Sunday Top 10 - Playoff Performers

With the OHL Playoffs coming to an end Friday night, it's only fitting that this week's Sunday Top 10 takes a look at the top performers of this years playoffs. This was a hard list to make because so many players stepped up their games this year. However, here's what I think...

10. John Carlson - London Knights
Carlson was outstanding for London in the playoffs this year, his first time going to the OHL playoffs. Posting 7 goals, 15 assists and a +11 rating, Carlson was the second highest scoring defenseman of the playoffs, behind Windsor's Ryan Ellis. Carlson's ppg average was actually slightly higher than Ellis'. His 22 points also lead the Knights in scoring.In past years, the Knight's defense had taken some criticism in the playoffs for not quite playing well enough, so Carlson's (and the rest of the defense) effort was huge this year to push London to the West final. Carlson has since moved on to the AHL where he's actually playing with Hershey in their quest for the Calder Cup, already scoring a game winning goal for them.

9. J.P. Anderson - Mississauga St. Michael's Majors
Sure Mississauga only made it to the Eastern semi final, but the reason for that was the play of this young, 1993 born rookie. After veteran starter Chris Carrozzi faltered at the beginning of the team's first round series with Barrie, Majors Coach Dave Cameron turned to Anderson to get the Majors further in the playoffs. The rookie was up to the test, playing out of this world in the net for the Majors. The Majors ended up losing to the eventual Eastern Champion Brampton Battalion in a hard fought 6 game series in the second round, however Anderson's effort can not go overlooked. With the OHL playoffs over, his 2.50 GAA is still tops among playoff goalies, and his .928 SV% is right up near the top. With his performance at the Under 17's and now in the playoffs, this somewhat undersized goaltender is quickly making himself a serious prospect for the 2010 NHL entry draft.

8. Tyler Seguin - Matt Caria - Chris Terry - Plymouth Whalers
After finishing the OHL regular season as the hottest line in the league, these three carried it over to the playoffs, steamrolling the Sarnia Sting in the first round and coming close against the eventual OHL Champion Spitfires in the second round. They finished the playoffs with a combined 21 goals, and 26 assists in 11 games. Outside of Ryan Hayes, the Plymouth secondary scoring just wasn't occuring, so these three had to take over games, and take over games they did.

7. Nick Palmieri - Belleville Bulls
After a somewhat underwhelming regular season, Palmieri absolutely exploded in the playoffs for Belleville. He finished the playoffs with 14 goals, 2nd overall for the playoffs, 3 of which were game winners. While the big guns in Eric Tangradi, and Luke Pither, among others were solid for Belleville too, they needed someone like Palmieri to step up to provide that secondary scoring. It's only the wish of this blogger that Palmieri play like that all the time. He has the ability to take over games with his physical abilities, however he seldom does so. Hopefully at the next level, he's able to make a more consistent contribution.

6. Cody Hodgson - Brampton Battalion
Hodgson, as always, was fantastic for Brampton in this years playoffs, cementing the fact that he's one of the best players not currently in the NHL. He finished the playoffs as the 3rd leading scorer and was obviously a huge reason Brampton was able to reach the OHL finals. I wish him the best in Vancouver next season, as I can all but guarentee he won't be back in Brampton next season for another playoff run.

5. Phil Varone - London Knights
Varone may not have lead the Knights in scoring, but he was certainly critical in the team's push for the Western Championship. He finished tied with John Tavares with 10 goals in 14 games, however he had 3 of the teams 9 game winning goals. He was also +17. Varone, always a solid secondary scoring threat, stepped up huge to become a primary scoring threat in the playoffs. The undersized forward may have done a lot to help his draft stock for the 2009 draft with his performance in the playoffs.

