Knights, Greyhounds shine in OHL’s annual coaches polls

The results of the Ontario Hockey League’s annual Eastern and Western Conference Coaches polls were released on Wednesday, offering an interesting glimpse into the minds of the league’s bench bosses.

Unlike the NHLPA players’ polls, which were also released Wednesday, the OHL survey is filled out solely by head coaches. Here’s how it works, per the OHL’s press release that accompanied the results:

“The Coaches Poll is tabulated when each team submits one nominee per category, and coaches then vote for the top three players for each category within their conference. Players receive five points for a first place vote, three points for a second place vote, and one point for a third place vote. Clubs are not permitted to vote for players from their own team allowing for a maximum of 45 possible points for each winner.”

Categories include the conventional (underrated, most improved, smartest, best shot) and the less so (best stickhandler, hardest worker, most dangerous in goal area, best puck-handling goalie). Here are a few of the most intriguing categories and their results:

SMARTEST PLAYER:

Eastern Conference:
1. Marco Rossi, Ottawa 67’s
2. Ryan Suzuki, Barrie Colts
3. Justin Brazeau, North Bay Battalion

Western Conference:
1. Nick Suzuki, Guelph Storm
2. Morgan Frost, Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (finished first in 2017-18)
3. Evan Bouchard, London Knights (finished third in 2017-18)

BEST PLAYMAKER:

Eastern Conference:
1. Ryan Suzuki, Barrie Colts (28)
2. Jason Robertson, Niagara IceDogs (18)
3. Ryan Merkley, Peterborough Petes (16)

Western Conference:
1. Morgan Frost, Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (37) – finished first in 2017-18
2. Ty Dellandrea, Flint Firebirds (16)
3. Kevin Hancock, London Knights (15)

BEST SKATER:

Eastern Conference:
1. Brett Neumann, Oshawa Generals (28)
2. Thomas Harley, Mississauga Steelheads (19)
3. Philip Tomasino, Niagara IceDogs (12)

Western Conference:
1. Alex Formenton, London Knights (38) – finished first in 2017-18
2. Mac Hollowell, Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (20)
3. Jamie Drysdale, Erie Otters (10) tied –
3. Jean-Luc Foudy, Windsor Spitfires (10)

BEST SHOT:

Eastern Conference:
1. Arthur Kaliyev, Hamilton Bulldogs (35)
2. Justin Brazeau, North Bay Battalion (24)
3. Brandon Saigeon, Oshawa Generals (11)

Western Conference:
1. Bode Wilde, Saginaw Spirit (28)
2. Nick Suzuki, Guelph Storm (27) – finished tied for second in 2017-18
3. Hugo Leufvenius, Sarnia Sting (15)

Overall, the Ottawa 67’s, Oshawa Generals and Hamilton Bulldogs showed up the most across the Eastern Conference results, while the London Knights and Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds were dominant in the West.

Many names that figure prominently in the poll results will be familiar to NHL fans as recent early-round draft picks — say, Oilers prospect Evan Bouchard, Flyers pick Morgan Frost, Senators selection Alex Formenton and soon-to-be Florida Panther Owen Tippett, to name a few — but there are some new faces fans will soon become well-acquainted with as this year’s draft nears.

Highly touted 2019 NHL draft prospects like Bulldogs forward Arthur Kaliyev (first in the Eastern Conference’s “best shot” and “hardest shot” categories), Thomas Harley (named the East’s most improved player and best offensive defenceman) and Ryan Suzuki (named best playmaker and ranked second in smartest player and stickhandling in the East) showed up plenty in the results as some of the league’s top young stars.

The Suzuki name appears more than any other in the results as Golden Knights 2017 first-rounder Nick Suzuki (his rights have since been traded to the Canadiens) was also voted into the top-three of three different categories in the West.

See the full poll results here.

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