The 2013 Junior A
season is shaping up to be a season of change at the top. The Orangeville
Northmen used a deep and talented group of 1991’s to carry the league banner
for 5 years. Those 1991 born players have now graduated to MSL, leaving the
Northmen searching for replacements for Jeremy and Jason Noble, Mitch Jones and
Dillon Ward. Six Nations and Peterborough
now seem poised to overthrow the Northmen-dominated league and bring back the
Minto to these two tradition laden teams.
We see 2013 as being split into 3 distinct groups. Six Nations, Peterborough and Whitby should remain near the top and be the class of the league as they return solid cores while adding some new pieces to fill their few holes. After that you can play pick 'em with any one of KW, Orangeville, Brampton, Beaches, Burlington and Barrie fighting for playoff positioning in tight games throughout the season. Short, playoff free summers look to be in store for St. Catharines and Mississauga as they struggle to catch up to the middle group.
It will be an exciting summer of games across the province and make sure you get out to enjoy as many games as possible. The full league schedule can be found here: http://www.pointstreak.com/prostats/leagueschedule.html?leagueid=619&seasonid=10835
Predicted Order of
Finish
1.
Six
Nations Arrows
2.
Peterborough Lakers
3.
Whitby Warriors
4.
KW
Braves
5.
Orangeville
Northmen
6.
Brampton Excelsiors
7.
Toronto
Beaches
8.
Burlington Chiefs
9.
Barrie Lakeshores
10.
St. Catharines Athletics
11.
Mississauga Tomahawks
Team Reports:
1-
Six Nations
Arrows
Six Nations enter as the prohibitive favourites this year and return a
strong core of players including Randy Staats, Johnny Powless, Josh Johnson and
the goaltending duo of Warren Hill and Don Alton. Their league leading offense
looks set to burn out goal lights across Ontario again in 2013 but this is a
team that has one big monkey on their back, can they win when it counts in the
playoffs?
Player to Watch: Johnny Powless
Powless had a down year (if 77 points in 14 games can be considered down)
and much more will be expected of him this year. He battled injuries late in
the season and playoffs but other than his 7 point outburst in game 3 of the
Ontario Final, he was a non-factor in the rest of the series. If Powless
learned the lesson by watching Jeremy Noble dominate the Championship series
then the Arrows should plan for beautiful New
Westminster in August.
Additions:
Hank Delisle (trade –Burlington),
Kevin Simpson (draft), Kason Tarbell (draft), Wayne Hill (Jr. B), Tyson Bomberry (Jr.B)
Deletions:
Derek Searle (trade-Burlington), Shayne Adams, Justin Pychel and Joel
Matthews (overage)
2-
Peterborough Lakers
The Lakers have been darlings of the “This is the year” crowd for the
past 2 years and that has translated into zero Ontario Final appearances over
that time. Playing against veteran squads in Orangeville and Whitby can certainly slow a young team’s rise
so maybe this really is their year, finally. They will need to find out early
if Rob Crews can handle the starter’s job after playing well backing up Connor
Danko last year. If not then the Lakers will turn to new acquisition, Donovan
Fleischer (Six Nations Jr. B) to carry the goaltending load. Turner Evans, Zach
Herreweyers, and Josh Currier all have an extra year of experience and should
form the best offense outside of Six Nations.
Player to Watch: Zach Herreweyers
Herreweyers had a blistering start to the 2012 season but hit a bump
mid-season as the full roster returned. His 10 points in 7 playoff games won’t
cut it for a player with such dynamic skills. Turner Evans will carry the
offense but the Lakers truly will reach the peak only if Herreweyers can become
the consistent threat he showed glimpses of being in 2012.
Additions:
Donovan Fleischer, Brine Rice (draft), Tyler Gaulton (draft) and Jake
Fox (draft), Mat Gilray
Deletions:
Connor Danko (overage), Matt Crough (overage)
3-
Whitby Warriors
The 2011 Minto Cup champs seemed destined for a repeat in 2012 as hosts
before it all came crashing down in the second round against an out for revenge
Orangeville squad. The team that in 2011 always got the big save or timely goal
just never got untracked and looked disjointed. The good news is that plenty of
key members of the 2011-2012 team return for another year and will anchor a
still strong Warriors team. Alexis Buque had a solid year in net assuming the
starting spot with the loss of Zack Higgins. Dan Lintner, Reilly O’Connor, and Curtis Knight all return on offense while Chad Tutton and Graeme Hossack
solidify the back door. Look for Clarington Green Gaels players Austin Shanks
and Luke Laszkiewicz to push for roster spots.
Player to Watch: Ryan Keenan
Keenan survived his rookie year in 2011 and looked more comfortable in
his second year. His game suffered when things got physical and that is an area
he will need to improve in order to make the next step to the elite level. If
the Warriors can get that from Keenan then they will be a long way towards
replacing the production of Mark Cockerton.
