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November 28, 2010

Game Set Up: Ottawa versus Kingston in Kingston

An interesting and important match up today in Kingston against two Divisional rivals running neck and neck in the standings. These teams have split the two games played against each other so far this year with each team getting their win on the road.

Since they last met, both teams have made personnel changes. Kingston notably went for Ottawa native Ryan Spooner. D Jeff Braithwaite was thrown into the trade and Kingston later added D Mitch Gaulton from Erie.

For the 67's, the blue line was bolstered when they sent D/F Ryan Hanes to Sudbury for D Jake Cardwell and D Julien Luciani was added from Belleville.

Nathan Moon, Ethan Werek and Ryan Spooner all play well against Ottawa, racking up 10 points among them this year so far (Spooner's points coming from his time in Peterborough). For the 67's, the top line has also combined for 10 points against Kingston.

An interesting breakdown of the PP & PK stats, Kingston has the league's second best PP at home with 26% while Ottawa has the league's best PK on the road at 89%. Kingston's PK at home is 16th in the league at 77% while Ottawa's road PP is 15th in the league with 14.5%.

Points against close rivals are always important but with Kingston having two games in hand, today's points are critical.

I'll be heading down the 401 for this game and for what should be a very good game.


Ottawa 67'sHead to HeadKingston Frontenacs
17-9-0-0 34 pointsRecord15-7-1-1 32 points
2nd EasternConference - Rank3rd Eastern
104 GF90 
81 GA82 
7-3-0-0P107-2-0-1
(19/112) 17.0 (15th)PP% (rank)(25/121) 20.7 (6th)
(17/122) 86.1 (1st)PK% (rank)(23/133) 82.7 (5th)



Top Guns
Ottawa 67'sKingston Frontenacs
Martindale (17-23-40)Moon (15-23-38)
Prince (10-30-40)Spooner (15-14-29)
Toffoli (22-17-39)Werek (14-13-27)
Nesbitt (12-11-23)Fine (7-16-23)
Lindsay (11-8-19)Jones (12-8-20)

November 27, 2010

A Gift Suggestion for Hockey Fans

With the holiday season swinging into full gear, it's time to work on the gift list.

I would highly recommend "They Call Me Killer", a collaboration between James Duthie of TSN fame and Killer himself as a good choice for the book-loving hockey fans on your list.

Duthie got his start as a sports reporter in Ottawa covering the Ottawa 67's and their coach Brian Kilrea and they have remained in touch over the years. With Brian's retirement in 2009, James was inspired to capture some of Killer's oft repeated stories to share with all hockey fans.

James can tell a good story himself but this assignment was to visit with the veteran raconteur, capture his story through his stories and share the results with us. With very little editing (a true transcript of any conversation is ridiculous to read) and very little re-sequencing, James brings the reader into the room with Brian sitting in his favourite armchair recounting a few decades of hockey experiences.

Some of the vignettes are well known ("Hey Dono, are you playing right wing for us or right defense for them?") and some may be new to long-time followers of Brian. But as a collection, they paint the picture of an old-school hockey man who came from humble beginnings in Ottawa and went on a journey that includes being inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

In speaking with former players and others from Brian's history, Duthie-the-journalist was ready to share all points of view, good or bad, and he noted in our conversation that Brian didn't place any limits on who James should interview nor did Brian veto any content in the transcript (although he did catch 12 typos). So we get the added honest insights and perspectives from those who were part of Brian's hockey life as a player, a coach, a GM, from high school hockey, to the obscure professional minors, the AHL, the NHL and major junior. Along the way, we get insights to his integrity, his loyalty and his true caring for the players and teams that have been given into his care.

As noted in the forward, the book is not a typical autobiography and it does not flow through Brian's life sequentially. Rather, in an effort to bring Brian's voice to paper, James remained as true to the telling as possible. And that includes the delicate subject of colourful language. Both Brian and James wanted a book that would be suitable for teens but to hit the "bleep" button too often would undermine its authenticity. James has done a good job of finding the balance, and honestly, I can't imagine a kid who doesn't hear this language almost daily.

