tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2553903000955128175.post2291752747185036365..comments2024-03-28T10:57:16.064-04:00Comments on OHL Prospects: Sunday Top 10 - Unheralded Rookies Who Could Make an Impact in 2009-10Brock Ottenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08237782074032840702noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2553903000955128175.post-48160451095875267102009-09-19T15:23:42.254-04:002009-09-19T15:23:42.254-04:00Absolutely Dobber. The way you broke down the stat...Absolutely Dobber. The way you broke down the stats on HF Boards was excellent and I'd be curious to see what that looks like at the end of the season.<br /><br />Levi, in particular, appears to be a guy who could really step forward this season. He has NHL size and came from the U.S. with a fair amount of hype. He had a solid preseason and appears to be carrying that into the regular season thus far. With that size and with a solid skill package, I wouldn't be surprised if he jumps into the first few rounds of the NHL draft in June.Brock Ottenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08237782074032840702noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2553903000955128175.post-34041792619076178662009-09-19T06:23:13.252-04:002009-09-19T06:23:13.252-04:00Not many games to compare yet, but so far the only...Not many games to compare yet, but so far the only 92 defensemen with any points and a positive plus/minus are O'Connor, Levi, Buonomo, and Gudbranson. Given that this thread is about "unheralded" players or those who saw limited ice last season, that excuses Gudbranson (very "heralded") and O'Connor (played 62 games last year). Levi (Plymouth) has 1 assist and is a plus 2 in one game. Buonomo had 1 goal and is a plus 1 in one game. The other 92 D-corps either have not played, did not register a point and/or are in negative plus/minus so far (including some of the "heralded" players like Windsor's Posa). Of all the 92 D's, Gubranson is about the only one who's consistently been hyped, from that perspective I guess you could say all of the rest of them are unheralded, however, there are quite a few who didn't see much ice last year. I'm excited to see what will happen this year as the others have an opportunity to step forward. Guys like Buonomo, Levi, and Shane Rover (Niagara) had about 12-15 games last year- enough to get some seasoning, but also enough to technically still be considered rookies. It's way too early to tell, but it'll be interesting to compare these guy's numbers to their 92 peers who saw 50-60 games last season.Dobbernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2553903000955128175.post-68454716936389986602009-07-24T18:48:00.048-04:002009-07-24T18:48:00.048-04:00Thanks, Brock. It's a great city, the owner is...Thanks, Brock. It's a great city, the owner is a good businessperson with his other interests, but with the hockey team, he's pretty lazy and no one's going to force him to run it any other way.<br /><br />They'll probably be a playoff team this season since it's hard to miss the playoffs 3 consecutive seasons in this league. I'll be happy when they do, but at the same time, Springer said <i>last season</i> their goal was to be "top four" in the East. No one called him on it when they were in the cellar.sagerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08757652892056684490noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2553903000955128175.post-13385410767996576692009-07-19T15:15:21.724-04:002009-07-19T15:15:21.724-04:00Absolutely outstanding comments Sager. No need to ...Absolutely outstanding comments Sager. No need to apologize for it being lengthy.<br /><br />Definitely interesting insight into the Higgs situation and the trouble in Kingston.<br /><br />This year is definitely a big one for the Frontenacs. Offensively and defensively, the team has the most talent it has had in quite some time IMO. Goaltending may be a different story, however. The expectations on the club, with Gilmour at the helm for a full season, have to be high. <br /><br />But then again, you alluded to the problems in Kingston. Management has failed to improve the club when they've had the chance in the past. Goaltending continues to be an issue, yet nothing has been done to really improve it. That being said, the acquisitions of Geldart and Harnden seem to show that Mavety has made a mild attempt to make the team stronger. <br /><br />If the team can return to the playoffs, perhaps some things change in Kingston? Nothing like a winning atmosphere and a coach like Gilmour to attract players. But then again, if the corruption going on behind the scenes is as bad as it sounds, perhaps winning can't even make the city marketable.Brock Ottenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08237782074032840702noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2553903000955128175.post-41876541583181988012009-07-19T13:57:08.730-04:002009-07-19T13:57:08.730-04:00Blogger's not letting me post my full comment ...Blogger's not letting me post my full comment so this has become a two-parter. I'm very sorry.<br /><br />There is a lot of antipathy among the sporting class in Kingston toward the Fronts.