2020–21 OHL season

The 2020–21 OHL season would have been the 41st season of the Ontario Hockey League. After the 2019–20 OHL season was curtailed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the league initially planned to play a full 68-game regular season beginning in September 2020. However, due to continued public health orders and increasing cases of COVID-19 in Ontario, the league eventually shortened the planned season and postponed it indefinitely in December 2020. By April 2021, the league ultimately cancelled the season.

2020–21 OHL season
LeagueOntario Hockey League
SportHockey
DurationCancelled
Number of teams20
TV partner(s)Rogers TV, Shaw TV, YourTV, Sportsnet
Finals championsNone
2020–21 CHL season
LeagueCanadian Hockey League
SportHockey
DurationOHL
Did not play
QMJHL
October 2020 – June 2021
WHL
February 2021 – May 2021
Number of teams60
TV partner(s)RDS
Rogers Sportsnet
Rogers TV
Shaw TV

Postponement and cancellation

The regular season was originally planned to begin in September 2020 and end in March 2021 as each of the 20 teams would play 68 games, followed by 16 teams playing in the post-season. On August 5, 2020, the OHL announced that the start of the regular season was moved to December 1, 2020, and would end on April 29, 2021. Each team was to play a condensed 64 game schedule, followed by a playoff format in which 16, eight from each conference, would participate in.[1]

On October 29, the league announced an updated timeline for the season, moving the opening date of the regular season to February 4, 2021. The regular season would end on May 8, 2021, as the clubs would play a 40 game schedule against opponents in their geographic region. The post-season would consist of eight teams playing three rounds to determine the J. Ross Robertson Cup champion.[2]

Due to Ontario's provincewide shutdown in December 2020, which ordered the closure of all sports and recreation facilities with limited exceptions for "high-performance athletes and specified professional leagues",[3][4] the OHL delayed the season indefinitely on December 23, 2020, and stated that they would work with health officials in order to determine potential start dates in 2021.[5] While it had discussed the use of hub cities as used in portions of the WHL and QMJHL seasons, the OHL had not yet announced any plans for a return to play while still committed to a 2020–21 season.[6]

In April 2021, Ontario implemented a second provincewide shutdown and stay-at-home order due to widespread infections involving variants of concern.[7] The OHL was intended to host the 2021 Memorial Cup, but no host city was ever announced. On April 13, 2021, the Memorial Cup was cancelled for the second season in a row due to logistical issues associated with the pandemic.[8] On April 20, 2021, the OHL announced that due to continued public health orders and the need to provide certainty to players and staff, the 2020–21 season has been cancelled and would not be played.[9]

Awards

Regular season — Player awards
Trophy nameRecognitionRecipient
Roger Neilson Memorial AwardTop academic college/university playerAdam Varga, Ottawa 67's
Ivan Tennant Memorial AwardTop academic high school playerLawson Sherk, Hamilton Bulldogs
Prospect player awards
Trophy nameRecognitionRecipient
Jack Ferguson AwardFirst overall pick in priority selectionQuentin Musty, Sudbury Wolves

2021 OHL Priority Selection

On May 5, 2021, the league announced the results of their first-ever Ontario Hockey League Priority Selection Draft Lottery. The Sudbury Wolves won the lottery [10] and selected Quentin Musty from the North Jersey Avalanche of the AYHL.[11] The Niagara IceDogs forfeited their first round draft pick due to violating league recruitment rules.

