he was extremely active. A smart defender, Dell’Elce constantly showed great patience and puck control and used it to his advantage in the defensive zone. While not overly-sized, Dell’Elce was still very active at lifting sticks defensively and getting the puck out. Dell’Elce has above-average hockey sense and footwork that should help him in the next levels.
Luke Dragusica- Dragusica has good size that will help him in the junior levels and above-average hockey sense as well. While he needs strength, especially in the lower body, he should be fine to grow that athleticism down the road. Dragusica proved well in net-front battles and situations, and often came out with the puck. He doesn’t shy away from carrying the puck up ice either and making sure his team gets a controlled exit.
Matheas Stark- Stark impressed me with his two-way ability. A flashy skater, Stark has great north-south speed and uses it to his advantage. Able to reach top speed quickly, Stark can blow past defenders and push towards grabbing the middle of the net. He’s also shown to be a skillful playmaker and a dual threat offensive, whether it be his high-tempo passing with accuracy or firing a quick puck on net. Stark should be high on peoples lists because he’s a well rounded but also high-tempo player who can play in all situations.
Lev Katzin- Katzin is an interesting one; already tendered with the Green Bay Gamblers, Katzin is likely not fighting for his draft stock as much as he did earlier in the season. However, when Katzin was on, he was on. Albeit undersized, Katzin has great wheels and uses them effectively as he draws in and manipulates defenders with ease. He’s a very difficult player to predict and was able to make fools of even the better defence at the tournament.
Jeremy Martin- One of my favourite players I was introduced to watching at the cup was Jeremy Martin. Martin battles extremely hard, doesn’t shy away from physicality but also brings skill to his ‘edge’ game. Martin has a great release that he used to beat the goaltenders a few times. I’d predict Martin to go anywhere in the 2nd or early 3rd round of the draft, as he brings a compete level like few others of his skillset.
William Moore- I was quite impressed with Moore’s two way game while watching and he immediately stood out as a solid two-way centreman. I do think Moore was maybe better suited for the OHL, given his size, strengths and weaknesses, but the NTDP is fine. The biggest question marks about Moore’s game I believe really trickled down to strength. A bit of a weird skating stance, and sometimes weak shots, should be cleaned up when he fills out. Then, you’re looking at a 6’3 two way centre who relentlessly back checks and is often able to snag the puck from opponents. He also does a good job at slowing down the pace in order to read and react to offensive zone plays, which worked in his favour a lot.
Aidan Lane- A tricky one to read. A lot of people really like Lane, and I’m not sure my mind is still made up about him. One the one hand, Lane had a lot of bouts of skill in his showings at the tournament, but I couldn’t help but feel his skillset is incomplete. Lane was not very physical in the games I saw and went to poke the pucks a lot. He was easily fooled by opponents and sometimes lacked the effort to back check. His off-puck play was rather, inconsistent. On-puck however, Lane used his size to drive the play and get pucks to the middle of the ice and was truly one of the more dangerous players in terms of scoring chances at the tournament. It’ll be interesting to see what he can accomplish and round-out at the next level.
Other Toronto Marlboros players that impressed me were Jaeden Nelson, Joseph Cadorin, Kieran Witkowski, Cooper Drennan, and Jason Zhou.
Vaughan Kings
Artem Frolov- Frolov was the most noticeable back-end of the Vaughan squad, and for good reasons. A gifted two-way ability gives Frolov an upper edge on the competition. With his junior-level ready size, Frolov plays powerfully through the neutral zone, unafraid to brings pucks in offensively and set up a play. Offensively, he also acquires a good shot and passing abilities, able to control the blue line with ease and looks ready to play on the power-play at the junior level too. On the defensive side of things, there is still some work to be done but he battles hard in front of the net, and due to his size, is able to strip the puck away from opponents often.
Vasily Serov- One of the most intriguing players in this draft, Serov should be higher on draft boards. What I saw at the OHL Cup was that he was able to plow through any competition, no matter who his opponents were. Serov is a big-bodied forward who uses it to his advantage, hardly being knocked off puck which has allowed him to be as creative as he wants. And he does exactly that. Serov has smooth hands and can transition and pivot to fool defenders, mix that in with one of the best U16 one-timers and you have a fun player on your hands. Serov offers everything at a junior level already and shouldn’t have to wait long on draft day.
Ivan Galiyanov- Galiyanov was another very exciting prospect on the kings, and while there were very exciting moments in his game, I felt he had flashes of going unnoticed. Galiyanov when on his game, can drive offence very well and create scoring chances at the tip of his thumb. With good skating mechanics that allow him to build speed and space, and good hands to match, Galiyanov boasts a high offensive ceiling. It’s just a matter of putting it together, and consistently doing so.