Additions:
Austin Shanks (Jr. B), Mitch Desnoo (Jr. B), Matt
Hossack (Jr. B), Mike Biergard (Jr. B)
Deletions:
Mark Cockerton (overage), Davin Lindsay (Jr. B), Mike Power (overage), Mitch Wilde
(overage), Zach Palmer (overage)
4-
KW
Braves
The Braves turned a fast start into a surprising fifth place finish
before they bowed out to the Peterborough Lakers in the first round. Dhane
Smith’s breakout year pulled the entire offense forward and made the Braves an
entertaining team to watch last year. More importantly, the core remains in
place and given another year we look for them to push further up the standings.
The big roster move to watch is whether the Braves can coax the Laidlaw
brothers from the Junior B Halton Hills Bulldogs to make the drive to Waterloo full time.
Player to Watch: Dhane Smith
Smith enters his final season fresh off a brilliant 2012 and full of confidence
from playing with the Buffalo Bandits of the NLL. The pressure will now be
squarely on his shoulders to carry the Braves beyond the first round of the
playoffs. Kyle Jackson provides a nice goal scoring complement to Smith’s game
but KW will need Smith to be at his best if they want to be a serious threat in
2013.
Additions:
Pat Masterson (trade-Burlington), Cody Filson (trade-Burlington), Davis Prince (Jr.B)
Deletion:
Drew Barfoot (overage)
5-
Orangeville
Northmen
The defending Minto Cup champions will be unhappy at this ranking but it
is a fair assessment given the large number of key players that graduated. Gone
is the best player in Junior A, Jeremy Noble and the Minto Cup MVP, goalie
Dillon Ward. That would be tough to replace in any year but add in the loss of
Mitch Jones, Jason Noble, Jordan Critch, Brad Gillies and Hayden Smith and
you’ve got plenty of roster spots to fill. Even with all the players out, teams
that count out the Northmen do so at their own peril. They will still be
formidable on defense and have added Jr. B standout goalie, Tyler Glebe from London to ease the loss
of Ward. Jordan Dance and Rob Hellyer will carry bigger loads on offense this
year which is a pretty darn good twosome for any team.
Player to Watch: Tyler Glebe
As Glebe goes, so go the Northmen this year. Having bounced around the
Jr. B league before finding a home in London,
Glebe enters his final year of Junior eligibility with big shoes to fill. His
game has developed nicely over the past two years, enough that he spent the
winter on the Toronto Rock practice roster after being a late round draft pick.
If Glebe can make the transition then the Northmen will have yet another in a
long line of solid goalies manning the pipes. If he cannot make the transition,
then what is plan B?
Additions:
Connor Brown (trade-Mississauga), Tyler Glebe (Jr. B), Eric Gultinen
(Jr. B)
Deletions:
Jeremy Noble, Jason Noble, Dillon Ward, Brad Gillies, Hayden Smith,
Dustin Caravello, Mitchell Jones (overage), Jack Fitzgerald (trade- St.
Catharines)
6-
Brampton Excelsiors
The Excelsiors are one of those confounding teams that never seem to
equal the sum of their parts. They have great offensive talent in Shane
Macdonald, Dan Keane and Dylan Webster but last year they seemed to struggle to
mesh together into a cohesive unit. It ultimately was their undoing as they
fell to seventh spot and were dispatched by Whitby in 3 games. With no major changes for
2013, can the Excelsiors come together to be as good as they look on paper?
Time will only tell but count us skeptical to start. If they can put it
together, they would be serious challengers for the 4th spot and a
real threat in the playoffs.
Player to Watch: Shane Macdonald
Macdonald was handed the keys to the BE offense from the start and he
started out on fire. His 12 point game at home against Six Nations made the
league sit up and take notice. Macdonald’s scoring slowed down late in the
season as teams began to focus on shutting him down. He still finished with 98
points, good for third place but the Excelsiors will need more consistency in
his game throughout the season in order to find their next level.
Additions:
Conner Campbell
(trade-Mississauga)
Deletions:
Jonathan Newhouse (trade- Mississauga),
Steven Burke (trade-Mississauga)
7-
Toronto
Beaches
The usual basement dwellers are no more! Shrewd talent management and
key connections allowed the Beaches to continue their roster overhaul over the
winter adding plenty of pieces to fill glaring needs on their roster. In a 2012
season that was missing talent up front and veteran goaltending, the Beaches
have added Jr. B standouts, Ryan Lee and Chad Levick from Newmarket along with 2012 draft pick Dereck
Downs from Mimico. They acquired Rance Vigneaux in a trade from Mississauga to shore up
their goaltending and even brought back Paul Rebelo who scored 50 points for
the Beach boys in 2011. This much needed front door help should lighten the
load for returning stars Jackson Hulbert and Jordan Robertson. This year may not
see a playoff run but the Beaches have built a strong young core for future
success.
Player to Watch: Jackson Hulbert
Hulbert looks to follow up on his 58 point rookie season with a big leap
as a sophomore. Having Lee on the right side will take some of the defensive
focus off Hulbert and allow him the space needed to operate his power game. If
Hulbert can mesh well with Lee then expect a big year for both in the blue and
yellow.