These are the results for the first round of the draft:[12]

# Player Nationality OHL team Hometown Minor team
1 Quentin Musty (RW) United States United States Sudbury Wolves Hamburg, New York North Jersey Avalanche (AYHL)
2 Calum Ritchie (C) Canada Canada Oshawa Generals Oakville, Ontario Oakville Rangers (OMHA-SCTA)
3 Cameron Allen (D) Canada Canada Guelph Storm Toronto, Ontario Toronto Nationals (GTHL)
4 Ethan Miedema (LW) Canada Canada Windsor Spitfires Cobourg, Ontario Quinte Red Devils (OMHA-ETA)
5 Matthew Soto (RW) Canada Canada Kingston Frontenacs Oakville, Ontario Oakville Rangers (OMHA-SCTA)
6 Nick Lardis (RW) Canada Canada Peterborough Petes Oakville, Ontario Oakville Rangers (OMHA-SCTA)
7 Tristan Bertucci (D) Canada Canada Flint Firebirds Vaughan, Ontario Toronto Marlboros (GTHL)
8 Colby Barlow (RW) Canada Canada Owen Sound Attack Vaughan, Ontario Toronto Marlboros (GTHL)
9 Luke Misa (C) Canada Canada Mississauga Steelheads Oakville, Ontario Oakville Rangers (OMHA-SCTA)
10 Carey Terrance (C) Canada Canada / United States USA Erie Otters Akwesasne, New York Kemptville 73's (CCHL)
11 Owen Outwater (C) Canada Canada North Bay Battalion Orleans, Ontario Oakville Rangers (OMHA-SCTA)
12 Christopher Barlas (C) Canada Canada Ottawa 67's Ottawa, Ontario Navan Grads (CCHL)
13 Angus MacDonell (C) Canada Canada Sarnia Sting Toronto, Ontario Toronto Marlboros (GTHL)
14 Alex Pharand (C) Canada Canada Hamilton Bulldogs Sudbury, Ontario Sudbury Nickel Capital Wolves (NOHA)
15 Luke McNamara (C) Canada Canada Saginaw Spirit Mississauga, Ontario Bishop Kearney Selects (Youth-USA)
16 Denver Barkey (C) Canada Canada London Knights Maple, Ontario Toronto Titans (GTHL)
17 Carson Rehkopf (C/LW) Canada Canada Kitchener Rangers Vaughan, Ontario Toronto Jr. Canadiens (GTHL)
18 Justin Cloutier (RW) Canada Canada Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds Ottawa, Ontario Ottawa Jr. Senators (CCHL)
19 Beau Akey (D) Canada Canada Barrie Colts Waterloo, Ontario Waterloo Wolves (MHAO)

2021 CHL Import Draft

On June 30, 2021, the Canadian Hockey League conducted the 2021 CHL Import Draft, in which teams in all three CHL leagues participate in. The Barrie Colts held the first pick in the draft by a team in the OHL.[13] The Colts selected Artur Cholach from Ukraine with the OHL's first selection in the draft.

Below are the players who were selected in the first round by Ontario Hockey League teams in the 2021 CHL Import Draft.[14]

# Player Nationality OHL team Hometown Last team
3 Artur Cholach (D) Ukraine Ukraine Barrie Colts Novoyavorivsk, Ukraine Sokil Kiev
6 Kirill Kudryavtsev (D) Russia Russia Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds Yaroslavl, Russia Loco-Junior Yaroslavl Jr. B
9 Filip Mesar (RW) Slovakia Slovakia Kitchener Rangers Spišská Belá, Slovakia Poprad HK
12 Ruslan Gazizov (LW) Russia Russia London Knights Omsk, Russia Omsk Yastreby
15 Matyas Sapovaliv (C) Czech Republic Czech Republic Saginaw Spirit Kladno, Czech Republic Litomerice Stadion HC
18 Rodwin Dionicio (D) Switzerland Switzerland Niagara IceDogs Bern, Switzerland Bern Jr.
21 No selection made Hamilton Bulldogs
24 Andrei Malyavin (D) Russia Russia Sarnia Sting Voronezh, Russia Loco-Junior Yaroslavl Jr. B
27 Vinzenz Rohrer (RW) Austria Austria Ottawa 67's Küsnacht, Switzerland GCK Lions Jr.
30 Aleksander Lukin (D) Russia Russia North Bay Battalion Chekhov, Russia Chekhov Russkie Vityazi
33 Jiri Tichacek (D) Czech Republic Czech Republic Erie Otters Kladno, Czech Republic Rytiri Kladno Jr.
36 No selection made Mississauga Steelheads
39 Servac Petrovsky (C) Czech Republic Czech Republic Owen Sound Attack Veľký Šariš, Czech Republic Reprezentacia SR U18
42 Simon Slavicek (RW) Czech Republic Czech Republic Flint Firebirds Prague, Czech Republic Slavia Praha Jr.
45 Adrian Klein (D) Germany Germany Peterborough Petes Neustadt an der Waldnaab, Germany Straubing Tigers
48 Leevi Merilainen (G) Finland Finland Kingston Frontenacs Oulu, Finland Karpat Oulu U20
51 Avval Baisov (LW) Russia Russia Windsor Spitfires Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia Khanty-Mansiysk Mamonty Yugry
54 Valentin Zhugin (LW) Russia Russia Guelph Storm Magnitogorsk, Russia Magnitogorsk Stalnye Lisy
56 Kevin Niedenz (RW) Germany Germany Oshawa Generals Berlin, Germany Bad Nauheim EC
58 Tomas Trunda (RW) Czech Republic Czech Republic Sudbury Wolves Prague, Czech Republic Mount St. Charles Academy 16U

