By Kyle Watson/OHL
With the long-awaited start of the 2022-23 OHL season later this week comes a number of new faces, a couple rule adjustments, and a few milestones. Let’s take a look at what’s new this year:
New Updates to the Rulebook (2022-23 OHL Rule Book)
Icing – Line Changes (Rule 81.4)
- When a team ices the puck they will not be permitted to make any player substitutions prior to the ensuing faceoff save an except for instances involving the replacement of a goaltender who had been removed for an extra attacker, an injury, or when a penalty has been assessed which affects the on-ice strength of either team. Should either team elect to utilize their team time-out at this stoppage of play, both teams will be permitted to make a player change.
Overtime (Rule 84.1)
- Unlike past seasons, teams will now change ends for the overtime period, often times resulting in a longer distance to the bench for both teams while making a line change.
- Teams will then change ends again for the shootout.
Teams Celebrating Anniversaries
The 2022-23 season will see three clubs celebrate anniversaries: Kingston, Kitchener, and Sudbury.
The Frontenacs franchise will play their 50th season in the league this year. They joined the Ontario Hockey Association in 1973-74 as the Kingston Canadians and changed their name to the Raiders for one season in 1988-89 before settling on the name Frontenacs. The organization has seen many NHLers come through the ranks throughout the years, such as Bernie Nicholls, Chris Gratton, Mike Smith, and Jason Robertson.
The Rangers are celebrating their 60th year in the OHL, a tenure that includes four OHL championships and two Memorial Cups. Kitchener’s 2003 cup-winning team is considered one of the best junior hockey teams ever, boasting the likes of David Clarkson, Steve Eminger, Mike Richards, and Derek Roy. Notable Rangers alumni include Scott Stevens, Al MacInnis, Paul Coffey, Brian Bellows, Jeff Skinner, and Gabriel Landeskog.
Finally, the Wolves will also play their 50th season in 2022-23. Sudbury entered the league in 1972-73 when owner Bud Burke merged the Wolves, who were an NOJHL team at the time, with the Niagara Falls Flyers. In half a century, Sudbury has produced NHL stars including Pat Verbeek, Marc Staal, the Foligno brothers, Dale Hunter, Randy Carlyle, and most recently Quinton Byfield.
Bench Boss Shuffle
There will be some new faces behind benches this season, starting in Guelph where Scott Walker has replaced George Burnett as Head Coach. Burnett will continue his work as the club’s General Manager.
Walker, who is also President of Hockey Operations for the Storm, returns to Guelph after coaching them to an OHL Championship in 2013-14. He departs his role as Assistant Coach with the Vancouver Canucks. The Cambridge native has an extensive coaching resume: he was an assistant when Team Canada won gold at the 2015 World Juniors, an assistant when Canada won gold at the 2012 Hlinka-Gretzky Cup, and was the Head Coach for Canada White when they won gold at the 2015 U17s.
In Kitchener, Chris Dennis has taken over as Head Coach with Mike McKenzie now operating exclusively as General Manager. Dennis has a decade’s worth of NHL experience, serving the Toronto Maple Leafs in various roles including assistant coach and video coach.
The 42-year-old Dennis earned his head coaching experience at York University, where he took over a last-place program in 2016 and turned them into regular-season champions in just one year. The following year, he led the Lions to a Queen’s Cup as OUA champions. He was named Coach of the Year both seasons. Most recently, he served as an associate coach for the Barrie Colts during the 2021-22 season.
Daniel Fitzgerald has taken the reigns in Niagara after four seasons as Head Coach of their new OJHL affiliate, the Brantford 99ers. Prior to that, he was the Head Coach of the Cambridge Winter Hawks of the GOJHL, and in 2014-15 was named the OHA Coach of the Year after taking the Dundas Blues Jr. C program to the PJHL finals.
The Oshawa Generals will also have a new head coach this year, with former Dallas Stars assistant Derek Laxdal joining the team. The Stonewall, Man. native served under Rick Bowness in Dallas from 2020-22 after spending six seasons in the AHL coaching Texas.
Prior to coaching professional hockey, Laxdal coached the Edmonton Oil Kings of the WHL. From 2012-2014, he led the Oil Kings to three consecutive finals and in 2014 led them to a Memorial Cup victory over the Guelph Storm.
History has been made in Hamilton this season, with Laura Fortino becoming the first female assistant coach in league history. The 31-year-old, who won gold with Team Canada at the 2014 Olympics, will also serve as Director of Player Development.