James Duthie is coming to Ottawa for a book signing tomorrow (Sunday November 28) at the Rideau Centre Chapters from 2-4, and again Monday evening at the Senators - Oilers game at SBP. An autographed copy of this book will make a great holiday gift for hockey fans new and old.

Brian Kilrea will also be signing books at the 67's game on Sunday December 5 behind Section 13 at the Rona Centre.  You work this correctly and you can get both autographs on your gift!!

Many thanks to James Duthie who squeezed in a quick chat for this review while trying to get 3 kids to where they needed to be on a busy Saturday that included a book signing in Toronto.

Mrazek Wins Battle of the Goalies in Ottawa's 3 - 2 OT Win Over Niagara

These two evenly matched teams squared off at the Rona Centre last night just one week after their meeting in St. Catherine's in which Andrew Agozzino was a one-man wrecking crew scoring 4 goals in their 6 - 3 victory over Ottawa.

This time it was the Ottawa 67's skating away with a 3 - 2 OT victory to retain second spot in the Eastern Division.

Head-to-head stats going into the game:


Ottawa 67'sHead to HeadNiagara IceDogs
16-9-0-0 32 pointsRecord14-7-1-1 30 points
2nd EasternConference - Rank5th Eastern
101 GF79 
79 GA70 
6-4-0-0P106-3-0-1
(18/107) 16.8PP%(20/107) 18.7
(17/118) 85.6PK%(20/111) 82.0


Top Guns
Ottawa 67'sNiagara IceDogs
Martindale (17-23-40)Strome (10-25-35)
Prince (9-30-39)Friesen (9-16-25)
Toffoli (22-16-38)Agozzino (15-9-24)
Nesbitt (11-11-22)Hamilton (10-13-23)
Lindsay (11-8-19)Shipley (7-11-18)


Click here for the game sheet.

For all their puck possession and great cycling, it took some outstanding saves from Petr Mrazek to give Ottawa the victory. At the end of a fast-paced first period, where both teams had their chances, Ottawa led 2 - 0 on the strength of goals from Tyler Graovac and Thomas Nesbitt. Jake Cardwell, Tyler Toffoli, Marc Zanetti and Cody Ceci provided the assists.

Ottawa started quickly with a couple of good scoring chances that they just couldn't bury, which was going to be a bit of a theme all game for both teams. The first goal of the game came on the PP on Cardwell's shot from the blue line. From my angle I couldn't tell how it went in but with Graovac getting credit and Toffoli with the first assist, it might have bounced around before Graovac got it past Vistentin.

Despite some outstanding fore checking and cycling to maintain possession in their offensive zone, the 67's didn't get the puck to the net as much as one might have liked but at least it kept the IceDogs pinned in their own end.

Near the end of the first, it was the hardworking captain, Thomas Nesbitt who gave Ottawa a 2-goal lead on a nifty move and quick shot that beat Visentin shot side.

They carried the play in the second period as well, getting good scoring chances, including a couple of break-aways. But the tide turned on a questionable call that gave Andrew Agozinno a penalty shot. Mrazek had the puck but it leaked out and slid over the goal line to make it a one-goal game. It gave Niagara life and with 25 seconds left in the frame, Mitchell Theoret tied it up getting the puck past a lunging Mrazek.

Ottawa started the third on a penalty kill that carried over from the second period which put them on the defense immediately and seemed to have them playing tentatively. The IceDogs took full advantage and started piling up the shots on Mrazek. But they managed to snap out of it and get back to how they played the first two periods and made Visentin work hard to keep his team in the game.

