Quote:
Originally Posted by Tigers1992
Interesting, any insight into the rest of the team?
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From what I know...
Defencemen of note
Lavigne - Nickel City Sons - 6'3", 200 - aggressive, poised with the puck, tons of raw potential, hard to play against, hard shot, top D pairing on his team
Caruso - Soo - 5'11, 180 - hard shot, good one timer, PP QB, good first pass, good hands, not too physical but adequate defensively
Forwards of note
Bilton - Nickel City Sons - 5'9, 165 - fast, aggressive forechecker, decent skill, great skater, 2nd line on his team
Dube - Kap - 5'9, 170 - offensively gifted, nose for the net, good shot, 1st line on his team
MacDonald - New Liskeard - 5'11, 165 - good all around player, decent speed, good hands, often injured, 1st line on his team
Desrochers - North Bay - 5'11, 175 - good wheels, good hands, got tons of ice time for the Trappers, creative and tenacious, great shot, 1st line on his team
Brown - Soo - 6'2, 180 - confident and tough, all around skills, average skater, fairly physical, has potential for sure, disappointing second half, 2nd line on his team
Miller - Soo - 5'10, 180 - shat disturber, decent skills, decent skater, hard worker, tough, 3rd line on his team
The sizes are estimates and the comments are just personal observations, nothing more
The coach is Couch from North Bay. Good coach but the Trappers really crumbled in the second half and the playoffs. The team was much better than what they showed. In a tournament like the OHL Cup, coaching is more motivation and less strategy and showcasing the right players on the ice. Some years, they essentially roll the lines, other years they try to win and showcase their best. This year, if they just roll the lines, they'll compete but won't win. Hopefully they showcase the right players. Last year, twelve GNML players were drafted. There won't be that many this year but they are quite a few that may be drafted a bit higher than people think.
The Soo also disappointed in the second half and the playoffs. They just got knocked out by Kapuskasing, the surprise of the league. Kap has been playing awesome hockey since Christmas. They have an older lineup but young Dube led their team in scoring. Their only drafted player in the lineup is Max Lamontagne (Kitchener). They have a minor midget goalie but I've yet to see him play and I don't remember his name but I'm told he was considered for the OHL Cup roster.
Nickel City is the dominant team this year. They meet Kap in the league finals starting next weekend. Nickel City is undefeated in the playoffs and only lost 4 regular season games this year. They can score and they have by far the best defensemen in the league and should advance to the OHFs in London. I believe they are the week after or maybe two weeks after the OHL Cup. Their top scorer is a undrafted kid called Gratton - great hands, great shot, can control a game... but small with a bit of an attitude. Still, should have been drafted last year. Maybe he will be this year as 2nd year Midget but I doubt it. The only drafted player in their lineup is Mitchell Byrne (Brampton).
