OHL blog: Otters, Steelheads make moves

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As if it wasn’t already strong enough, the Erie Otters’ scoring is about to get better.

In a trade that Sherry Bassin has apparently been cooking up for quite some time, the Sudbury Wolves sent forward Nick Baptiste to Erie for 19-year-old forward Travis Wood, 17-year-old defenceman Cole Mayo, two second-round picks and two thirds. The high-end Sabres prospect had 45 goals last season, and is a strong candidate for this year’s WJC Team Canada squad. Given the state of the Wolves (4-19), it’s really no surprise to see Baptiste go to a team already on the rise. Still, this is a huge get for the Otters, who were just one of a few teams that had high interest.

Meanwhile, let the rebuilding begin (again) in Sudbury. The Wolves haven’t finished higher than third in the Central Division since 2000-01.

Captain Konecny back on track?

You may recall coach Jeff Brown’s decision to bench his top line a week ago. Harsh? Maybe not when your top three guys are a combined minus-nine in an 8-5 win over the reigning OHL champs. And especially not when it ends up sending a message. It’s looking like that may be the case.

Since that eye-popping game against the Guelph Storm on the 16th, Konecny has racked up seven points—nearly half of what he had heading into that game. “It was a matter of time,” said Brown. “He’s too good a player to not have success so it’s starting to go in for him.”

It’s obviously a big year for Konecny, so getting over whatever hurdle he was stuck on earlier is nothing short of crucial. Erik Bradford, the team’s top centre who plays alongside Konecny, also picked up four points. Things are looking up for the squad, which has worked its way up to fourth in the Eastern Conference. Though their perfect home record was squashed by the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds last Friday, the 67’s remained unbeaten in regulation, and are riding a seven-game point streak. After two really poor seasons, say it with me: It’s about time.

Speaking of point streaks, the Guelph Storm halted Kitchener’s 16-game run without a regulation loss Sunday when Tyler Bertuzzi sealed a 3-0 shutout for the Storm. You may recall Guelph also ended London’s eight-game winning streak earlier this month. Something’s gotta give.

Lodge adds boost to Steelheads’ top line

The Mississauga Steelheads’ top line is doing some damage, and the addition of Jimmy Lodge has been a spark.

First, let’s back track and take a look at Mississauga’s weekend acquisitions. Lodge, the 84th-overall pick by Winnipeg in 2013, was sent from the Saginaw Spirit in exchange for Jesse Barwell, Greg DiTomaso, and three picks (third in 2015, a sixth in ’16 and a conditional second in ’17).

General manager James Boyd wasn’t done there. He picked up Justin Bean from the Belleville Bulls for a seventh-rounder in 2015. Mississauga’s 5-1 win over the Petes on Sunday saw a strong combined effort from Lodge, Sam Babinstev and Bryson Cianfrone.

Worth noting: The Kingston Frontenacs were winless for the week (which comes after beating Guelph 5-0 last Friday). Spencer Watson and Robert Polesello have been putting up points, but the team has been nothing to brag about as of late. I’m left wondering if the Fronts put all their eggs in one basket in the pursuit of Sam Bennett’s return, who’s currently nursing his shoulder post-surgery.

And as bodies continue to be shuffled around, overaged Chris Marchese joined the Plymouth Whalers over the weekend. In his second game with the team, a hard shot from a member of the Guelph Storm nearly took the tip of his finger off. It was a gruesome injury from the sounds of it, but thankfully nothing a bit of sewing couldn’t help for now.

Stars of the Week

Mitch Marner, RW, London Knights Once again, we find Marner getting special recognition for another outstanding weekend in which he put up an incredible 10 points in two games. The Marner-Max Domi (The Mitch and Max Show?) duo was named first and second stars of both games, and now round out the third and fourth top-scoring spots in the league. Marner also played an integral role in Team OHL’s 5-1 win over Team Russia in last week’s Super Series matchup in Kingston.

Michael Dal Colle, C, Oshawa Generals The top Islanders prospect led the league with 11 points in three games last week as the Oshawa Generals continue to dominate the Eastern Conference. The Gens are currently tied with the league-leading Erie Otters on 39 points.

Dylan Strome, C, Erie Otters With Connor McDavid out of the lineup (but taking part in practice), Strome’s scoring chances continue to soar. Strome scored eight points in three games (five goals and three assists), leading his team to three more wins.

NHL Draft Tracker

Travis Konecny, LW, Ottawa 67’s On a much-needed tear. He’s an A-listed skater according to NHL Central Scouting and just about everyone else, but his slow start was starting to leave people wondering.

Matt Spencer, D, Peterborough Petes Tough times for the lie ahead for the Petes, or so it seems. The team’s spent some time on the lower end of the Eastern spectrum, with a 5-5 record in their past 10 games. Spencer was listed among the “B skaters” to keep an eye on heading into the draft. He has 11 points in 21 games and can lend a hand on the blueline, but plays the stay-at-home role well at the same time.

Mitch Vande Sompel, D, Oshawa Generals Also listed among the “B skaters” to watch out for. As Oshawa continues to effortlessly skate through its opponents, the blueliner continues to make a case for himself on a stellar squad. He has 25 points in 22 games.

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