Games To Watch:
Tuesday, Dec. 6
London at Kitchener: The first game of the week should be a good one as the top ranked London Knights head to Kitchener to take on the red hot Rangers.
With a record of 25-5-0-1 the Knights continue to be the class of the league but they are starting to feel some pressure from Kitchener who will come into this contest only six points back of the Midwest leading Knights.
Having lost just five times this year, London certainly will not have forgotten when the Rangers surprised the Knights with a 5-4 win in the first meeting between the two clubs back in late October.
Friday, Dec. 9
Belleville at Plymouth: On a weekend road swing through Southern Ontario, the East leading Bulls will be in Plymouth Friday night in a matchup of division leaders.
On a six-game winning streak, the surprising Bulls have rocketed to first place in the Eastern Conference. One of the league’s youngest teams, Belleville has been led up front by 17-year-old center Brendan Gaunce and have been backstopped by 17-year-old netminder Malcolm Subban.
They will have their hands full with the Whalers who come into this game equally as hot having won eight of their last 10.
Saturday, Dec. 10
Sarnia at Plymouth: The Whalers find themselves in their second marquee matchup of the week when they host Sarnia on Saturday night. Seperated by just two points, the West division lead could very well be on the line depending on what the teams do in their respective games on Friday night.
The injury-riddled Sting may very well have their top gun back for this one as Nail Yakupov is expected to return some time this weekend after missing the last few games with a back injury.
Players To Watch:
Shane Prince (Ottawa) While his teammates Tyler Toffoli, Cody Ceci and Sean Monahan grab most of the headlines in Ottawa, Prince continues to roll along as one of the best scorers in the OHL. The 19-year-old American ranks third on the high-scoring 67’s with 14 goals and 36 points in 23 games; joining Toffoli and Monahan in the top 15 of league scoring.
A second-round pick of the Ottawa Senators in 2011, Prince was invited to the USA’s preliminary camp for the second straight year and figures to have a good shot at cracking the final roster this time around.
Michael Sgarbossa (Sudbury): The heart and soul leader of the Wolves, Sgarbossa’s importance to his team is arguably unmatched by any other player in the league. The diminutive 19-year-old center does it all for the Wolves who have been playing good hockey of late.
Having scored 18 of the club’s 81 total goals this year, Sgarbossa has accounted for an astounding 22% of Sudbury’s tallies. He will continue to be heavily relied upon as the Wolves fight for positioning in the East.
Malcolm Subban (Belleville): The reigning goaltender of the month in the OHL, Subban has taken over as the number one goalie for a Belleville team that has allowed the least goals in the league. The younger brother of P.K. and older brother and teammate of Jordan, Malcolm currently leads all OHL goalies with a 1.78 GAA and a 0.94 save percentage to go along with a sparkling 12-3 record.
The top rated OHL goaltender for the 2012 NHL Draft according to Central Scouting, Malcolm is well on his way to becoming the second of the Subban brothers to be drafted by an NHL club.
Resident of Windsor, Ontario. Extensive knowledge of both the NHL and junior hockey in Canada, particularly the OHL. Writer for THW covering the Winnipeg Jets and the OHL as well as covering Phoenix Coyotes prospects for Hockey’s Future.
