Ottawa 67s (3-4-0)
The Ottawa 67s have a tough week ahead. It’s still early in the season however, and team records can be deceiving. That being said, the records of the teams the 67s are facing this week aren’t a huge surprise to anyone.
Tuesday VS Mississauga Steelheads (4-2-0):
Last year’s last place team in the Central Division has a lot to prove this year. They’ve started strong, and a lot of that is thanks to defenceman, Trevor Carrick. Carrick has scored 6 goals in as many games, and has a total of 9 points on the year. Drafted in the 4th round in 2012 by the Carolina Hurricanes, he could be looked at as a surprise to have those types of numbers this year. Like I said, it’s still early, but if he continues anywhere near his current pace, he could be forcing the Hurricanes’ management to include him in future plans. Carrick will be an integral part of the team if they want to reach the post season for the first time since the 2011 Memorial Cup.
Friday VS Guelph Storm (4-2-0):
Looking to make the playoffs again, the Storm are also off to a solid start. They’re best offensive player, Brock McGinn, is also a draft pick of the Carolina Hurricanes. McGinn was taken in the 2nd round of the 2012 draft. Hurricanes management must be pleased with their prospects currently in the OHL, as McGinn has 9 points through 6 games. McGinn has progressively put up better numbers each of his seasons in the OHL, and there’s no reason to think that won’t continue.
Sunday VS Sudbury Wolves (3-1-2):
The Wolves were one of numerous teams that made the playoffs last year, despite not having won even half their games. Typically, anything can happen in the playoffs when it comes to most sports, but having only 2 teams in each conference miss the playoffs means that there will be some very lopsided series being played. This benefits teams like the Wolves, who don’t win a whole lot of games, but it even greater benefits teams of higher ranks, giving them very easy opponents in the opening round. They’re definitely on the right track, getting a lot of help from their top line of Matthew Campagna, Nathan Pancel, and Nicholas Baptiste who have scored 14, 12 and 9 points respectively, all in 6 games each.