<br /><br />Their owner, Doug Springer, has a reputation for being aloof, arrogant and not accountable to fans. They haven't had a playoff series win since he bought the Fronts in the late 1990s, but he refuses to get replace Larry Mavety with a real GM. Nevertheless, the city of Kingston, which was just <a href="http://www.thewhig.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1662113" rel="nofollow">ranked as one of Canada's worst-run cities</a> in a <i>MacLean's</i> magazine report, built a $43-million downtown arena, thus making every Kingston taxpayer a stakeholder in the Frontenacs.<br /><br />Nevertheless, when the city council tried to cover its butt by demanding the Frontenacs appear at a public meeting to discuss their "marketing plan," (wink, wink), Springer refused to take questions and instead had the PR guy and Gilmour (who had been in the league for about 30 games at the point) speak.<br /><br />It's also telling that whenever players on their way out of town are asked what they'll miss most about Kingston, they invariably pause and say, "The people, the city." It's never the organization.<br /><br />Simply put, the Frontenacs have a bad reputation. They need to change the culture, since as of right now, they're not part of the fabric of the community, in the manner of other junior teams.<br /><br />People in Kingston are pretty smart. They know there's no rebuilding taking place as long as Springer interferes in hockey decisions and as long as Mavety has a say. The attendance spike they got from Gilmour lasted about one game.<br /><br />As for Higgs' personal choice, I don't have first-hand insight. It could be that his family is big on education. The Kingston paper had a feature on Brock during the playoffs which noted his older sister goes to Queen's University, a pretty prestigious academic institution.<br /><br />Canisius also has a lot of cachet. It's a first-rate Catholic college (and Higgs does attend a Catholic high school, Holy Cross). As a college on the border, it is also sensitive to the academic needs of Canadian student-athletes. I wrote a story for the <i>Ottawa Sun</i> about 2 years ago about a basketball player, <b>Steph MacDonald</b>, who plays for Canisius and is now on Canada's junior national team. She pointed out one of the determining factors in choosing that school was that, if she came back to Canada to do a master's, she wouldn't have to worry about having her credits accepted.<br /><br />I'm not down on the OHL. It is a place to be for a high-end talent who's got a great shot at being drafted at age 18. I'm a Kingston fan (paraphrasing what <b>Roger Ebert</b> says about writing for the <b>Rupert Murdoch</b>-owned <i>Chicago Sun-Times</i>, the Frontenacs are my team. Doug Springer just happens to own it). I book days off weeks in advance so I can see them when they're in Ottawa to play the 67's. It's a childish attachment, I know.<br /><br />However, a fan has to be clear-eyed. There are a lot of reasons why Higgs would go the NCAA route. Another Kingston lad, <b>Scott Harrington</b>, made it known he didn't want to be drafted by the Frontenacs (the "out" that the team's apologists had was that Harrington was not a clear-cut No. 2 overall pick, he was somewhere in the top 5-10 picks).<br /><br />Anyway, Brock, I apologize for the wordy comment. None of this is cut-and-dried. The situation can change quickly with a young player. If Higgs does report to the Frontenacs, I'll gladly eat my words. How's that for an out clause?<br /><br />Keep up the great work. This blog is an awesome resource for junior hockey nuts.sagerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08757652892056684490noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2553903000955128175.post-78788140557166921652009-07-19T13:56:10.870-04:002009-07-19T13:56:10.870-04:00Good stuff as always, Brock.
It is far from a stu...Good stuff as always, Brock.<br /><br />It is far from a stunner that Brock Higgs would not jump to play for the Frontenacs. If you'll indulge me...<br /><br />The player said a month ago that it "looks like" he is <a href="http://www.thewhig.com/PrintArticle.aspx?e=1618084" rel="nofollow">returning to the Kingston Kimco Voyageurs</a> in the OJHL and will go to Canisius in 2010. Again, he's 17 years old, he could change his mind.<br /><br />There is the education package if you end up going to a Canadian university after major junior. However, as OHL alum Jason Cassidy <a href="http://www.thehockeynews.com/articles/27193-Jason-Cassidys-Blog-Deciding-between-university-and-pro.html" rel="nofollow">explained</a>, it's determined by how high a player was drafted. Higgs was a fifth-rounder, so how much does he get?<br /><br />Meantime, and who knows how much stickiness this has with agents and parents, the Frontenacs are the franchise which not so long ago, was <a href="http://www.thestar.com/printArticle/123575" rel="nofollow">were sued by a former player</a> after <b>Larry Mavety</b> tried to deny him education package. As the player, <b>Brody Todd</b>, told the <i>Toronto Star</i> (Nov. 26, 2006): <i>"I was disgusted how they held this (education package) back from me after playing in the league for five years ... If I hadn't pushed and sued, I likely would have ended up with nothing."</i>sagerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08757652892056684490noreply@blogger.com