| Predator Feature Player |
 |
| Name: Dave Harris |
| Height: 6'0" |
| Weight: 195 lbs |
| Age: 18 |
| (DOB): Oct 2, 1989 |
| Stats: (Click Here) |
| Shoots: Right |
| Hometown: Waterloo, ON |
 |
|
Online Player Application  |
|
Proud Community Sponsor of Predators Jr. A Hockey |
 |
Port Hope 3
Kingston 6
|
|||||||
|
Teams adjust to two major changes
Ron Druery
Sports - Friday, September 07, 2007 @ 09:00 Two major changes will help usher in the 2007-08 Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League (OPJHL) season as play begins tonight in five different arenas. The first change will effect all 35 teams in the league as it has adopted the shootout. If a regular season game is tied at the end of regulation time, a five-minute four-on-four sudden death overtime period will be played. If there is still no winner determined after that, each team will select three players to participate in a shootout. If neither team scores the winning goal, different players will be picked until a winner is established, which is the same format used by the NHL. Muskies general manger John Johnson is in favor of the move. "The fans need some excitement in the game," he told The Lindsay Post. "And it's a move ahead for our league, which is necessary for us to continue to develop . . . our league was behind the times." A change that will effect just the East is that the conference has gone from 10 to eight teams. The Bancroft Hawks have taken a year off while the Oswego Admirals have been relocated to Toronto as the Dixie Beehives. The end result is that instead of having nine teams from the East make the post-season, only six will get in. Peterborough Stars head coach Paul Mattucci, a former Muskie, is one of several coaches looking forward to the challenge. "It'll make the regular season more important and each game will be much more competitive," he said. With the season set to begin, here's how the East's eight teams stack up. BOWMANVILLE EAGLES 2006-07: 39-6-3-1 (first); lost 4-1 to Kingston in East Conference semifinal round. Coach: Dan West, first year with team. Key Players: C Louke Oakley, C Kristofer Faric, C Tomek Budziakowski, LW Andrew Fracz, RW Brandon Couto, D Hunger Syrydiuk. The Skinny: West, an Oakwood resident, takes over behind the bench for longtime coach Curtis Hodgins after a disappointing showing in last year's playoffs. West won't be blessed with as much talent this season since the Eagles have lost 13 players from last year's team, including its three top scorers (Scott Freeman, David Ross and Travis Holden). Freeman and Ross were the province's top two scorers last season. However, the coach doesn't expect a major dropoff as he is impressed with the returning veterans and promising first-year players. The Eagles went 1-5 in the pre-season, but that was due largely to the fact that they had nine players away at OHL camps for the majority of those games. Strengths: Bowmanville will be strong up the middle with three quality centres in Oakley, Faric and Budziakowski. All three are defensively responsible and adept at winning a faceoff. The Eagles are also a hard-working team that will show a strong work ethic and discipline. Weaknesses: The club's inexperience may hurt them on occasion. This could haunt the Eagles if they get down early in a game or go into a hostile environment. Burning Question: Can Bowmanville overcome its mass exodus of players to be competitive this season? Local Connection: None. Season Opener: Sunday vs. Quinte West. COBOURG COUGARS 2006-07: 15-29-4-1 (ninth); lost 4-0 to the Stouffville Spirit in North Conference first round. Coach: Bill Brady, third year with team, second full season as head coach. Key Players: C Pat Jobb, C James Diminie, LW Mat Diminie, LW Nik Walsh, G Dan Clarke. The Skinny: The Cougars have fallen on hard times lately. A new ownership group took over two years ago and since then the club has missed the playoffs (2005-06) and followed that up with a ninth place finish and a first round exit. It's obvious ownership is looking for an improvement this season. But Cobourg will be hard pressed to avoid another non-playoff season this year. Strengths: The Cougars have some speed up front and Brady promises his players will be among the hardest working in the league. If Clarke continues to develop, Cobourg will be strong between the pipes. Weaknesses: The Cougars have defensive issues as the blueline will be filled out with several new and young players. Overall skill is a concern as well. Burning Question: Has Cobourg done enough to compete with the top teams in the East? Local Connection: None. Season Opener: Sept. 10 vs. Peterborough. KINGSTON VOYAGEURS 2006-07: 26-17-3-3 (fourth); lost 4-1 to Wellington in East Conference final. Coach: Evan Robinson, seventh year with team. Key Players: C Brandon Perry, C Jordan Mayer, LW Andrew Marcoux, RW James Cameron, D Ben Munroe, D Sean McAllister. The Skinny: Kingston shocked a lot of people last year by knocking off first place Bowmanville in round two of the playoffs and advancing to the East final. This year the club won't sneak up on anyone. However, the