Fortino is a Hamilton local, and before she became a national hero for assisting Marie-Philip Poulin’s overtime winner in Sochi, she played for the Hamilton Huskies, Stoney Creek Sabres, and Burlington Barracudas. Her resume also includes an Olympic silver medal, a World Championship gold medal, four silvers, and a bronze. She also has a CWHL championship to her name and was named to the All-Star team at the 2018 Olympics in PyeongChang. Fortino’s work in player development began seven years ago when she started a summer hockey camp for girls in Victoria, BC.
Rookie Spotlight
As with every year, there are plenty of new names for OHL fans to get accustomed to. Here are 10 rookies to look out for this season.
Michael Misa – C, Saginaw Spirit
The sixth recipient of exceptional status in league history is a highly-skilled winger who says he models his game after Mitch Marner. Last season, Misa was a dominant force for the Mississauga Senators in the GTHL, helping lead them to an OHL Cup. His 20 points were the most in the history of the tournament, surpassing Connor McDavid’s 2012 benchmark.
The Oakville-born centreman has already made a seamless transition to the major junior level: he picked up four assists in four pre-season games.
Malcolm Spence – LW, Erie Otters
Misa’s teammate on the Senators led the entire GTHL in points-per-game last season, with 56 points in 28 contests. Spence is a versatile forward, combining speed, strength, and smarts to dominate all areas of the ice. Those who have watched him say he has a pro-ready shot, but his vision is also excellent.
Spence has impressed in his first games for Erie, picking up a point in all four pre-season games.
Sam Dickinson – D, London
Dickinson was described by Knights GM Mark Hunter as “the type of player you win with.” The 6’2″ 194-pound defenceman is a smooth-skating puck-moving anchor and an intelligent and physical defender. He led all GTHL defencemen in assists last season with 34 in 46 games.
Nathan Villeneuve – C, Sudbury
The third overall selection in the 2022 OHL Priority Selection is a tenacious and skillful power forward. Villeneuve scored at over a two-point-per-game clip in the HEO U18 AAA league this year, earning the league’s Top Prospect Award.
Porter Martone – RW, Sarnia
The 6-foot-3, 171-pound winger was the fifth overall selection in the 2022 OHL Priority Selection after being a key member of the powerhouse Toronto Jr. Canadiens. Sting General Manager Dylan Seca characterized Martone as “a dynamic forward, with a combination of skill, compete, and goal scoring.”
Hunter Brzustewicz – D, Kitchener
The American defenceman joins the Rangers as a highly established prospect, having played two years for the United States Development Program. Brzustewicz is a well-rounded defenceman capable of playing in all situations and very rarely puts a foot wrong.
He has stepped right into the Rangers lineup and made an impact, scoring two goals and two assists in four pre-season games.
The Washington, Mich. native is the second USNTDP blueliner to join Kitchener in successive years – last year, it was Roman Schmidt. Bruzstewicz is eligible for the 2023 NHL Draft.
Tomas Hamara – D, Kitchener
The Ottawa Senators prospect joins the Rangers after spending the previous four seasons in the Tappara organization in Finland. The Czech defenceman has represented his nation at all junior levels and comes with a reputation as an exceptional anchorman capable of creating havoc from the blue line.
Like Brzustewicz, Hamara has looked excellent in a Rangers uniform thus far, leading the team in pre-season scoring with two goals and four assists in four games.
Kimo Gruber – C, Oshawa
The Swiss centreman will play his first season in North America after playing the rest of his junior career with Kloten. The 2023 NHL Draft prospect caught the attention of many scouts when he joined Kloten’s U20 team at age 15. That season, he had five goals and 10 assists in 34 games.
Valdemar William Hull – LW, Mississauga
Gruber’s international teammate is a big forward capable of playing center or wing. Offensively, he is capable of using his size to bully his way to the net and create chances. Hull is also reliable in his own zone, supporting play down low and smothering opponents. Like Gruber, he is also eligible for the 2023 NHL Draft.
Sandis Vilmanis – LW, Sarnia
The Florida Panthers 2022 fifth-round pick represented Latvia at the World Juniors this summer after a successful season with Lulea HF in the Swedish U20 league. Vilmanis led his team in goals with 18 goals in 40 games. Sting General Manager Dylan Seca praised the winger’s combination of skill, size, and finishing ability when the team announced his signing.
