2021/22 OHL Season Preview: Western Conference

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

 

Similar to the East, I expect this race to be extremely competitive. Honestly, I wouldn't be shocked at all if any of the eight teams I have in the playoffs ends up winning the Conference. The race is that close on paper. I'll try my best to explain my thinking as to why I have things ranked the way that I do. 

1. Kitchener Rangers (Midwest Division Champs)

The Rangers have a chance to be a really scary team this year. I was shocked that they weren't included in the preseason CHL rankings. In a season where many of the OHL's teams are relying on unproven talent, Kitchener is loaded with 2001 and 2002 talent. And we're not talking about fringe OHL players. We're talking about potential top end players like Reid Valade, Declan McDonnell, Joseph Serpa, Arber Xhekaj (if he returns from Montreal/Laval), Mike Petizian, etc. Then you surround them with other talented players like Pinelli, Roman Schmidt, Andrew Leblanc, Simon Motew, etc. The talent is...like I said, scary. And imagine if Sebrango gets sent back? The real wild card is Pavel Cajan. The Rangers are hoping that the Czech import can come into the league and be among the best goaltenders in the league. The reality is, with all the talent they have, they will only need him to be above average and steady and I think he should definitely be able to do that. Kitchener is my preseason pick to win the OHL title this season.

2. Windsor Spitfires (West Division Champs)

It has been since 2009/10 since the Knights and Spitfires were at the top of the Western Conference and I think that there is a great chance that it happens this season (although I do have London in third in my prediction). Even if Jean Luc Foudy stays in the AHL again (which does seem likely), the Spits have a deep and talented forward group. Will Cuylle will be returning from the AHL and should have a big year. Wyatt Johnston is ready to take that next step. 4th overall pick Ethan Miedema has been fantastic in the preseason. Ryan Abraham is a little ball of fury. This team is so deep down the middle and that is important in this league. Defensively, the team has terrific veteran leadership in Henault and Ladd, and should get great contributions from some of their other depth options like Daniil Sobolev. The real wild card is in net. One of Xavier Medina or Kyle Downey SHOULD be good enough to lead the Spits to a division title given the strength of the team around them. 

 

3. London Knights

I get it...the London Knights are hated by many OHL fan bases. It seems like whenever I predict them near the top of the conference, I get the same type of comments from readers: "typical London bias," "watch other teams," "the Knights are cheaters." But the reality is...this team and organization just gets it done. It all starts in net. Brett Brochu has already proven himself to be one of the best goaltenders in the OHL before the pandemic and he gives them the type of security many teams do not have this season. The team's defense is also a major strength. The depth and talent on the blueline is fantastic. This team is going to be a difficult to score against. Upfront, Luke Evangelista and Antonio Stranges should be offensive game breakers and there is solid depth surrounding them. Once Gazizov reports (it sounds like he will once his VISA situation is sorted out), he adds even more depth. The Cody Morgan add should be a good one too. One of the highest scoring OA's returning. Brochu is definitely the difference maker here though.

4. Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds

I have no idea how the Greyhounds' goaltending situation plays out. On paper, it looks ugly. But I do know one thing, this team is good enough on paper to overcome it. If the options that SSM starts with (Ivanov and Schenkel) don't get the job done, I don't see Kyle Raftis sitting back idle. The team will make a move to bring in someone with experience who can stop pucks with greater consistency. Ryan O'Rourke was recently announced to be returning (much to the surprise of many) and he will anchor a pretty solid blueline that has great depth and talent. In particular, look for Robert Calisti to be one of the highest scoring defenders in the OHL. Kirill Kudryavstev is a wild card, but I know a few scouts who really like what he brings to the table and he should be an immediate top three defender. Up front, this team is going to score. I would put their top six up against nearly any top six in the league heading into the year; Bryce McConnell-Barker, Rory Kerins, Tanner Dickinson, and two of Joe Carroll, Cole Mackay, and Tye Kartye (because one of the OA's will have to go). 

 

5. Owen Sound Attack

Much like the Kitchener Rangers, the Owen Sound Attack are a veteran laden team that should have success this season. They may lack true star power, but they have great depth and a true team identity (they will not be an easy team to play against). Mack Guzda should have a solid OA year as the team's starting netminder. Two of Wooley, Perrott, and Chibrikov will provide a veteran presence on the blueline. Nolan Seed will need to take that next step as a puck mover and powerplay QB for this team to reach its potential but I like the odds of it. At forward, there is great depth. Again, star power is lacking, but the Attack will roll three lines that can do damage and bring energy shift after shift. I look for Deni Goure and Ethan Burroughs to have great bounce back years. I look for Servac Petrovsky and Cedrick Guindon to have great draft years. And I think Colby Barlow has a chance to be an immediate impact rookie. In a tough Western Conference, I think the Attack's depth and team chemistry shine through.

