OHL preview: Central Division

September 17, 2008

By Aaron Bell
The 2008-09 Ontario Hockey League regular season officially kicks off on Wednesday when the Saginaw Spirit host the London Knights. A full slate of games is scheduled for this weekend.
Here is a look around the Central Division.
Barrie Colts
Key Returnee: Centre Alex Hutchings was sensational in his first full season in the OHL last season, racking up 29 goals and 54 points in 68 games. He struggled a bit in the Colts' playoff run that included a huge upset over Brampton but has the skills to become one of the league's best.
Forwards: Hutchings is the top offensive performer but overagers Daniel Michalsky and Cory McGillis will also be counted on to contribute. Stefan Della Rovere opened some eyes last season with a rambunctious style and third round pick Michael Sgarbossa is making a bid to make the team in a scoring role.
Defence: The Colts' blueline will keep them in virtually every game this season. Ryan Gottschalk and Kyle van de Bospoort are the veterans in an impressive group that also includes Brian Lashoff and Dalton Prout as well as first round pick Ryan O'Connor, who already looks at home.
Goaltending: Bruins' pick Michael Hutchinson was stellar in the Colts first round win over Brampton last year but came back to Earth in the second round against Belleville. The big netminder could be one of the league's best this year.
Behind the Bench: Marty Williamson suffered his first sub .500 season in four years with the Colts but had his group believing in themselves against the heavily-favoured Battalion in the first round of the playoffs. That attitude bodes well for another step forward this year.
Brampton Battalion
Key Returnee: The Vancouver Canucks think they may have landed the steal of the NHL draft when they took Battalion forward Cody Hodgson (pictured) with the 10th overall pick in June. Hodgson has all of the tools to be an elite player at the NHL level and assuming he comes back to Brampton this season, he will be one of the league's top performers.
Forwards: Hodgson was voted the Eastern Conference's smartest player in the coach's poll last spring but teammate Matt Duchene probably wasn't far behind. Duchene led Canada to a gold medal at the summer U-18 tournament and will be a top NHL pick next June. Former first overall pick John Hughes is an elite playmaker and could be set for a career season as an overager. Thomas Stajan also returns after scoring 24 goals and 43 points last season.
Defence: The Battalion will definitely miss the scoring exploits of Bobby Sanguinetti and leadership of John de Gray but return a solid group that includes veterans Brad Albert, Ken Peroff and Swedish defender Alexander Eriksson.
Goaltending: Penguins' prospect Patrick Killeen split duties with Bryan Pitton but will be thrust into the number one role this year.
Behind the Bench: Stan Butler has been behind the bench for every game the Battalion has played since joining the league as an expansion team in 1998. Next to Brian Kilrea, he has the longest current tenure with any team in the league.
Mississauga St. Michael's Majors
Key Returnee: The Majors have an impressive group of youngsters including sophomore blueliner Cameron Gaunce, who opened eyes with his two-way game last season. The Colorado pick needed 20 games or so to get used to life in the OHL and then finished the season with 10 goals and 40 points.
Forwards: Casey Cizikas played a limited role in the pre-season because of a back injury that might keep him out of the opening weekend but he is an elite player that will be counted on throughout the season. Captain Jesse Messier keeps the opposition honest and the team is also excited about Swedish forward William Wallen who was impressive in pre-season playing with Jordan Mayer and Cory Bureau. Veteran Michael Pelech has a good mix of skill and grit.
Defence: Despite being relatively young, the duo of Gaunce and Tim Billingsley will eat up loads of ice time on the blueline. Veterans Blake Parlett and Michael McGurk are also solid and Brett Flemming should take another step forward with increased ice time.
Goaltending: Chris Carrozzi had 25 wins and four shutouts last season as the Majors' top guy. He is one of the best in the Conference and helps cover up mistakes from the relatively young blueline. Rookie J.P. Anderson was good in the pre-season and will get spot duty this season.
Behind the Bench: Dave Cameron returned to his old stomping grounds last season and improved the team by 20 points. He has a young squad but will insist on hard work and will quickly build a winning atmosphere.
Niagara IceDogs
Key Returnee: As a rookie last season, first round pick Andrew Agozzino scored 12 goals and 22 points in a limited role on a veteran-laden squad. This year, he will be counted on to be one of the offensive leaders and looked the part throughout the pre-season.
Forwards: Agozzino has been spectacular so far and is poised for a great season. He has clicked with off-season pick-up Matt Piva up front. Andrew Merrett and Chris DeSousa are the top returning scorers and will be expected to pick up their production this season. First rounder Freddie Hamilton was the captain of the successful Marlies' minor midget team last year and the coaches were raving about Italian forward Marco Insam in the pre-season.
Defence: The IceDogs haven't seen their full blueline brigade yet with Josh Day, Drew Schiestel, Scott Fletcher and Alex Pietrangelo away at NHL camps and Matt Maione on the shelf while recovering from shoulder surgery. Pietrangelo already has a contract in his pocket and is a good bet to spend the season with the St. Louis Blues after being the fourth overall pick in the NHL draft.
Goaltending: The IceDogs have whittled down their goalies and will be going with the rookie tandem of Mark Visentin and John Cullen. There are goalies available around the league so they may look to bring in someone with some experience if it doesn't work out.
Behind the Bench: Mario Cicchillo will have his work cut out for him in his second season as the top dog. He has a much younger group this year but they have a lot of skill and could be groomed into a contender quickly.
Sudbury Wolves
Key Returnee: All eyes will be on the emergence of third-year forward Jared Staal. The fourth member of his family to come through the OHL in the past decade, Staal may have come into the league with the highest expectations but needed a season to show he can play at this level. He was solid last season and could take a big step forward this year on a better Wolves squad.
Forwards: Staal and Eric O'Dell were the brightest spots on the Wolves' rebuilding squad last season and showed that the team may be ahead of schedule this year. O'Dell scored 14 goals and 32 points in just 26 games and could challenge for the team scoring lead as a full-timer this season. Patrik Lusnak scored at a point-a-game pace last season and should do so again this year while sophomore forward Brett Thompson is a hard worker and is expected to take on more of a scoring role this season. First overall pick John McFarland is a gifted player that exceeded all expectations in the pre-season. He has the goods to continue when the games start to count.
Defence: The Wolves graduated three of their top four d-men a year ago and youngsters like Daniel Maggio and Peter Hermenegildo responded as rookies. They will step their game up again this season while Tyler Sheldrake and Chris VanLaren also eat up valuable minutes.
Goaltending: Andrew Loverock is the steadying influence that the Wolves relatively young blueline will need while Alain Valiquette showed last year that he may be one of the league's best in the coming seasons.
Behind the Bench: Former player Mike Foligno is one of the best motivators out there. He coaches with the same enthusiasm that made him an exciting player to watch and continually gets more out of his lineup than their talent would suggest.
Photo: Aaron Bell/OHL