Ontario Hockey League Playoffs Round 2: Preview, Predictions
By Ryan Ritchie
Ontario Hockey League Playoffs Round 2: OHL Road to Memorial Cup – Previews & Predictions
Ontario Hockey League Playoffs opening round wrapped up on Tuesday night with three game seven’s. Two of last night’s winners (Barrie and North Bay) have one day off before gearing up to face each other head-to-head in the next round.
OHL Eastern Conference match-ups begin tomorrow (Thursday, April 7th), while Western Conference teams prepare to face-off on Friday.
Ontario Hockey League Playoffs: Round 1 Recap
Kingston defeats Oshawa 4-1
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Los Angeles Kings prospect Spencer Watson (15 points) and New York Islanders prospect Michael Dal Colle (14 points) dominated the opposition, ranking 1st and 3rd in league scoring with only five games played.
Barrie defeats Mississauga 4-3
Colts were dealt a scare in game six when the Steelheads tied the series at 3-3 with a convincing 7-0 win at home. New Jersey Devils prospect Mackenzie Blackwood stopped 22 of 23 shots en route to a 5-1 Barrie win in game seven. Flames prospect Andrew Mangiapane and Sharks prospect Kevin Labanc had a multi-point night, while Justin Scott scored a hat-trick – bringing his round one total to 10 goals, 0 assists in seven games as he continues to light the lamp.
North Bay defeats Peterborough 4-3
46 total goals were scored over this seven game series (6.57/game average), with two contests reaching 12 or more (7-5, 7-6). North Bay’s top forward was Kings prospect Mike Amadio (14pts), while Avalanche prospect Kyle Wood gave an unexpected boost from the blueline (11pts).
Niagara defeats Ottawa 4-1
These two teams matched-up far better than the final result suggests. They played close one or two goal games with the IceDogs edging their competition. Islanders prospect Josh Ho-Sang led Niagara in scoring with two goals, nine assists (11 points), although Pavel Jenys was arguably their round one MVP scoring five goals, adding two assists (seven points). Other notables include Blues prospect Vince Dunn and Coyotes prospect Brendan Perlini.
Erie defeats Saginaw 4-0
This OHL powerhouse (Erie) walked all over the Saginaw Spirit in the opening round. The Otters finished the series with eight players matching/or exceeding a point-per-game pace (four or more). Tied for the lead in scoring with nine points is Coyotes prospect Dylan Strome and 2016 draft-eligible Alex DeBrincat. Leafs prospect Travis Dermott added eight points from the back-end.
Sault Ste. Marie defeats Sarnia 4-3
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Sarnia was dealt a major blow when they lost Flyers prospect Travis Konecny after only appearing in two games. They fought back valiantly, forcing a game seven after winning game five and six, but fell short on Tuesday night. Knocking off the star-studded cast in Sarnia was a Greyhounds team led by Blake Speers (NJ), Zachary Senyshyn (BOS), Gustav Bouramman (MIN), Boris Katchouk (2016 draft), and Bobby MacIntyre.
London defeats Owen Sound 4-2
Familiar faces led the way for London in Matthew Tkachuk (2016 draft), Mitch Marner (TOR), and Christian Dvorak (ARZ). Both Tkachuk and Marner finished the series with 12 points in six games, while Dvorak tallied nine points. The Knights lost top draft eligible prospect Max Jones for 12 games due to suspension, but have plenty of supporting cast that can step up in his absence. One of those players is power forward Cliff Pu, who scored five goals in round one, and is hoping to hear his name in the first three to four rounds in June.
Kitchener defeats Windsor 4-1
This way a high-scoring affair with 40 goals in five games (8 goals-per-game average). Kitchener finished with five players above a PPG: Jeremy Bracco (TOR) 10 points, Ryan MacInnis (ARZ) nine points, Brandon Robinson eight points, Adam Mascherin (2016 Draft) eight points.