2021 NHL Entry Draft

On July 23–24, 2021, the National Hockey League conducted the 2021 NHL Entry Draft held via video conference call. Mason McTavish of the Peterborough Petes was the highest player from the OHL to be selected, as he was taken with the third overall pick by the Anaheim Ducks. A total of 30 players were drafted from the OHL.

Below are the players selected from OHL teams at the NHL Entry Draft.[15]

Round # Player Nationality NHL team Hometown OHL team
1 3 Mason McTavish (C) Canada Canada Anaheim Ducks Carp, Ontario Peterborough Petes
1 8 Brandt Clarke (D) Canada Canada Los Angeles Kings Nepean, Ontario Barrie Colts
1 16 Brennan Othmann (LW) Canada Canada New York Rangers Pickering, Ontario Flint Firebirds
1 23 Wyatt Johnston (C) Canada Canada Dallas Stars Toronto, Ontario Windsor Spitfires
1 29 Chase Stillman (RW) Canada Canada New Jersey Devils Sudbury, Ontario Sudbury Wolves
1 31 Logan Mailloux (D) Canada Canada Montreal Canadiens Belle River, Ontario London Knights
2 38 Daniil Chayka (D) Russia Russia Vegas Golden Knights Moscow, Russia Guelph Storm
2 42 Francesco Pinelli (C) Canada Canada Los Angeles Kings Stoney Creek, Ontario Kitchener Rangers
2 49 Ben Roger (D) Canada Canada Ottawa Senators Brighton, Ontario London Knights
3 67 Ryan Winterton (C) Canada Canada Seattle Kraken Whitby, Ontario Hamilton Bulldogs
3 81 Benjamin Gaudreau (G) Canada Canada San Jose Sharks Corbeil, Ontario Sarnia Sting
3 85 Brett Harrison (C) Canada Canada Boston Bruins Dorchester, Ontario Oshawa Generals
3 93 Tristan Lennox (G) Canada Canada New York Islanders Cambridge, Ontario Saginaw Spirit
3 95 Josh Bloom (LW) Canada Canada Buffalo Sabres Oakville, Ontario Saginaw Spirit
4 99 Ville Ottavainen (D) Finland Finland Seattle Kraken Oulu, Finland Kitchener Rangers
4 105 Ethan Del Mastro (D) Canada Canada Chicago Blackhawks Freelton, Ontario Mississauga Steelheads
4 121 Ethan Cardwell (RW) Canada Canada San Jose Sharks Courtice, Ontario Barrie Colts
4 124 Jack Matier (D) Canada Canada Nashville Predators Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario Ottawa 67's
5 135 Artem Guryev (D) Russia Russia San Jose Sharks Moscow, Russia Peterborough Petes
5 143 Jacob Holmes (D) Canada Canada Dallas Stars Alliston, Ontario Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds
5 153 Ty Voit (RW) United States United States Toronto Maple Leafs Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Sarnia Sting
5 156 Max McCue (LW) Canada Canada San Jose Sharks Sudbury, Ontario London Knights
6 166 Pasquale Zito (RW) Canada Canada Detroit Red Wings Ottawa, Ontario Windsor Spitfires
6 168 Jack Beck (LW) Canada Canada Calgary Flames Richmond Hill, Ontario Ottawa 67's
6 170 Bryce Montgomery (D) United States United States Carolina Hurricanes Bowie, Maryland London Knights
6 175 Francesco Arcuri (LW) Canada Canada Dallas Stars Woodbridge, Ontario Kingston Frontenacs
6 178 Connor Lockhart (C) Canada Canada Vancouver Canucks Kanata, Ontario Erie Otters
6 181 Ryan Mast (D) United States United States Boston Bruins Bloomfield, Michigan Sarnia Sting
7 210 Braden Haché (D) Canada Canada Florida Panthers Newmarket, Ontario Kingston Frontenacs
7 214 Joe Vrbetic (G) Canada Canada Montreal Canadiens Dunvegan, Ontario North Bay Battalion