But with Gibbons in the penalty box and 6 minutes left to play, the momentum shifted and it was all Niagara pretty much for the rest of a game where you knew that the next goal would take it all. During their PP, the IceDogs were credited with 8 shots on Mrazek (although I think the guy running the shot clock was a tad trigger happy). From my notes, Ottawa had not registered a single shot on Visentin since the 8-minute mark of the period.

But the 67's withstood the onslaught and we were off to overtime.

4-on-4 overtime hockey on big ice can be entertaining and the boys did not disappoint. At precisely the halfway point of the extra frame, Shane Prince picked up a rebound from a shot that rang off the post and popped it past an outstretched Visentin for the win.

The announced full house of fans were treated to an exciting game between two fast and evenly matched teams. Add the win for the home team and you have a perfect start to the weekend. Next up - the team travels to Kingston Sunday for a key divisional match up.


Three Stars as selected by the Team1200 (second star Visentin did not take a turn)


Hardest working 67's
Hardest Working 67's as selected by the Team1200: Sean Monahan


Random Thoughts:
  • Good to see secondary scoring - goals from the second and third lines in this game.
  • Monahan's hard work and solid play were rewarded with extra time and responsibility. He played on the second line with Lindsay and Nesbitt.
  • The D accounted for 4 points of the 8 points credited to Ottawa. Strong contribution from the blue line.
  • It easy to forget how much these kids develop physically and skill-wise from year to year. Gibbons and Zanetti are so strong and skilled out there, blocking shots, pivoting away from their attacker, and taking and giving hits.
  • Alot of Movember efforts out there - some good, some...well...let's just say good effort. All for the cause!
More Pictures: Click here to see more pictures from the game.

November 20, 2010

Strong Win Over the Belleville Bulls

The top line just kept rolling along as Martindale, Toffoli and Prince each had a goal in Ottawa's 5 - 2 win over the Belleville Bulls. Throw in goals from Lindsay and Carnevale and you have the necessary secondary scoring for support.

Petr Mrazek made 28 saves while the Subban the younger made 34.

Click here for the game sheet.

In a tight East Division race, the Ottawa 67's need to beat the teams that they should beat. The Belleville Bulls are the second lowest scoring team in the league and among the teams that let in the most goals. So while last night's win was important, it wasn't against one of this year powerhouses. That's for later this weekend in Kitchener.

The 67's pretty much owed the puck through the first period although the shots at the end of the frame would indicate otherwise (11 - 7). My gauge is the level of complaints by the photographers at the other end of the ice.

It was the resurgent Cody Lindsay who got Ottawa on the board first just 5 minutes into game when he buried a pass to the front of the net from former Belleville Bull Julian Luciani.

The 67's went on to get goals from Tyler Toffoli, Ryan Martindale, Jon Carnevale, and Shane Prince to make it 5 - 0 five minutes into the third period.

It seemed that the 67's changed gears for a bit, perhaps focusing on preserving the shut-out for Petr, perhaps trying to conserve energy knowing the road trip and teams that remained for the weekend. But there was a brief 3rd period sag that the Bulls jumped on.

Actually, Belleville picked up their game in the second period and if a few bounces had gone their way, this would have been a tighter game.

Down 5 goals in the third, the Belleville Bulls didn't quit and were rewarded with goals from Brassard and Corbeth (which was a buzzer-beater that needed a video review to confirm).

They had other great scoring chances and Petr Mrazek was well tested in close due to some soft defensive play in their own zone.

But the outcome was never seriously in jeopardy as the 67's stepped up just enough to preserve the win.

After their 4th win in a row, the 67's hopped on the bus for a 6 1/2 hour bus ride to St. Catherine's to take on the Niagara IceDogs who will be looking to rebound from a close 2 - 1 loss to Missy. The stronger tests of the 67's lie before them this weekend and next.