4. Ryan Ellis - Windsor Spitfires
The reigning OHL defenseman of the year did nothing to disappoint in this years playoffs, finishing tied for third in playoff scoring with 31 points. He also finished the playoffs at +16 and largely stepped up his defensive game, which has taken some lashings in the past few months. There are still some doubts as to where Ellis is going to go in the 2009 NHL draft, however I'm sure scouts were in attendance to see him play in the playoffs, and you had to think most of them came away pretty impressed with the way he was able to step up his game to yet another level.

3. Andrei Loktionov - Windsor Spitfires
The second leading scorer in the playoffs, Loktionov stepped up huge for the Spits, adding yet another element to its already dominant offense. The super skilled Russian upped his ppg average from 1.30 to 1.65 in the playoffs and is really starting to generate a lot of buzz about his offensive ability. Loktionov also finished the playoffs at a league leading +18, implying even further his dominance while on the ice.

2. Matt Duchene - Brampton Battalion
Scouts have to be drooling all over this kid. Redline Report has even gone so far as to suggest he's a better professional prospect than John Tavares. His playoff performance goes a long way to support their claim. Duchene finished with 14 goals (tied for 2nd) and 26 points. However, 6 of his goals were game winners, meaning Duchene scored nearly half of Brampton's game winning goals in the playoffs. His clutch play earns him this spot on the list. I think he pretty much locked up his spot in the top 5 of the NHL draft.

1. Taylor Hall - Windsor Spitfires
How can you argue with the OHL's selection as playoff MVP? Hall was fantastic for Windsor, leading the playoffs in goals with 16 and points with 36. Even more so, Hall erases some of the doubts after last year's disappointing play in the first round. He's showed that he's matured as a player and become the leader of the best team in the OHL. If he keeps playing the way he has, I can't see how anyone else but Hall can be the first overall pick in the 2010 NHL draft.
Stay tuned for next week's Top 10, where I'll take a look at the best "mini mights" in the OHL.

The Sunday Top 10 - OHL Import Players

I had a really nasty computer virus attack me recently and as such, updates to the blog have been few in number over the past week or so. But everything appears to be stabilized for now, just in time for the weekly Sunday Top 10.

This week, we look at the Top 10 impact import players (awesome alliteration). Some really solid Imports took to the ice this season in the OHL, and had a significant impact on their team's success. While the Import process is often a bit of a crap shoot, every year OHL General Managers do manage to turn a few selections into gold.

Here is the list...

10. Adam Sedlak - Peterborough Petes
Sedlak had an up and down season. He possesses outstanding skating ability from the back end, and has good offensive instincts, showcasing an ability to jump into the rush effectively. However, he is very raw. He could stand to improve his decision making with and without the puck, and he needs to improve his one on one defensive coverage. However, he ended up finishing 2nd on the team in defenseman points and did make progress as the season went along. As a late 1991, Sedlak isn't eligible for the NHL draft until 2010. Hopefully, he sticks around Peterborough next season where he'll have a chance to be a part of a young and up and coming defense along with the likes of Jeff Braithwaite, Jamie Doornbosch, among others.

9. Marco Insam - Niagara IceDogs
Insam was a pleasant surprise for the Dogs this season. After failing to make the WHL last year, not a whole lot was expected of Insam this season. However, he was an impact player, finishing 3rd on the team in goals. He has an absolute cannon of a shot and really improved his skating as the season went along. He could stand to use his big body more, especially in establishing a physical presence on the ice, however the Italian sniper showcased a lot a grit by playing through the playoffs with a shoulder injury. Should return as an overager next year where he'll likely be among the team leader in goals again.

8. Milan Doczy - Owen Sound Attack
Doczy was a tower of power this year for Owen Sound. At 6'5, 200lbs, Doczy is an intimidating physical presence on the ice, who ended up finishing the year at a + rating, an accomplishment on a mediocre Owen Sound team. He skates alright for a big man too, improving on that in his second OHL season. If he only used his size more physically in order to become a more dominant physical blueliner, he'd likely receive attention from NHL scouts. As a 1990, Doczy will likely return for another year in Owen Sound and help to solidify the blueline.