2021 IIHF World Junior Championship

The 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship was held at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta starting on December 25, 2020. The tournament concluded on January 5, 2021.

Twenty-seven current and former OHL players were on eight rosters in this tournament, including eight on Canada, four on the Czech Republic, three on Germany, three on Slovakia, two on Finland, two on Russia, two on the United States, two on Switzerland and one on Austria.[16]

Austria

Team Austria had one player on their roster that played in the OHL. Marco Rossi of the Ottawa 67's was the lone OHL player on the team.

In four games, Rossi earned no points.

Austria finished in fifth place in Group B, as the team did not earn any points during their four games. They finished the tournament in tenth place.

Canada

The Canadian team had eight players on their roster that plays in the OHL. The players on the Canadian team were: Quinton Byfield, (Sudbury Wolves); Jamie Drysdale, (Erie Otters); Thomas Harley, (Mississauga Steelheads); Connor McMichael, (London Knights); Cole Perfetti, (Saginaw Spirit); Jack Quinn, (Ottawa 67's); Ryan Suzuki, (Saginaw Spirit); and Philip Tomasino, (Oshawa Generals). Andre Tourigny, the head coach of the Ottawa 67's, is the head coach of the Canadian team.

McMichael finished second in team scoring, as he scored four goals and eight points in seven games. Byfield finished the tournament with two goals and seven points in seven games, Perfetti scored two goals and six points in seven games and Tomasino recorded four goals and six points in seven games. Quinn scored one goal and five points in seven games, Suzuki had two goals and four points in seven games. On defense, Drysdale earned two assists in seven games and Harley scored a goal in seven games

Canada finished in first place in Group A during the preliminary round, as they recorded 12 points. In the quarter-finals, Canada shutout the Czech Republic 3-0, followed by a 5-0 shutout victory over Russia in the semi-finals, earning a berth in the gold medal game. In the final game, Canada lost to the United States 2-0, claiming the silver medal in the tournament.

Czech Republic

The Czech Republic had four OHL players on their roster. Martin Has, (Guelph Storm); Nick Malik, (Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds); Jan Mysak, (Hamilton Bulldogs); and Jaromir Pytlik, (Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds) were on the team.

Mysak scored two goals and three points in five games during the tournament, while Has earned an assist in five games. In four games, Malik posted a 1-2-0 record with a 2.90 GAA and a 0.890 save percentage, while earning a shutout.

The team finished the preliminary round in fourth place in Group B, as the Czech Republic earned six points in four games. The Czech Republic finished the tournament in seventh place as they lost to Canada by a score of 3–0 in the quarter-finals.