TAG
Three Stars as selected by the Team1200


Hardest Working 67's as selected by the Team1200: Jon Carnevale
Random Thoughts:
  • Tyler Toffoli was named the OHL Player of the Week for his 16 goals in a week.
  • Shane Prince, who wears number 18, was listed in 18th spot on the NHL Central Scouting OHL rankings.
  • This was Julian Luciani's first game against his former team after last weekend's trade.
  • Shane Monahan was named to the Ontario U17 roster that will compete in the World Hockey Challenge that will take place in Winnipeg December 29, 2010 to January 4, 2011.
  • Loved the Goulbourne Middle School band playing the national anthem. Really like the variety that the 67's organization brings to the anthem tradition.
  • Belleville top scorer and Senators prospect Richard Panik was held pointless for the game.
More Pictures: Click here to see more pictures from the game.

November 16, 2010

Then and Now: Catching Up with Michael Peca

Michael Peca and FamilyThen
Toronto native Michael Peca, 1990 first round pick of the Sudbury Wolves came to Ottawa midway through the 1991/92 season. Not really sure what to expect when he heard about it, he consulted teammate Glen Murray who confirmed the news with the GM. Although it was the first time he had been traded and didn’t’ really know what to expect, he viewed it as a new experience, a new challenge. “I didn’t realize at the time that it was going to change my hockey career forever.”

Until reporting to Sudbury, he had played as a right-winger. In Sudbury he was the left wing on the third line and either 2nd or 3rd in team scoring. When he got to Ottawa, Killer put him at centre and Michael found himself handling the puck much more than before. He also benefited from the teachings of Brian Kilrea who had been a centre himself. The results? Michael went from scoring 41 and 75 points respectively in his first 2 seasons to scoring 102 and 113 points and being the team’s leading scorer in the next two seasons. It was the turning point in what was going to become an outstanding career.

Drafted 40th overall by Vancouver in the 1992 NHL entry draft, he went on to score 191 goals, 308 assists for a total of 499 points in 961 NHL regular season and playoff games.  His 13 year career saw him playing in Vancouver, Buffalo (captain), New York (Islanders - captain), Edmonton, Toronto, and Colorado and making it to the Stanley Cup final with Edmonton and Buffalo.

In international play, Michael was a member of the gold medal winning 1994 Canadian World Junior Tournament team, captained Team Canada in the 2001 World Championship and was a proud member of Team Canada in that great 2002 Olympic gold medal win in Salt Lake City.

Throw in a couple of Selkes (1997 and 2002) and you have a great hockey career.


Now
Retired in January 2010, Michael is enjoying the pace of his post-NHL life. He spends time with his family, coaches his son’s team, appears on TSN where he gets to provide analysis from his perspective and has fun playing weekly competitive over-35 hockey with like-minded friends in the Buffalo area he now calls home.  The demands on his time, the travel and the structure from his professional days are not missed at all. 

Will he follow the steps of other NHLers and get into more competitive coaching? He’s not in any rush. He may consider it once he is done coaching his son. He certainly loves the teaching that coaching allows and he loves the game of hockey "...which will always suck you back”.

His fondest memory as a 67’s is just having been here. A month after the trade, it was like he had always been in Ottawa. Killer was a father figure, instilling the right values and teaching them to be responsible young men. He learned to be accountable on and off the ice, that there are consequences for your actions and the lesson of humility.  These are traits that served him well in his professional career and traits he tries to impart on his young charges today.

November 14, 2010

A Soo-table Ending to the Weekend: Ottawa 7 - SSM 3

That's three for three this weekend for the 67's who are looking pretty solid as a team. As mentioned in the game set-up, today was the 4th game in as many days for Toffoli and Martindale and the team had two new players to incorporate - D Jake Cardwell from Sudbury and D Julien Luciano from Belleville.

It certainly was not the return that Chris Perugini and Derek Hartwell had hoped for.

Click here for the game sheet.

With a hardworking win over Sarnia on Friday, a trip to and from Peterborough yesterday (which gets everyone back to the Rona Centre around 1:30AM), it would be reasonable to expect the 67's to be a bit tired against the Greyhounds. Especially with the Greyhounds having spent yesterday here in Ottawa resting.

