2019/20 OHL Season Preview: Western Conference

Part two of my season preview brings us to the Western Conference.

Similar to the East, I think we have three tiers in the West this year. The first tier is made up of Saginaw, Kitchener, and London. I think these three teams head into the year as the cream of the crop and have to be considered the favourites for the Conference and the divisions. Then the second tier is made up of Flint, Erie, Windsor, Sault Ste. Marie, Owen Sound, and Sarnia. I think these teams are pretty interchangeable and all have question marks that could prevent them from making the playoffs. Then the third tier is Guelph. Don't get me wrong, I'm not sure Guelph is going to be as bad as some people think they will be. But I think that they want to be. Adam Fantilli is a hell of a prospect and catch and I think the teams at the bottom will do everything they can to try to secure his rights. While he's not an exceptional status player, he is a late birth date, which means whoever drafts him will be guaranteed three years of him before he leaves for the NHL. That's a big jump start to a rebuild like the one Guelph is attempting.

1. Saginaw Spirit (West Division)
This is a really strong group in Saginaw this year. They have some great depth at forward, in addition to some high end talent. This is going to be the Cole Perfetti break out party as I see him being the first draft eligible player to lead the league in scoring since Dylan Strome. I also see guys like Jenkins, Porco, Giroux, Busdeker, Coskey, etc continuing to improve. They may want to look at adding some size up front at some point, but for now I really like the make up of the forward group. Another strength is in net. While there is some mystery surrounding the possible return of Ivan Prosvetov, I have the utmost confidence in Tristan Lennox being a top flight goaltender in this league already as a 17 year old. Either way, they're going to get great goaltending. And they may need it some nights. This defense group does have some holes, especially if Bode Wilde sticks in the AHL as many are anticipating. Import pick Solovyov is the real wild card here. They are going to need a few guys like him to really step up. I see the Spirit upgrading their defense pretty quickly into the year if things are rocky. This is their year.

2. Kitchener Rangers (Midwest Division)
The Rangers are just a very well rounded team. Not really any holes in this group. They did a great job jumping on the weak goaltending market early to bring in Jacob Ingham from Mississauga. He should be the reliable starter that they need. They also did a great job shoring up their defense, especially from a puck moving perspective, by bringing in Axel Bergkvist and Ville Ottavainen in the Import Draft. Vukojevic should continue to be a rock here too and I'd look for him to take a step forward offensively this year. Up front, the loss of Joseph Garreffa is a bit of a blow as he attempts to turn pro. Even with his departure, the Rangers are fine up front. Greg Meireles and Riley Damiani are contenders to lead the league in scoring and should be a dynamic duo. Ditto for Jonathan Yantsis and Liam Hawel, whom the Rangers just picked up from Guelph. If some of the younger forwards like Valade, Langdon, Stepien, Pinelli, McDonnell, etc don't step up and provide consistent secondary scoring, things could get a little rocky. But look for GM Mike McKenzie to be aggressive in the trade market to improve that.

3. London Knights
How successful London is this year will depend totally on how well their young, experienced defense comes together. Alec Regula is really the only returning core player with Keane seeing sporadic playing time previously. There's a ton of talent, no doubt. Between Skinner, Winslow, Steklov, Montgomery, Mailloux, and Roger, there is a ton of potential. But there are bound to be growing pains. Rome was not built in a day and you can't completely overhaul your defense without expecting some bumps in the road. That's going to put a lot of pressure on Jordan Kooy to be better than he was last year. It's also going to put pressure on their deep forward group to score, and score a lot to cover up some weaker defensive nights. But they are certainly capable of that. Good mix of veterans and younger players here. I think guys like Gruden, Cotter, Dunkley, and Moskal could have big years. I also think Antonio Stranges emerges as a big time point producer to match Foudy and McMichael. This team will bring speed and grit up front and should dominate possession time enough to help out their defense early on until they get comfortable.

4. Flint Firebirds
This is, admittedly, totally dependent on Ty Dellandrea coming back from Dallas' training camp. I think he's going to get a few games, but ultimately I do see him returning in October sometime. And I think Flint has built up their roster to the point where they can keep their heads above water until that time. The Anthony Popovich acquisition was such a smart move for the franchise. He has a ton of experience in this league and can be a real leader, on and off the ice. Having that stability in net will be big. This Firebirds defense group is also very solid, pending they actually stay healthy this year. I think Dennis Busby is going to have a real breakout season offensively, and he and Kolyachonok could form a terrific first pairing. At forward, they have a lot of depth and it's only a matter of time before their young players take that next step. Guys like Evan Vierling, Cody Morgan, Hunter Holmes, Connor Roberts, etc should be able to take big steps forward. And I think Brennan Othmann is an immediate impact player. Of course, upon his return, I expect Dellandrea to be among the best players in the league and a real leader in the second half. This is going to look like a pretty bad prediction if things go south again in Flint, but I have a lot of faith that they have turned the corner.