Finland

Team Finland had two OHL players on their roster. Kari Piiroinen of the Windsor Spitfires and Ruben Rafkin of the Windsor Spitires represented Finland at the tournament.

Piiroinen posted a 4-2-0 record with a 2.18 GAA and a 0.915 save percentage in six games, while Rafkin appeared in one game, earning no points.

Finland finished the preliminary round with nine points and in second place in Group A. Finland defeated Sweden 3-2 in the quarter-finals, however, they lost to the United States in the semi-finals by a score of 4-3. In the bronze medal game, Finland defeated Russia 4-1.

Germany

Team Germany had one player from the OHL on their roster as Josh Samanski of the Owen Sound Attack was the lone current OHL player on the team. OHL graduates Manuel Alberg, formerly of the Owen Sound Attack and currently playing with EC Red Bull Salzburg and Filip Reisnecker, formerly of the Mississauga Steelheads and currently playing with Fischtown Pinguins, were also on the roster.

In five games, Alberg earned two assists. In two games, both Samanski and Reisnecker were held off the score sheet.

Germany finished the preliminary round in third place in Group A, as the team earned five points in four games. In the quarter-finals, Germany lost to Russia by a close score of 2–1 to finish in sixth place in the tournament.

Russia

Team Russia had two players from the OHL on their roster. Egor Afanasyev of the Windsor Spitfires and Daniil Chayka of the Guelph Storm represented Russia at the tournament.

Afanasyev scored two goals and five points in seven games, while Chayka earned no points in six games.

Russia finished in second place in Group B during the preliminary round, earning eight points. In the quarter-finals, Russia defeated Germany by a score of 2-1. In the semi-finals, they lost to Canada 5-0 and an appearance in the bronze medal game. In the final game, Russia lost to Finland 4-1 to finish the tournament in fourth place.

Slovakia

Team Slovakia had three players from the OHL on their roster. The players were Martin Chromiak of the Kingston Frontenacs, Dominik Jendek of the Windsor Spitfires and David Mudrak of the Oshawa Generals.

In five games, Chromiak scored a goal, while both Jendek and Mudrak were held to no points.

Slovakia finished the preliminary round in fourth place in Group A, as the team earned four points in four games. In the quarter-finals, Slovakia lost to the United States by a score of 5–2.

Switzerland

Team Switzerland had two players from the OHL on their roster. Giancarlo Chanton of the Niagara IceDogs and Noah Delemont of the Owen Sound Attack represented Switzerland at the tournament.

Delemont scored a goal in three games for Switzerland, while Chanton had no points in four games.

Switzerland finished in last place in Group A during the preliminary round, earning no points in four games. The team finished the tournament in ninth place.

United States

The United States had two players of the OHL on their roster. The players were Arthur Kaliyev of the Hamilton Bulldogs and Hunter Skinner of the London Knights.

Kaliyev scored three goals and eight points in seven games, which placed him in a tie for second on the team scoring list. Skinner appeared in one game, earning no points.

The United States finished in first place in Group B during the preliminary round as they earned nine points. In the quarter-finals, the USA defeated Slovakia 5-2. In the semi-finals, they defeated Finland by a score of 4-3, advancing to the gold medal game. In the final game of the tournament, the United States shutout Canada 2-0 to win the gold medal for the fifth time in the history of the tournament.

2021 IIHF World U18 Championship

The 2021 IIHF World U18 Championships was held at the Children's Health StarCenter in Plano, Texas and at the Comerica Center in Frisco, Texas starting on April 26, 2021. The tournament concluded on May 6, 2021.