7. William Wallen - Mississauga St. Michael's Majors
Wallen has quite the year. He nearly lost his life due to an aneurysm but recovered in time to finish out the season in Mississauga. At 5'8, 170lbs, he is not the biggest player on the ice, but he is rather fearless out there. Almost like a little waterbug, bouncing around. He has a ton of skill too, especially in the puckhandling department. Considering how much development and conditioning time he lost this season, I thought he faired pretty well in his first OHL year. I expect he'll return next season, where I also think he'll lead Mississauga in scoring.

6. Sergey Korostin - Peterborough Petes
Korostin has been plagued very badly by inconsistencies in his short time in the OHL. The London Knights got tired of his lackadaisical effort and shipped him to Peterborough after 13 games. He can be an impact player one shift, and invisible the next. He has a ton of skill, and is an exceptional skater. He has the ability to go end to end and at times isn't even afraid to take the puck to the net. However, whether it be a conditioning issue or effort issue, he disappears for large stretches. He'll be moving on to the professional ranking next year in Dallas' organization, in the AHL or ECHL. I'm not sure how much Peterborough is going to miss him.

5. Kaspars Daugavins - Mississauga St. Michael's Majors
Daugavins had the absolute definition of an up and down season. He started the year with Binghampton in the AHL, but due to some conflicts with the coaching staff over his conditioning and ice time, he was returned to St. Mike's for his overage season. He played pretty well for St. Mike's and had a good playoff, but you have to consider this a disappointing season for the diminutive winger. He's had an excellent OHL career and I hope he's able to return to the Sens organization next year, focused and motivated to make an impact, because he's going to have to turn some heads to get back in their good books.

4. Jaroslav Janus - Erie Otters
Janus had quite the outstanding season on all fronts. He lead Erie to the playoffs and lead Slovakia to a solid performance at the World Juniors. All this after being passed over in the NHL draft last season. I think a lot of people expect Janus to get drafted this season as a re-entry, and it would be well deserved. He's got some things he has to work on, but he an incredibly athletic goaltender with natural talent. Should he get drafted, I actually wouldn't be surprised if he was returned to the OHL for his overage season in Erie, where he'll have a chance to lead them further into the playoffs. Should he not get drafted, I wouldn't be surprised if he returns back home.

3. Michal Jordan - Plymouth Whalers
Jordan emerged as a top flight OHL defenseman this season in Plymouth. He nearly doubled his offensive totals this season, and finished the year at an outstanding +28. He made great strides at the defensive end, which subsequently increased his ice time and confidence offensively. He'll be back in Plymouth next season and should continue to increase his totals and become one of the better all around defenseman in the OHL. Seems like a great late round pick by Carolina.

2. Andrei Loktionov - Windsor Spitfires
This guy just kept getting better and better every month. He's an absolutely dynamic offensive player who hustles and battles to make plays. He is absolutely one of the most skilled players in the OHL. He's been an absolute beast with Windsor in the playoffs thus far too, nearly leading the entire playoffs in scoring. It remains to be seen what LA's plans for him are next season. He could return to play in the OHL where he'd likely be among the scoring leaders, or he could head to the AHL for a new challenge in Manchester.

1. Evgeny Grachev - Brampton Battalion
Not many players have the combination of size and skill that Grachev possesses. He is such an outstanding and explosive skater, yet his skill level is also so high. Throughout the second half of the OHL season and through the playoffs, he has been one of the best players in the OHL. The New York Rangers got a good one here. I highly doubt he's back in Brampton next season, as I expect he'll make the Rangers or they'll move him to the AHL for a new challenge.

Next season should be interesting. We already know that 2008 Import pick Richard Panik will be playing for Windsor, where he'll likely be a solid scoring threat for them. Who knows who else will make the jump, but we're bound to see some impact players emerge.

Stay tuned for Next Sunday's Top 10, which will feature the Top 10 American players playing in the OHL.