More puck prose: NHL Mock Draft 3.5: Rounds 1-7
Ontario Hockey League Playoffs Round Two: Preview, Predictions
Eastern Conference
(begins Thursday, April 7th)
Kingston Frontenacs vs. Niagara IceDogs
Notable Players:
Spencer Watson, Kingston (LA) 5gp 15pts
Michael Dal Colle, Kingston (NYI) 5gp 14pts
Josh Ho-Sang, Niagara (NYI) 5gp 11pts
Warren Foegele, Kingston (CAR) – 5gp 9pts
Roland McKeown, Kingston (CAR) – 5gp 9pts
Vince Dunn, Niagara (STL) – 5gp 6pts
Lawson Crouse, Kingston (FLA) – 5gp 6pts
Stephen Desrocher, Kingston (TOR) – 5gp 4pts
Juho Lammikko, Kingston (FLA) – 5gp 4pts
Brendan Perlini, Niagara (ARZ) – 5gp 3pts
Ryan Mantha, Niagara (NYR) – 5gp 3pts
Graham Knott, Niagara (CHI) – 5gp 1pt
Goalies:
Jeremy Helvig, Kingston – (3-0-0) 2 shutouts 1.62GAA .926 save percentage
Alex Nedeljkovic, Niagara – (4-1-0) 2.81GAA .884 save percentage
Prediction:
Kingston wins series 4-3
Barrie Colts vs. North Bay Battalion
Notable Players:
Kevin Labanc, Barrie (SJ) – 7gp 12pts
Kyle Wood, North Bay (COL) – 7gp 11pts
Rasmus Andersson, Barrie (CGY) – 7gp 9pts
Andrew Mangiapane, Barrie (CGY) – 7gp 8pts
Cam Dineen, North Bay (2016 Draft) – 7gp 7pts
Julius Nattinen, Barrie (ANA) – 7gp 6pts
Dylan Sadowy, Barrie (SJ) – 7gp 3pts
Goalies:
Mackenzie Blackwood, Barrie (NJ) – (2-1-0) 2.85GAA .901 save percentage
Jake Smith, North Bay – (4-2-1) 2.77GAA .902 save percentage
Prediction:
Barrie wins series 4-2
Western Conference
Erie Otters vs. Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds
Notable Players:
Dylan Strome, Erie (ARZ) – 4gp 9pts
Alex DeBrincat, Erie (2016 Draft) – 4gp 9pts
Travis Dermott, Erie (TOR) – 4gp 8pts
Blake Speers, SSM (NJ) – 7gp 8pts
Zachary Senyshyn, SSM (BOS) – 7gp 8pts
Gustav Bouramman, SSM (MIN) – 7gp 7pts
Boris Katchouk, SSM (2016 Draft) – 7gp 6pts
Kyle Maksimovich, Erie (2016 Draft) – 4gp 5pts
Jake Marchment, Erie (LA) – 4gp 5pts
Taylor Raddysh, Erie (2016 Draft) – 4gp 4pts
Erik Cernak, Erie (LA) – 4gp 4pts
Jack Kopacka, SSM (2016 Draft) – 7gp 2pts
Goalies:
Devin Williams, Erie – (3-0-0) 2.48GAA .880 save percentage
Brandon Halverson, SSM (NYR) – (4-3-0) 3.36GAA .904 save percentage
Prediction:
Erie wins series 4-3
London Knights vs. Kitchener Rangers
Notable Players:
Matthew Tkachuk, London (2016 Draft) – 6gp 12pts
Mitch Marner, London (TOR) – 6gp 12pts
Jeremy Bracco, Kitchener (TOR) – 5gp 10pts
Ryan MacInnis, Kitchener (ARZ) – 5gp 9pts
Christian Dvorak, London (ARZ) – 6gp 9pts
Adam Mascherin, Kitchener (2016 Draft) – 5gp 8pts
Cliff Pu, London (2016 Draft) – 6gp 6pts
J.J. Piccinich, London (TOR) – 6gp 4pts
Olli Juolevi, London (2016 Draft) – 6gp 3pts
Victor Mete, London (2016 Draft) – 6gp 2pts
Nick Magyar, Kitchener (COL) – 5gp 1pt
Goalies:
Tyler Parsons, London (2016 Draft) – (4-1-1) 2.34GAA .930 save percentage
Dawson Carty, Kitchener – (4-0-1) 2.77GAA .911 save percentage
Next: Stepan Falkovsky's Second Half Increases Draft Stock
Prediction:
London wins series 4-2
The 2nd Round of the Ontario Hockey League Playoffs will feature game seven’s on April 18th/19th (if necessary).
OHL Conference Finals Prediction
Kingston vs. Barrie (EAST)
Erie vs. London (WEST)