Twenty-seven current and former OHL players were on eight rosters in this tournament, including eight on Canada, four on the Czech Republic, three on Germany, three on Slovakia, two on Finland, two on Russia, two on the United States, two on Switzerland and one on Austria.[17]

Canada

The Canadian team had thirteen players on their roster that play in the OHL. The players on the Canadian team were: Brandt Clarke, Barrie Colts; Ethan Del Mastro, Mississauga Steelheads; Benjamin Gaudreau, Sarnia Sting; Brett Harrison, Oshawa Generals; Wyatt Johnston, Windsor Spitfires; Jack Matier, Ottawa 67's; Mason McTavish, Peterborough Petes; Brennan Othmann, Flint Firebirds; Francesco Pinelli, Kitchener Rangers; Chase Stillman, Sudbury Wolves; Ryan Winterton, Hamilton Bulldogs; Shane Wright, Kingston Frontenacs; and Danny Zhilkin, Guelph Storm.[18]

Wright was named captain of the team, while McTavish served as an alternate captain.[19]

Wright led Canada in scoring, as he had nine goals and 14 points in five games. His nine goals set a Canadian record for most goals by one player at the tournament. McTavish scored five goals and 11 points in seven games, while Pinelli had four goals and 11 points in seven games. In goal, Gaudreau posted a 5-0-0 record with a 2.20 GAA and a .919 save percentage.

Canada finished in first place in Group A during the preliminary round, as they recorded 12 points in four games. In the quarter-finals, Canada defeated the Czech Republic 10-3, followed by another lopsided victory, as the team defeated Sweden 8-1 to earn a berth in the gold medal game. In the final game, Canada defeated Russia 5-3 to win the tournament.

References

  1. "OHL releases 2020-21 season Return to Play plan". Ottawa 67's. August 5, 2020. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
  2. "OHL Announces Updated Timeline for 2020-21 season". Ontario Hockey League. October 29, 2020. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
  3. "What's open and closed under Ontario's COVID-19 lockdown". CTV News Toronto. 2020-12-21. Retrieved 2020-12-23.
  4. Davidson, Sean (2020-12-21). "Ontario will enter strict lockdown on Dec. 26, nearly all non-essential businesses to close". CTV News Toronto. Archived from the original on 2020-12-21. Retrieved 2020-12-21.
  5. "OHL delays the start of the season, again". 980 CFPL. Retrieved 2021-04-13.
  6. "Details of OHL hub cities, bubbles being worked on: Ontario sport minister". Global News. Retrieved 2021-04-13.
  7. Lale, Brent (2021-04-05). "OHL players remain hopeful for return despite provincial shutdown". CTV News London. Archived from the original on 2021-04-13. Retrieved 2021-04-13.
  8. "Memorial Cup canceled for second straight year". ESPN.com. 2021-04-13. Retrieved 2021-04-13.
  9. "OHL, top NHL Draft talent supplier, cancels season". NHL.com. Retrieved 2021-04-23.
  10. "Sudbury Wolves to Select First Overall in 2021 OHL Priority Selection Presented by Real Canadian Superstore". Ontario Hockey League. May 15, 2021. Retrieved May 5, 2021.
  11. "Wolves Choose Quentin Musty First Overall". Sudbury Wolves. June 3, 2021. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  12. "2021 Priority Selection". Ontario Hockey League. June 4, 2021. Retrieved June 4, 2021.
  13. "OHL Announces Order of Selection for 2021 Under-18 Priority Selection and CHL Import Draft". Ontario Hockey League. May 6, 2021. Retrieved May 18, 2021.
  14. "2021 CHL Import Draft - June 30th 11am ET". Canadian Hockey League. June 30, 2021. Retrieved June 30, 2021.
  15. "Tracking OHL talent in the 2021 NHL Draft". Ontario Hockey League. Retrieved 24 July 2021.
  16. "Past and present OHL players set sights on World Junior roster spots". Ontario Hockey League. December 16, 2020. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
  17. "Past and present OHL players set sights on World Junior roster spots". Ontario Hockey League. December 16, 2020. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
  18. "13 OHL Players Named to Canada's National Under-18 Team". Ontario Hockey League. April 1, 2021. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  19. "Wright, McTavish Named to Canada's U18 Worlds Leadership Group". Ontario Hockey League. April 24, 2021. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
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