OHL In A Week is a weekly column by Jordan Jacklin focusing on events surrounding the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). It typically includes personal opinions highlighting player performances, along with trade reactions and feature stories. If you’re ever feeling lost when it comes to following the league, you have come to the right place.
Since this is the first of the series, I have added news that dates back to three weeks ago to give my perspective on. In the future, it will feature more game action and only focus on what's happened within the past seven days.
The Sam Dickinson Trade and The Spectacle Around It
The regular season hasn’t begun and teams are trading away a plethora of draft picks at first sight. On August 31st, the London Knights made a huge deal to acquire Sam Dickinson from the Niagara IceDogs for seven combined draft picks. Trade speculation arose when Dickinson, the fourth-overall selection in the 2022 OHL Draft, was not listed on the IceDogs training camp roster. In case you didn’t know, anytime the amount of draft picks in a trade exceeds three, it’s clear that it’s a junior hockey transaction.
Being in a smaller market provides a noticeable disadvantage for a team like Niagara. London is on the other end of the spectrum, as they’re a bigger market and players want to go there. There is a broader conversation that has arisen from this deal, and it’s on the lack of parity in the league. If a major junior hockey player desires to play in a certain market and possesses enough skill, they are the one with the leverage.
Is this something that the league itself can solve? Do they even want to address trades like this one that directly benefit him? In London, Dickinson is on a stronger team with more talent and will be more marketable. Niagara was able to recoup enough assets back to not feel the loss entirely, but it still stings.
For those reading, my question is whether you view trades structured like this to be beneficial when viewing the league. Use your critical thinking skills to find out how you really feel, or if it even impacts your viewing experience.
Other Preseason Trades
As teams look to fill out their rosters before the regular season begins, many trades have occurred. Niagara and London made a separate trade after the Dickson one, which the aftermath provides more questions than answers for the IceDogs.
Owen Flores, an 18-year-old goaltender, was sent from the Knights to the Icedogs for a 2024 2nd-round pick and a 2023 5th-round pick. In 23 games, he had a .875 save percentage (SV%), 3.67 goals against average (GAA), and a record of 6-8-4. I’m a believer that SV% and GAA are not the ideal stats to evaluate a netminder. However, there have been no advanced data for OHL goaltenders publicly available for the past two seasons. This means effectively using video scouting to evaluate his performance.
Looking at his first career shutout against the Guelph Storm, Flores was very positionally sound. The Knights' defense helped him out with their defensive efforts across all three periods. Most of his saves were low danger chances aside from a few that showcased his athleticism.
Niagara already has Joseph Constanzo and Josh Rosenzweig as their current tandem. This indicates a trade could be on the way, they run with three goalies or assign one to a Junior B league. This will be a development to follow to begin the season.
Finally, a surprising deal wraps up the preseason trade discussion. The North Bay Battalion traded Owen Outwater to the Kingston Frontenacs for five draft picks. Specifically, a 2026 2nd round pick, a 2026 third-round pick, a 2025 fourth-round pick, a 2024 fifth-round pick, and a Sarnia 2023 sixth-round pick.
Outwater is just 17 years old and was the Battalion’s 11th overall selection in the 2021 OHL Draft. He had a difficult rookie season, scoring just 12 points in 64 games. Playing in North Bay certainly didn’t help, as the team was strong up front, which pushed him down the lineup.
For Outwater, he now is being inserted into a lineup that is missing Shane Wright, at least for now. He has the opportunity to take on a bigger role, and showcase himself ahead of the 2023 NHL Draft. He was impressive at the Capital City Challenge in 2021, a U17 tournament that involved just Canadian players. He is poised for a breakout season and should provide the value that the Frontenacs are looking for.
Preseason Storylines
Asides from trades, preseason games are being played and roster spots are up for grabs. For the Mississauga Steelheads, they have figured out their situation regarding overage players, as they had too many on their team. Although he is attending the Detroit Red Wings camp, Jake Uberti beat out Ty Collins for that final spot. This means officially that James Hardie, Charlie Callaghan, and Uberti will be the overage players on the Steelheads. Make sure to follow Alex Fordedal on Twitter for updates surrounding the team.
Ty Collins, who had 31 points in 54 games last season, signed with the Haliburton County Huskies of the Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL). The 20-year-old was put on waivers by the team but was not taken by anyone. He is good enough to be playing in the OHL, but there was no space for him on the Steelheads.
Looking elsewhere, many players are attending NHL prospect tournaments, including the Traverse City rookie tournament, in the coming week. Barrie and Mississauga have eight confirmed players attending their respective teams, which is amongst the most in the league.
With key players gone, it leaves an opportunity for younger OHL players to step into bigger roles. Tomas Hamara, an Ottawa Senator 2022 3rd round pick, is among the players stepping up. The defensemen have 6 points through 4 preseason games, impressing at both ends of the ice. He showed the ability to jump in on the rush optimally and should be included on the team’s top-4 pairings this season.
Michael Misa, the 2022 first overall selection of the Saginaw Spirit, made his OHL preseason debut against the Hamilton Bulldogs on September 3. He picked up an assist on a Davis Codd goal in the second period. Being given exceptional status is certainly a tall order, but Misa is a player that I believe will live up to the title.
We’re right around the corner from the beginning of a new season. With hopefully limited COVID-19 concerns, let’s hope for a healthy season with no delays or stoppages.
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