Additions:
Ryan Lee (Jr. B), Chad Levick (Jr. B), Dereck Downs (Jr. B), Paul Rebelo
(returning), Tanner Thompson (draft)
Deletions:
None
8-
Burlington Chiefs
The Chiefs return the majority of their 2012 roster while adding Derek
Searle to solidify their back end. With top scorers Patrick Corbett and Jacob
Ruest in their final year of eligibility and with Ethan O’Connor a key loss to
their transition, Burlington
needs one of their young players to step up and become a serious scoring
threat. Nolan Apers looks like the most likely candidate and the Chiefs are hoping he can mature quickly. If
they can find a nice balance then expect Apers to push towards 30 goals and the
Chiefs will be a tough matchup for any defense.
Player to Watch: Doug Buchan
Craig Wende, John McNamara, Davide Diruscio, Cam Watts
and Brandon Noble. These are the goalies that have played significant time
for the Chiefs since the start of 2009. You could say that the volatility of the goaltender position is holding the Chiefs back from being a serious contender. Into this
fire steps Doug Buchan who was acquired in a 2012 trade with St. Catharines. Buchan will need to solidify
the situation between the pipes for the Chiefs or else it could be a hot summer
in Central Arena.
Additions:
Keyan McQueen (Jr. B), Derek Searle (trade-Six Nations), Doug Buchan
(trade- St. Catharines),
Chris Young (Jr. B)
Deletions:
Ethan O’Connor (overage), John McNamara (overage), Craig Wende (overage)
9-
Barrie Lakeshores
We have dealt with the Lakeshores solid drafting of late in a previous
post so we will not go into the nitty gritty here. Suffice it to say, we think Barrie is a team on the
rise with a solid young offensive core. In our estimation, we think they will
remain just outside the playoff picture unless they can seriously improve their
back-end and get better goaltending from Kloepfer and Meigs. Both sported GAA
above 12 and that number MUST improve for Barrie
to crack the playoffs. The onus is on coach, Lindsay Sanderson to improve the
defense to help out the goalies and lead Barrie
back to the playoff promised-land.
Player to Watch: Brett Kloepfer/Nicholas Meigs
The goalie platoon of 2012 will not cut it and one of these two goalies
needs to seize the starting role and earn the majority of minutes in net.
Another year of uneven play and a goalie platoon will mean another year of
disappointment for the Lakeshores.
Additions:
Nick Chaykowsky (draft)
Deletions:
Kenny Murphy (overage), Zach Tomkinson (overage)
10-
St. Catharines Athletics
2012 was a season of real disappointment in this lacrosse hotbed and a
year end Fire Sale will not yield much but floor time for the young and
inexperienced Athletics. The A’s will require a heroic effort from standout
goalie, Eric Penney to crack even 5 wins in 2013 as they traded or lost to
overage their top 5 scorers from last season. Look for Nicholas Beaudoin and
Dylan Gatt to become the go-to players on offense with Ryan Daikin adding size
up front to complement. Unfortunately with major upgrades in the Beaches and Barrie’s youth corps now
more experienced, we do not think the Athletics will be close to the playoffs
in 2013.
Player to Watch: Dylan Gatt
Gatt was a first round pick of Akwesasne in 2011 and then traded to the
A’s to be closer to home. His first two years were spent apprenticing behind
Shayne Adams and Joel Matthews so his stats are not as high as you would
expect. Entering his third year, much more will be expected of him and he will
be counted on for a huge jump in production. If he can push his points into the
60 point range than the A’s should be happy with year one of the rebuilding
program. If he falls short, look for some hungry Spartan Jr. B players to push
Gatt in 2014 back down the depth chart.
Additions:
Austin Lane (draft), Owen Dixon (trade- Burlington)
Deletions:
Mike Melnychenko (overage), Jordie Daradick (overage)
11-
Mississauga Tomahawks
Misery loves company. Unfortunately for the Tomahawks the might be
losing their usual basement dwelling friends in Barrie
and Toronto.
The issues in Mississauga
are myriad but it ultimately comes down to years of neglect and a weak minor
system that cannot support two junior teams. Before we get all doom and gloom
and write off the Tommies, things are improving and they certainly have some
decent pieces to build for the future. Anthony Joaquim remains to anchor the
defense and they have some nice young pieces acquired over the years who, if
they report, will help up front. Alas it is still very much a work in progress
and one that could face real problems if Joaquim grows weary of the losing.
Player to Watch: Anthony Joaquim
It is hard to miss Joaquim on the floor. He is a mountain out there and
has some of the best defensive instincts currently in the league. If he is
willing to assume the mantle of leadership and drag the mish-mash Tomahawks
roster ahead then look for Missy to potentially leap St. Catharines. If he asks out or cannot
handle the task at hand, it will be yet another long season at Port Credit
Arena.
Additions:
Ryan Callaghan (Jr. B), Nick Ruggeri (trade- Brampton), Steven Burke (trade-Brampton),
Jonathan Newhouse (trade-Brampton), JP Kealey (Jr. B)
Deletions:
Rance Vigneaux (trade-Beaches), Connor Campbell (trade-Brampton)