6. Sarnia Sting

Admittedly, I am predicting the Sting to be this high because I expect Ben Gaudreau to have a fantastic season for them, elevating them above their talent level on paper. The defense in front of Gaudreau should be much better than it was the last time the Sting took the ice too. OA's Cam Supryka and Ashton Reesor lead the way, with Ryan Mast and Import Andrei Malyavin rounding out the top four. At forward, I'm not crazy about the team's depth, but I do think that their top two lines and powerplay units should be solid. Given the lack of size of the team's top end forwards (Voit, Namestnikov, Dann), OA Brayden Guy and Import Alex Geci are going to be critical in terms of creating space for them to operate freely. The game has changed drastically in the last decade, allowing undersized forwards to find success consistently, but I do worry about the consistency of this forward group without greater depth. 

7. Saginaw Spirit

I really like what the Spirit have going defensively. Tristan Lennox should have a strong year in the crease. Pavel Mintyukov and Matthew Jovanovic are exciting additions to the backend. Mitchell Smith should be that veteran anchor and I expect him to have a big year. The Saginaw Spirit should not have trouble keeping pucks out of their net. However, they might have trouble scoring. I'm not worried about Josh Bloom. I'm excited to see Matyas Sapovaliv and Luke McNamara start in the league. However, I'm just not sure that they have a game breaker. The key is in the play of the Spirit's OA's. The last time we left them Dalton Duhart, Nick Wong, and Camaryn Baber were far from top end talents in the OHL. But a lot can change in 18 months. Saginaw's season and placement likely rests on their development. If they prove worthy to be high end top six forwards, Saginaw could push for home ice in round one. If they fall flat, this team could go into rebuild mode (dealing Lennox) and runs the risk of missing the playoffs.

8. Erie Otters

The Otters are the antithesis of the Saginaw Spirit. This team is going to score a boatload of goals. I expect the OA trio of Brendan Sellan, Daniel D'Amato, and Brendan Hoffman (expecting that Sproule is the odd man out in the OA mix) to really light the league on fire. I also expect Connor Lockhart and Colby Saganiuk to have big years. There is serious depth to this forward unit as a whole. But the defense is highly suspect. Spencer Sova is going to be expected to be the team's top defender as a draft eligible player. As much as I really like him, consistency is likely to be an issue. That will likely be a problem for the group overall unless a few players really step up and surprise (like Import Kulakov). That means veteran netminder Aidan Campbell is going to see a ton of rubber. It's not something he is unaccustomed to, but I'm also not sure if he is a good enough goaltender to truly steal games for Erie on a consistent basis. I think a lot of things would have to go right for Erie to end up in the Top 5 of the Conference. However, I do think that a lot of things would have to go wrong for them to end up outside of the playoffs. 

9. Guelph Storm

Admittedly, I do not think that the Storm are a bad team. I expect them to be right in the thick of things nearly all season long. They have quality top end talent like Chayka, Zhilkin, and eventual new arrival Sasha Pastujov. They looked very strong in the preseason. I just don't know if they have the depth to be consistent enough to earn a playoff spot. And if they are a .500 team heading into the trade deadline, I could see them dealing Chayka and perhaps Zhilkin or Pastujov for massive hauls to help them rebuild around their solid group of 2004 and 2005 born players like Poitras and Allen. So this prediction reflects that I do believe Guelph will, at some point this season, re-tool and rebuild as was the plan before the covid pandemic hit.  

10. Flint Firebirds

While there are a few players on this team that I am really excited to see play this season like Othmann, Gavin Hayes, and Dmitri Kuzmin, overall this team is likely to struggle heavily. It's a shame too, because they had rebuilt themselves into a very respectable team prior to the pandemic, but now seem primed to become bottom dwellers yet again. Throw in the fact that we already have rumours of turmoil, dissatisfaction, and trade demands (with Cody Morgan being the first ball to drop) and it likely means a long year for Flint fans. The real wild card here is the team's group of unsung 2002 and 2003 born forwards. The measure of success that Flint has likely resides in their hands (Kressler, Piercey, Giroux, Panwar). With a lack of true depth upfront, this group will need to take a massive step forward to get this team into the playoffs. But right now, Flint is my pick to be dead last in the OHL and picking first (pending a lottery win under the new format) in the 2022 OHL Draft.