Voyageurs are stacked this season and are expected to be a major player in the East, possibly the favourite to win. The club made two huge off-season additions up front with Jordan Mayer, a first round pick by the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds last May, and Andrew Marcoux, a former OHLer. They'll join a returning nucleus of Perry and Cameron, who both are entering their fourth seasons. The Voyageurs have plenty of experience as 15 players from last year's squad return. Robinson just hopes his veterans won't become complacent and continue to work hard to get back to the conference final. Strengths: The Voyageurs are loaded up front and will use four lines on a regular basis. Offence and fresh legs will not be a concern. Kingston is also solid on the blueline, especially with returning rearguards Munroe and McAllister. Weaknesses: There are question marks in goal. Robinson said he is looking into acquiring a No. 1 netminder. Mackenzie Ball, last year's backup, is not ready to carry the load on a nightly basis. Discipline was a problem last season, but the coach hopes that has been corrected. Burning Question: Can the Voyageurs stay disciplined and out of the penalty box? Local Connection: None. Season Opener: Tonight at Trenton vs. Quinte West. LINDSAY MUSKIES 2006-07: 15-27-5-2 (eighth) lost 4-1 to Bowmanville in East Conference first round. Coach: Tom Thornbury, second year with team, first full season as head coach. Key Players: C Kyle Stojsin, C Corey George, LW Aaron Keaney, D Chad Jones, D Brett Waters. The Skinny: Since losing in the East final in March 2001, the Muskies have won a total of one playoff round. Although the team has fallen on hard times, there is renewed optimism heading into the season. The Fish have added a number of veterans, such as Jones, Josh Ruys, Travis Herlein and Rory Landry, that should get the team back to respectability and achieve its goal of finishing in the top half of the standings. The returning core of Stojsin, George, Keaney and Waters will be looked to for leadership. An interesting storyline to follow will be the development of 16-year-old goaltender Matthew Ginn, a local product. The Muskies decided to sign Ginn to fill one of its two available spots allotted to 1991 born players. Ginn will back up Chris Fearneley, an experienced 20-year-old. Strengths: The Muskies believe they have brought the right core of veterans back to mesh with the veteran newcomers and help develop the young players. Team speed and puck movement, especially from the defence, is another strength. Weaknesses: Despite all the new additions and solid offensive players, the Muskies may still have trouble scoring as they lack a pure goal scorer. Burning Question: Can the Muskies avoid the injury bug and contend in the East? Local Connection: Keaney, LW Mitch Vasey, RW Jordan Sinclair, D Mike Wills, G Matthew Ginn. Season Opener: Tonight vs. Port Hope. PETERBOROUGH LIFTLOCK STARS 2006-07: 20-25-3-1 (fifth); lost 4-1 to Kingston in East Conference first round. Coach: Paul Mattucci, second year with team, first full season as head coach. Key Players: C Alain Joanette, C Chris Currins, LW/C Pier-Olivier Cotnoir, RW Ryan Herlihey, D Tim Cavanaugh, D Tyler Talsma. The Skinny: Mattucci, the former Muskie captain during the team's glory years, enters his first full season as a head coach in the OPJHL. He instantly turned the Stars around when he took over last year. The club went from toiling in eighth and ninth place to a fifth place finish. Peterborough went on an 8-2-1 run after Christmas, but a rash of injuries led to a disappointing end to the season and early playoff exit. The Stars will be a competitive, hard-working team that will have a chance to win every game they play, which will be a reflection of the way their coach played. The off-season addition of Joanette makes them a more formidable team up front. Strengths: Led by Joanette, Currins, Cotnoir and Herlihey, the Stars have a lot of depth up front. Many of the club's forwards possess quickness and skill. Weaknesses: The Stars are a young club and that inexperience may be a hindrance. The team ended last season without a single 20-year-old on the roster and have only three heading into this season. Burning Question: Do the Stars have enough experience and can they remain disciplined enough to finish in the top half of the standings? Local Connection: Currins and Herlihey. Season Opener: Tomorrow at Port Hope. PORT HOPE PREDATORS 2006-07: 31-11-5-2 (third); lost 4-1 to Wellington in East Conference semifinal round. Coach: Brian Drumm, first year with team. Key Players: C Brian White, C/LW Chad Dunlop LW Shawn Basinwaite, RW Tyler Miller, D Ben Finney, G Jeff Potvin. The Skinny: There's plenty of turmoil in the Predators' front office as director of hockey operations Tim Clayden sits out his suspension for tampering. He is expected back in November. Despite this, the Preds are poised to be a contender in the East again. The team has a good nucleus returning and have added some veteran talent, such as Basinwaite from Weyburn, Sask. Veteran leadership