The OHL leading Ottawa 67’s (40-11-4) host the Mississauga Steelheads (28-22-5) in an Eastern Conference matchup.
Ottawa’s 40 wins are tied for the most in the OHL while their 84 points are the most in the league as they enter tonight’s game on a four-game win streak. The 67’s reached the 40-win mark for the 18th time in franchise history Friday and seek to reach 50 wins for just the fourth time in team history.
Mississauga sits fifth in the East as they look to secure a spot in the OHL Playoffs for the eighth time in franchise history. A win tonight would tie them with Peterborough for fourth in the Eastern Conference but more importantly, puts them in a position for home-ice advantage in the playoffs.
The 67’s will wear their Real Canadian SuperStore Your Team Your Jersey winning design, created by Kyle, tonight.
Logan Morrison — Ottawa
Unsurprisingly, the addition of Morrison has added another dynamic threat to what was an already potent Ottawa offence.
Acquired from Hamilton Jan. 7, the reigning Wayne Gretzky ‘99’ Award winner as OHL Playoffs MVP, has 15 goals and 27 points in just 16 games with the 67’s.
A year ago, Morrison had 34 goals and 100 points in the regular season before he tore the OHL apart with 39 points to lead the Bulldogs to the J. Ross Robertson Cup before they fell in the final to Saint John at the 2022 Memorial Cup presented by Kia.
The 20-year-old, who departed Hamilton as the franchise’s third leading scorer all-time, sits second this season in OHL scoring with 82 points. Morrison has four four-point games this year and 25 multi-point efforts.
James Hardie — Mississauga
It’s been an impressive over-age season for Hardie as he has established numerous franchise records and is well on pace for career highs in all three offensive categories.
He recently re-wrote Steelheads history as his 126 goals and 234 points are both team records. His 108 career assists are third most, as are his 242 games, although he is going to end up short of the franchise record for games played as he trails Stephen Gibson’s 263 with just 14 left in Mississauga’s season.
Hardie has had three hat-tricks this season, as well as three four-point outings, and leads the team in goals (36), assists (36) and points (72).
A fitting celly from James Hardie with the #FIFAWorldCup ongoing as he completes his hat-trick in OT! 🎩🎩🎩 pic.twitter.com/KtaIVCDPM0
— Canadian Hockey League (@CHLHockey) December 7, 2022
Luca Pinelli — Ottawa
The 49th ranked North American skater by NHL Central Scouting ahead of the 2023 NHL Draft, Pinelli has enjoyed a standout campaign as he seeks to increase his draft stock.
The 17-year-old has set new career highs in goals (23), assists (32) and points (55) and has tallied 12 multi-point efforts. The younger brother of Kitchener’s Francesco Pinelli (LA), he has a team best five game-winning goals this season and found the back of the net at last month’s 2023 Kubota CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game.
Luca Pinelli from the low slot!
Team ⚪️ | #CHLKTP pic.twitter.com/NoGl97BAwo
— Canadian Hockey League (@CHLHockey) January 26, 2023
Angus MacDonell — Mississauga
The main return from Sarnia in the Luca Del Bel Belluz trade at the OHL Trade Deadline, MacDonell has made a solid impression in Mississauga early on.
Through 19 games, the NHL Draft prospect has 12 goals and overall this season has a starting pitcher’s line with 24 goals and nine assists.
MacDonell is the 172nd ranked North American skater by NHL Central Scouting ahead of June’s draft.
GOOSE ON THE LOOSE! 😤 #NHLDraft prospect Angus MacDonell tallies his 8th goal in 8 games on the penalty kill! #MadeofSteel
🚨: MacDonell
🍎: Veccia pic.twitter.com/ga8aPUgpYW— Mississauga Steelheads (@OHLSteelheads) February 25, 2023
Vinzenz Rohrer — Ottawa
Selected by the Montreal Canadiens in the 2022 NHL Draft after a rookie season in which he recorded 48 points and was named to the OHL’s Second All-Rookie Team, Rohrer is on a similar trajectory in his sophomore campaign.
Through 41 games, the Austrian is playing at a slightly better than point-per-game pace with 42 (17 goals) thus far and sits fourth in 67’s scoring.
On what is a very good faceoff team, Rohrer has won 51.3 per cent of his draws.
The 18-year-old also appeared at his first World Juniors in 2023 where he had a goal and two assists in five games as Austria were relegated after a 2-0 series defeat against Latvia.
Vinzenz Rohrer evens things up with a powerplay marker, his 17th goal of the season!#67s | #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/9PvObLRYY7
— Ottawa 67’s (@Ottawa67sHockey) February 18, 2023
Where to watch
Saturday’s contest can be seen live for free on CHL TV at 7pm ET / 4pm PT.
Available to fans from coast to coast, CHL TV is accessible on the CHL mobile app, in addition to Apple TV, Roku, and Amazon Fire, and online at watch.chl.ca. Each year, CHL TV offers access to more than 2,000 regular-season games covering the CHL’s three Member Leagues and 60 markets across Canada and the United States. Fans can download the free CHL app via the App Store and Google Play.