Someone forgot to tell the 67's that - especially the top line of Toffoli, Martindale and Prince. This trio combined for 10 goals and 13 assist in three games this weekend.

Carnevale, Shipley and Janes were all out of the line up due to injuries and the Fielding as a forward experiment in Peterborough did not carry over into today's game.

Ottawa took the lead in the first period with Ryan Martindale scoring at the last second of a 36-second 5-on-3 PP followed up by Thomas Nesbit notching his 11th of the year. Toffoli and Prince assisted on Martindale's goal while Lindsay and Luciani had the helpers for Nesbitt.

Perhaps they were a little too sure of themselves or perhaps the intermission allowed the lactic acid to build up in their legs but for the first half of the second period, the 67's did not play like they had all weekend to that point. And the SSM Greyhounds were only too happy to take advantage, getting goals from Carrick, Catenacci (a PPG) and Dubchak in just over 8 minutes.

Just when I thought the 67's were running out of gas, new guy Luciani and David Quesnele went at it. Quesnele was feeding Luciani early in the bout but then Julien got his hand free and landed a few strong ones at the end. Quesnele fell hard in the take-down and may have injured his shoulder.

This served to wake up to the 67's and the team got back to what made them successful all weekend. With goals from Foglia and Martindale less than a minute apart, the 67's tied and then took the lead - never to look back.

Two third period goals from Toffoli and Prince's 8th goal of the season made it a night.

It was a good weekend. Now to rest, practice and prepare for next weekend where they host the Belleville Bulls on Friday and hit the road to play the IceDogs and Rangers.

Three Stars as selected by the Team1200


Hardest Working 67's as selected by the Team1200: Dalton Smith
Random Thoughts:
  • The 67's played teams that are all lower than them in the standings and it would be reasonable to expect that they should win. But it's how they won. They really played like a team. Puck support, speed, attention to defense and working hard in all areas of the ice had them looking pretty good. Doing this consistently will be important.
  • Listened to Jon Abbot interviewing the top line after the game. They were understandably happy.
  • 10 67's players had points in tonight's game. That has to make the coaches happy.
  • I thought linesmen were supposed to jump in and end a fight when one of the brain-buckets come off. It didn't happen in the Luciani - Quesnele fight tonight and I have noticed them not doing it before. Hmmm.
  • So much for loyalty - one fan yelled from the stands "You suck Perugini!" To add insult to injury, Perugini has had to cover that long stretch of highway between Ottawa and SSM 4 times this year - returning home both times after losses (he was not in goal when the 67's lost in SSM).
More Pictures:




Yet another addition to the 67's: D Julien Luciano




Click here to see more pictures from the game.

Game Set Up: Ottawa versus The Soo

Today's game is the fourth game in four days for Ryan Martindale and Tyler Toffoli while it's the third in three for the rest of the team.

While the Ottawa 67's were winning in solid style in Peterborough last night, former 67's Chris Perugini and Derek Hartwick were resting in Ottawa after a 3-2 OT win in Peterborough on Thursday and a 5 - 2 loss in Kingston on Friday. It will likely be a bit odd for Chris and Derek viewing the Rona Centre from a new perspective.

Ottawa needs to get its second wind and take this game to keep up with Kingston and Oshawa in the Eastern Division standings. The Greyhounds need wins to turn around a season that has been pretty tough so far.


