OHL Western Conference Preview - Part 2

By Andrew Harvey

Saginaw Spirit

Jack Combs and Chris Chappell played a major role in the Saginaw's surprising 2008-09 season but both were overage players and are ineligible to return. To fill that large offensive void Jordan Szwarz, Jordan Skellett and Joe Pleckaitis will be forced to have standout seasons. Rookies Anthony Camera and Vincent Trocheck are also highly touted and expected to put up double digits in goals.

Along with tough guy Cody Sol, TJ Brodie and Nick Crawford will patrol the defensive zone and lead a relatively young group of defensemen. Also included in this group is up and comer Alex Lepkowski, who at 6'3 185 lbs will provide the size Saginaw needs on the backend.

In net is where the Spirit should shine this year. Veteran Ed Pasquale is a top 5 goalie in the league and should carry the team. Though currently injured, Pasquale is not expected to miss much time. Even still, backup Anthony Peters is more than able to carry the team for the immediate future.

Saginaw is a team that lost a lot of veteran leadership and replaced it with very young and inexperienced players, albeit with very high ceilings. The Spirit could surprise people this year, but for now there are too many variables. They should however be a playoff team in a weak West division.

Prediction: Second West Division, Seventh Western Conference

Plymouth Whalers

Another major wild card team in the West is the Plymouth Whalers. Tyler Seguin is a superstar in the making and should hit the 50 goal and 100 point mark this season. The issue is how much help he will get to reach those totals.

The Whalers have depth but after Seguin no player stands out. Ryan Hayes is the likeliest of linemates for Seguin but begins the year out of action with an injured shoulder. AJ Jenks was expected to be big time scorer in the league but has yet to pan out and is hoping to recover from a disappointing 08-09 campaign. The team will likely be testing out numerous linemates for Seguin early in the season in order to find a good fit. Anybody from Jenks to overager Joe Gaynor to rookie Garret Meurs could fill that role.

Defense will be Plymouth's strength this year. Leo Jenner leads a group of talented returning group that includes offensive threat Beau Schmitz who is looking to build on a strong rookie campaign.

In net Minnesota Wild pick Matt Hackett will lead the charge and is considered by many to be the best goalie in the Western Conference. If the Whalers can get consistent scoring this season, they have a real shot at a top 5 position in the conference. However, until Tyler Seguin gets some help, they are barely a playoff team.

Prediction: Third West Division, Eighth Western Conference

Sault Ste Marie Greyhounds

Don’t let a 5-0 record in the preseason and a 5-0 start to the regular season fool you: the Greyhounds are not a strong team this season. Bryce O’Hagan and Robyn Lehner have done a fantastic job between the pipes so far and its looking like coach Denny Lambert will be splitting the time between them. For the Soo to succeed this year both goalies will have to be on top of their game.

Though young and inexperienced, the blueline has plenty of potential. Mike Quesnele, Brock Beukebeum and Brandon Archibald will provide offense from the backend while Jake Muzzin and Dylan King will fill the stay at home physical defensemen role.

Offensively is where the Greyhounds are expected to hurt this year. Daniel Catenacci and Nick Cousins are highly touted rookies, but it’s a lot to ask of them to lead the offense of an OHL team. James Linvingston will be relied on heavily to score goals this year as well. There is no question that this team is built strongly for the future...but with so many young players and the tendency for rookies to fade as the season goes on, things might get pretty tough in the Soo as the season grinds on.

Prediction: Fourth West Division, Ninth Western Conference

Sarnia Sting

Goals will be nearly impossible to come by for Sarnia this year. The Sting lost their 5 leading scorers from last season. Steve Reese and Ben O’Quinn are the highest scoring returning players and neither is capable of carrying the offensive brunt of a team. Rookies JC Campagna, Brett Ritchie and Brandon Francisco are expected to play key roles out of necessity.

The loss of Mark Katic and Matt Martin on defense is catastrophic. Ron Soucie should be able to take some of the minutes but the offense Martin and Katic supplied is irreplaceable. Joining Soucie on the backend are veterans Brent Sullivan and Jordan Hill who may have to take up an offensive role.

Goaltending will be another major issue for the Sting. Shayne Campbell, the expected starter, is not a quality number one goalie and rookie backup Jeese Raymond is not ready to be a starter either. There will be a lot of goals scored in Sarnia games this year and very few will be scored by the Sting. It will be a very long season and unlike the also weak Sault Ste Marie Greyhounds, the Sting are a few years away from contending.

Prediction: Fifth West Division, Tenth Western Conference