By Aaron Bell
It's safe to say that Devante Smith-Pelly has found his stride in the OHL.
Smith-Pelly, the Majors' first round pick in the OHL Priority Selection last year, leads the team with 18 goals and 35 points in 29 games this season despite being in just his second OHL season.
The 17-year-old Scarborough native helped John McFarland of the Sudbury Wolves and Tyler Toffoli of the Ottawa 67's win the OHL Cup minor midget showcase tournament in 2008.
Smith-Pelly went on to score 13 goals and 25 points in 57 games as a rookie last season with the Majors. He was determined to improve on those respectable numbers as a sophomore this season.
"I just wanted to come in bigger and stronger than last year," Smith-Pelly said. "Last year was kind of a feeling out year being 16-years-old. This year I came in and got a bigger role and I think I'm doing pretty well so far."
Smith-Pelly has been a big contributor to the Majors' success so far this season. They are second in the Eastern Conference with a 21-6-2-0 record and have given up a league-low 69 goals in 29 games this season.
"Our coach likes to stress defensive-first play," Smith-Pelly said. "We knew that was going to be important and be our backbone this year. We've got the best two-goalie tandem in the league right now and we're just going to keep going with them."
The Majors have a terrific blend of great coaching, a well-balanced offence, tough defence, and solid goaltending that had many people predicting big things for the Majors in the Eastern Conference before the start of the 2009-10 season.
After coaching Team OHL in the 2009 SUBWAY Super Series, Cameron will now serve as an Associate Coach with Team Canada at the 2010 World Junior Hockey Championships. The final selection camp for the National Junior Team begins December 12th.