Ottawa 67'sHead to HeadSault Ste. Marie Greyhounds
13-8-0-0 26 pointsRecord7-11-3-0 17 points
2nd EasternConference - Rank9th Western
81 GF71 
65 GA84 
6-4-0-0P103-5-2-0
(15/96) 15.6 (17th)PP% (rank)(16/104) 15.4 (18th)
(14/99) 85.9 (3rd) PK% (rank)(25/112) 77.7 (17th)



Top Guns
Ottawa 67'sSault Ste. Marie Greyhounds
Prince (7-24-31)Thompson (14-11-25)
Toffoli (16-14-30)Catenacci (9-15-24)
Martindale (12-17-29)Cousins (9-11-20)
Nesbitt (10-10-20)Cooper (4-12-16)
Lindsay (9-6-15)Findlay (4-6-10)

November 13, 2010

Hardwork and Teamwork Gives Ottawa a 3 - 2 Win Over Sarnia

The 67's made up for a less than stellar performance last week in Sarnia with a 3 - 2 win back on home ice.  It was a strong team effort, including Jake Cardwell the new guy on the blue line but it was Tyler Toffoli and his line mates Shane Prince and Ryan Martindale who did all the scoring for Ottawa with Tyler notching his 3rd OHL hat trick.

Click here for the game sheet.

With Carneval (injury), Shipley and Janes (injury) out of the line up, Ottawa was playing with a slightly shortened bench.  Cody Lindsay and Tyler Graovac took turns pulling extra duty centering that line. Petr Mrazek got the start.

The first period was scoreless with both teams starting tentatively but Ottawa slowly found its rhythm, picking up the shots on former Kingston backup goalie John Cullen. In their lone full PP in the first, Ottawa had a hard time maintaining the zone with the Sarnia's aggressive kill.

But the second period was all Ottawa.  Not only did they outshoot Sarnia 15 - 6, they also out-possessed them. I don't think Sarnia had a total of two minutes puck possession in that frame. But for all those shots on goal, Ottawa produced only one goal nearly halfway through. It started with Sedlak headmanning the puck to Nesbitt who chipped it in deep. Shane Prince got the the puck and took a big hit from Sullivan. Toffoli picked up the loose puck, lost his man and snapped a quick shot past Cullen from the top of the face off circle.

Having been dominated in the first and second periods but down just a goal, you knew the Sarnia Sting were going to play desperate hockey in the third. And they did, outshooting Ottawa 13 - 6 in that frame, scoring twice and making a game of it.

It was fast, up and down with lots of scoring chances by both teams. The teams traded goals with Dean Pawlaczyk tying it up early in the third when he picked up a big rebound off Mrazek put it over his shoulder.

Tyler Toffoli regained the lead when he buried a drop pass from Ryan Martindale. Shane Prince got the assist for starting the play by getting possession of the puck in the neutral zone.

Craig Hottot tied it up again with just under 7 minutes left on another big rebound off Mrazek that went into the slot and back on Craig's stick.

Sarnia certainly was encouraged and energized with their results but Ottawa rose to the challenge and it was Tyler Toffoli getting Ottawa back on top for good with his hat trick coming off a great passing play with his line mates Shane Prince and Ryan Martindale.

Sarnia threw everything they had right up to the final buzzer but Ottawa prevailed with their exciting 3 - 2 win.

Ottawa travels to Peterborough today and returns to the Rona Centre on Sunday to face former 67's Chris Perugini and the Soo Greyhounds.

Three Stars as selected by the Team1200 (third star Nathan Chiarlitti did not take a turn)


Hardest Working 67's as selected by the Team1200: Ryan Martindale
Random Thoughts:
  • The 67's played hard as a team, working to get and maintain puck possession and generating scoring chances. Everyone was skating, moving, and staying out of the penalty box. It was fun to watch.
  • For their part, Sarnia played a great road game in that they never gave up and made the game exciting. 
  • Jake Cardwell had a good debut. Interesting fact - during the 91/92 season, Michael Peca was traded to Ottawa from Sudbury and wore number 27. On the night to honour the former 67's, Jake Cardwell makes his debut from a trade with Sudbury and he wears number 27. An omen? We can hope.
  • While the Ottawa PP was 0/5, their PK was perfect at 0/3. Their PK was very good.
  • I had the pleasure of interviewing Michael Peca for an upcoming Then and Now article. What an incredibly easy guy to interview - very nice, informative and comfortable. A consummate professional. Hope to have that post up early next week.
  • OK everyone, stop asking Cody about his scoring slump. He's probably obsessing enough on his own - I'm sure he doesn't need help.
More Pictures:
Michael Peca and Family
Former 67's Michael Peca and his family


Jake Cardwell, newest member of the team


Remy Giftopolous

Click here to see more pictures from the game.