Carter Kostuch- My father’s personal favourite at the tournament, Kostuch had a knack for pulling us a bit out of our seats. With good hands, quick skating and the ability to make magical plays happen while off balance or heavily pressured is a reason I believe Kostuch should fall in the 15-25 range rather than the 3rd. Kostuch has above-average hockey sense and knows where to be offensively at any given time. On-puck, Kostuch is good at working the puck into an area of the ice, drawing opponents in before making a slot pass for dangerous scoring chances. Off-puck, Kostuch is scanning the offensive end reading developing plays so he knows whether to shoot or make another pass. Kostuch has some inconsistencies in his game, but I believe will be an intriguing high-ceiling prospect for the upcoming draft.
Mason Kim- Kim is certainly worth mentioning, and while his size may hinder him moving forward, he’s an incredibly fun player to watch. A relentless work ethic, Kim is a little water bug on the ice who zips north-south, east and west. Unafraid of being a little physical too, he certainly has an edge on him.
Other Vaughan Kings players who caught my eye were Adrian Manzo, Ewan McChesney, Jack Fang, and Ryan Kovacevic.
Toronto Jr. Canadiens
Xander Velliaris- Velliaris was hard to miss in all the games I watched of JRC. A larger defender, Velliaris boasts juniors-ready size and puck movement ability. His vision is good, his passes are delivered hard and accurately, and he plays a well all-around game. I’m not totally sure what the potential is for a player like him, but he should be selected fairly early in the draft as he plays a heavier game than most defenders this year.
Luka Graziano- Graziano really impressed me. A bit of an undersized defender, Graziano has good wheels, puck protection and vision to make plays work in all 3 zones. While being undersized disadvantages him in front of his own net, he does battle really hard and doesn’t shy away from physicality. He makes good breakout passes but most importantly, positions himself nicely offensively for scoring opportunities. Graziano just needs to continue to develop, grow and add some strength.
Luca Romano- A silky player with great wheels but an even better shot, Romano is sure to be a standout in any game of the tournament. Romano had great separation speed, confidence in holding onto the puck and overall puck protection, while scoring a few fantastic goals that pulled me out of my seat. Romano is likely a top 30 pick in this draft and should have no problem at the OHL level as his athletic ability is among the best in the draft.
Nico Addy- I’m not entirely sold on Addy if I’m honest. From a skillet perspective, Addy has size, a great shot and physicality, but I’m not sure his mental game is there. Addy skating past pucks often and missed out on a lot of plays, his positioning was very questionable at times and I thought he lacked playmaking ability. Mix that in with an attitude that cost him the 3rd most penalty minutes and I wasn’t very impressed. There’s definitely some potential there with the size, shooting and being a power-forward, but the question is can he clean it all up and put it together?
Evan Malkhassian- One of my favourites from this class again, Malkhassian boasts superb hockey IQ. To highlight what Malkhassian does well all likely stems from his hockey sense; his patience is incredible and often leads to scoring chances, he never panics with the puck and also just seems to know when to dish it. His passing itself is once again, very good. His puck protection is among the best in the class, his skating is all meaningful, and the puck just seems to follow him around. Malkhassian is always looking for the soft ice and can always make smart decisions time after time, no matter how pressured. I believe Malkhassian should be among the top 40 skaters picked, and while some may question his size at the next level, I have no doubt in my mind he’ll be able to handle it. I would like to see him shoot more however.
Jake O’Brien- The scoring leader at the tournament, Jake O’Brien is an all around player who can play any situation. O’Brien definitely wears the ‘C’ for a reason as he is a workhorse who has a genuine love for the game and getting better. A team player, O’Brien plays a hard two way game, able to strip opponents of the puck before leading the rush. O’Brien has a powerful shot, both normal wrist/snap shots and a deadly One-Timer. While O’Brien will be good at any level of hockey down the road, here was where my concerned lied with him; while he always makes the right decisions, and you can tell his a leader by how he thinks the game and plays it, sometimes it felt like you had to physically watch O’Brien think of what he needs to do or where he needs to be. And while he always made the right and smart decision, I would like it to come more natural to him. Maybe it is just confidence, because he always makes the right decisions, he just needs to continue making those decisions a few split seconds earlier.
Other JRC players who I enjoyed watching and felt worth mentioning are Nico and Alexander Armellin, Ethan Armstrong, Hong Yu Wang, Luca Morano, Michael Lavigne, and Chase Yanni.
Thank you for reading everyone, again please remember that what I caught from most of these players was just one tournament. This is *mostly* just an OHL Cup recap. Some of these were my brutally honest opinions, but I feel it is important to know how players may be seen in the eyes of scouts. Everything is fixable and is necessary for jumping to the next levels.
Players, please remember that no matter what happens at the draft, whether you are first round, sixth round, 13th round or undrafted, it is not the end for you. There are plenty of players who go undrafted even in the OHL who wind up playing in the NHL someday. This is just one draft that doesn’t need to be a barrier for who you become. Have fun everyone and enjoy your summer.