shouldn't be a problem as Port Hope expects to have seven to eight 20-year-olds in the lineup. Drumm is counting on a balanced attack, much like last season when the Preds were third in goals for and against in the 10-team East Conference. Strengths: The Preds will rely on goaltending and speed this season. They have one of the conference's top, if not the best, goalies in Potvin. He can win games on his own. Port Hope has plenty of speed and skill at forward and can roll four lines. Weaknesses: Besides Finney, the club may be a bit thin on the blueline. With a new coach behind the bench, chemistry may be a concern. Also, Port Hope is hampered without Clayden running the front office. Burning Question: With another new coach to start the season, will the players be consistent on a nightly basis? The Preds have had a revolving door behind the bench over the past few years. Local Connection: Dunlop, Finney, G Spencer Finney, C Jeremy McCarty, C Jesse Stoughton. Season Opener: Tonight at Lindsay. QUINTE WEST PACK 2006-07: as the Trenton Sting - 17-26-2-4 (seventh); lost 4-0 to Wellington in East Conference first round. Coach: Jason Supryka, first year with team. Key Players: C Jeff Broekema, LW Tory Fisher, RW Adam McAllister, D Adam Vandertoorn, G Shawn Sirman. The Skinny: The franchise has had a major overhaul. The new owners have changed its name to the Quinte West Pack. But the changes don't end there. The Pack will have new uniforms and a renovated dressing room will provide a more professional feel. Despite all the off-ice changes, almost half the team returns as Quinte West will have as many nine returning players. The Pack may struggle in the early going, but the coaching staff expects the team to improve as the season goes on. Although the club may be middle of the pack at best, a good young nucleus is in place with an abundance of 1990 and 1991 born players in the organization. Most of these players are from the Quinte West area. Strengths: The Pack acquired Sirman with the intention of him being its No. 1 goalie. The team believes he has the ability to be one of the conference's best. A fresh start may be just what this once proud organization needs. Weaknesses: Quinte West doesn't have a bonafide No. 1 defenceman. If no one claims this role then the team will have to make a trade for one, however, there likely won't be any all-star blueliners that will want to come to a club that isn't competing for first place. Last season, the team had too many key players take bad penalties (the Sting was the seventh most penalized club in the 35-team league). Burning Question: Can Supryka address the discipline problems that plagued the team last year? Local Connection: None. Season Opener: Tonight vs. Kingston. WELLINGTON DUKES 2006-07: 38-5-4-2 (second); lost 4-1 to the Aurora Tigers in OPJHL championship. Coach: Marty Abrams, eighth year with team. Key Players: C Chris Brown, RW Zach Morbeck, RW Jeremy Franklin, D Jon Bockmann, D Jared Anderson, D Brandon Bureau. The Skinny: It was a typical season for the Dukes as they won another East Conference title and earned a spot in the provincial championship, only to lose to Aurora. This was followed up by a typical off-season as Wellington lost seven of its top nine forwards, three regular defencemen and both goaltenders. But that doesn't mean the Dukes will lose their elite team status. The club has a number of returning players ready to pick up the slack. A dropoff isn't likely as Wellington has a knack for recruiting great Junior A players because great players want to play for great teams to advance their careers. Seven players from last year's team received scholarships to the U.S. while goalie Dan Dunn was drafted by the Washington Capitals. A few key additions should also soften the blow of another mass exodus. Paul Karpowich was brought in to play goal and he'll likely rotate starts with whoever wins the second job in camp. Despite the numerous losses, expectations will be high again. Strengths: The Dukes will have one of the best bluelines in the East. In addition to Bockmann, Anderson and Bureau, the club has signed Jake Mahoney and Sam Hall, a pair of Peterborough Petes' draft picks. Weaknesses: Despite scoring the second most goals in the East during the regular season, offence was a problem in the playoffs. Wellington's forwards struggled against better competition, such as Port Hope, Aurora and St. Michael's. Burning Question: Will this be the year the Dukes' constant player turnover finally catches up to them? Local Connection: None. Season Opener: Sept. 13 at Kingston. sports@thepost.ca |
|||||||
.jpg)
|
Port Hope Junior Hockey Where are They Now? |
Sean Streicher  |
Jesse Chidwick  |
Ben Finney  |
Jesse Stoughton
 |
Garrett Noiles  |
Greg Amatto  |
Joey Christiano  |
Paul Dainton  |
Trevor Koverko  |
Greg O'Brien  |
Dan MacIntyre  |
Tyler Allan  |
Bobby Hineman  |
Rusty Masters  |
TJ Legge  |
Dave Wilson  |
Travis Kauffeldt  |
Mark Vida  |
Denis Sicard  |
Kyle Gunn Taylor  |
| Jason Fransky |
| Kris Koras |
Mark Prentice  |
| Proud Community Sponsor of Predators Jr. A Hockey |
 |
.jpg) |