November 12, 2010

Game Set Up: Ottawa versus Sarnia Sting

The Sarnia Sting start their swing through the eastern region of the league with tonight's game in Ottawa. These teams met last weekend where the Sting won 4 - 1.  Ottawa will be looking to return the favour to Sarnia tonight.  Jake Cardwell, yesterday's addition to the blue line, should be in the line up.

On that same road trip, the Ottawa 67's beat the London Knights 4 - 3 in a shoot-out on Friday and lost 6 - 4 in Guelph on Sunday where former Ottawa 67's Michael Latta scored a hat trick. D Travis Gibbons was injured in the game on Friday and did not play for the rest of the weekend.

Ryan Martindale and Tyler Toffoli are back in Ottawa after playing on Team OHL in the Subway Super Series that was played last night in London. Each had an assist in Team OHL's 4 - 0 win.

And finally, former 67's Michael Peca will be at the Rona Centre tonight signing autographs on the concourse. The first 2,000 fans to the game will also receive a FREE Michael Peca Poster!

Hope we see you there.


Ottawa 67'sHead to HeadSarnia Sting
11-8-0-0 22 pointsRecord8-8-2-0 18 points
5th EasternConference - Rank8th Western
72 GF76 
61 GA71 
5-5-0-0P105-4-1-0
(15/87) 17.2 (14th)PP% (rank)(22/117) 18.8 (9th)
(12/88) 86.4 (3rd)PK% (rank)(17/90) 81.1 (10th)



Top Guns
Ottawa 67'sSarnia Sting
Prince (7-20-27)Yakupov (15-16-31)
Martindale (11-15-26)Kerbashian (11-17-28)
Toffoli (12-13-25)Galchenyuk (7-15-22)
Nesbitt (9-8-17)Peters (7-15-22)
Lindsay (7-6-13)Francisco (8-6-14)

Ryan Hanes traded to Sudbury

Ryan Hanes - 2nd Star on October 1, 2010.
The Ottawa 67's announced yesterday that 18 year old F/D Ryan Hanes was traded to the Sudbury Wolves for D Jake Cardwell. Ottawa also sent two picks to Sudbury (2nd and 7th rounds in 2011).

Ryan played 107 regular season games in Ottawa since joining the team in the 08/09 season and registered 3 goals and 4 assists during that span. He shifted between D and F but, according to the 67's announcement, he preferred to play on defense and this trade will give him a better chance for that.

On the return side, Jake Cardwell is a 6’2”, 198 lbs 18 year old who is, by all reports, a physical player. The Niagara Falls native, who has been at home since some time in October, played 108 games for the Wolves recording 5 goals and 14 assists. Expect to see Jake in his 67's debut tonight.

Elsewhere in the OHL, the Ryan Spooner deal was also concluded yesterday with the divisional rival Kingston Frontenacs stepping up to the asking price.  Peterborough sent Ryan Spooner and D Jeff Braithwait to Kingston who returned F Alan Quine and D Clark Seymore, a second-round pick in 2011 and a conditional second-round pick in 2013.

Kingston, already on top of the Eastern Division, believes it has loaded up to take a serious run at Mississauga, currently ranked at the top of the CHL standings and host of the 2011 Memorial Cup.

With Windsor putting Ryan Ellis and Zack Kassian on the trading block, there may not be any big moves left to be made by the time the trade deadline gets here.

Best wishes to you Ryan and we will see you back here at the traditional regular season closer against Sudbury in March.