5. Erie Otters
If you remember in my East write up, I mentioned how the Petes had among the highest returning goals totals for 18/19 year old players in the OHL. Another team that is right at the top of that list is Erie. They may not have any stars up front, but they have a lot of very efficient players who play hard and put the puck in the net. I think Hayden Fowler is going to have a big year offensively if he can stay healthy and Connor Lockhart should make an immediate impact as a rookie. Of course the crown jewel here is Jamie Drysdale on the back-end. I think he can emerge as one of the OHL's best defenders and help this group to be quietly very effective. In net, things are a little more murky. But Daniel Murphy did a solid enough job last year to the point where you have to expect that he could take that next step forward from a consistency perspective. And Aidan Campbell comes into the league with a fair amount of hype. A lot of people are sleeping on this team right now, but I think that they can be quietly very effective.

6. Windsor Spitfires
I think there are some things to like about this Windsor roster this year. Their forward group is very strong and they are going to score a ton of goals. Egor Afanasyev and Matt Maggio being added this offseason, to the likes of Foudy, Cuylle, Douglas, Angle, Boka, D'Amico, Playfair, McDonald, and first rounder Wyatt Johnson. That's a deep group. This Windsor team will be able to roll three scoring lines, and even if the group is younger and still trying to find consistency, they should be able to count on a few breakouts. D'Amico is one guy in particular that I really see coming into his own as a possible point per game player this season. Defensively, I think a lot hinges on the impact of newcomers Rafkin and Robinson. But overall, even with the loss of Staois, this group is a tad underrated because they don't possess any current stars. Where I am worried is in net. Kari Piiroinen struggled last year as a rookie and Xavier Medina...is a rookie. When you consider that this is a relatively young team at it's core, there are going to be nights where a lot of premium scoring chances are given up. But I do think that they'll score enough to be a playoff team.

7. Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds
It kind of doesn't feel right to have the Greyhounds ranked this low. So let me preface this by saying that I expect Barrett Hayton to spend the year in the NHL. If he returns, the Hounds could be a top 4 team in the West. But without him, I just don't see enough star power to overcome some greenness defensively. Christian Propp is an underrated goalie who I think can do a solid enough job for the Greyhounds. But defensively, I just don't see the high end depth necessary to be a top team in the deep Western Conference. That said, the Hounds have done such a great job developing young players in recent years and their 3rd and 4th year players have a tendency to overachieve and breakout when you least expect it. And they will need those breakouts from guys like Joe Carroll, Zach Trott, Rory Kerins, Ryan Roth, Cullen McLean, etc. I think that the Greyhounds are a playoff team, but without Hayton, I don't see them being a force.

8. Owen Sound Attack
I'll probably take some flak for this one. I know that a lot of preseason prognosticators have the Attack much higher. And it could very well happen. As I said, I could see 4 through 9 being pretty interchangeable among my predictions. But here's my thinking. The Attack haven't been able to keep the puck out of their net with any consistency the last few years, and I just don't see them having the depth of firepower to make up for that. I also see them capitalizing on the trade market and continuing their rebuild by moving guys like Aidan Dudas, Brady Lyle, or Carter Robertson if the deals are right. That would leave the team in worse shape post deadline and cause them to fall lower down the standings. Of course, Mack Guzda could find his game and be the starter that the team needs. He was fantastic in the preseason. Nolan Seed could explode in his draft year. Previously disappointing high picks like McMaster, Nizhnikov, and Popov could finally break out. But it just seems like there are more what if's with this Attack team than some of the other franchises in the West.

9. Sarnia Sting
This was a tough one to rank. Of any team in the Conference, I feel like the Sting are the hardest to predict this year. I like the makeup of their potential top 6 (Rees, Perreault, Bitten, Guy, Josling, McGregor). That's a hard working group who could be difficult to play against. But I am concerned with their lack of depth and if the Sting decide to continue their rebuild and deal Josling/McGregor, than that depth takes a further hit. Defensively, the team is going to rely a lot on Import pick Eric Hjorth, but just how effective can he be? There's some good size on the blueline, but I could see them having some trouble moving the puck and getting the transition game started. And in net, well there's a three headed monster of Gaudreau, Langevin, and Lamour. Just how much Gaudreau plays remains to be seen. He's one of the most impressive draft picks at the position that I have seen in years, but asking him to come in and lead this team to the playoffs will be a tall order. But it's not impossible. Again, I just don't know how this year shakes out for Sarnia. 

10. Guelph Storm
Look, the Guelph Storm are not going to be as bad as people think they will be. Cam Hillis, Pavel Gogolev, Keegan Stevenson, Eric Uba, Cedric Ralph, Danny Zhilkin. And they just got word that Fedor Gordeev is back too. These guys are going to score and put up points. But just how long will they be on the roster? It's obvious that management sees this as a rebuilding year and Hillis, Gordeev, and Ralph will be big time trade assets. Ditto for number one defender Owen Lalonde. Once Lalonde and Gordeev move, that defensive group is going to be very, very inexperienced. Add in the fact that the Storm are rolling with a goaltending tandem of Daws and Bennett, and you have a recipe for the bottom of the standings. They won't be Kingston or Flint bad from last year, but I see them around the mid 20 win mark and that likely puts them at the bottom in the Western Conference. They'll likely battle Kingston for that top overall pick.