Scouting the OHL | Prospects, Ontario Hockey League, Shane Wright, Leevi Merilainen, Ty Voit, Daniil Chayka, James Hardie, Logan Morrison, Mississauga Steelheads, Hamilton Bulldogs, Ottawa 67’s, Kingston Frontenacs

ROCKET SPORTS MEDIA — I grew up in a small Ontario farming community, nestled in close proximity to Owen Sound, Guelph, Barrie and Kitchener. Those are the junior hockey teams that I grew up watching. And the CHL was the highest level of hockey players I would see live until my late teens.

It was at that time that I relocated for post-secondary education and began watching Niagara and later, Windsor, while completing my studies.

As my first true career took shape, it led me to Sudbury where I had my first opportunity to commit to season tickets for hockey. For a few seasons, I witnessed an exciting and unpredictable Wolves team take on the OHL at the Sudbury Community Arena. It was an outdated, yet uniquely quaint rink that housed a small, but fiercely loyal, fanbase.

That is my story of how I became a hockey scout.

Yes, I am an amateur scout following amateur hockey! I make notes, sometimes mental, on players that stand out to me from the games that I attended. These players could be anywhere from a raw rookie to an overager. Simply put, they are the players who made an impression on me when I watched their game in-person.

The notes vary anywhere from tendencies, skills, character traits, attitude and even effort level. Most importantly, I look for clues on how their game could translate to the pros. The observations stem from my humble opinion. What skills are transferable to the next level or two, and which ones simply stand out due to lack of competition?

Over the last few weeks, I had a chance to witness games in Kingston, Guelph and Hamilton. These are the players who made an impression on me.

Ottawa 67’s vs Kingston Frontenacs (December 5th, 2021)

Shane Wright | Center | Kingston Frontenacs

It is very difficult to not make note of an exceptional player. Shane Wright is one of only seven players to get the honour of being able to enter the Canadian Hockey League a year early sharing the feat with World Juniors teammate Connor Bedard.

In this game, Wright did not disappoint. Wright and his teammates had a slow start to the game, being out-hit and out-chanced by a rugged 67’s squad looking to revenge a previous blowout loss in Kingston. The hard Ottawa forecheck quickly led to a few minor penalties and that swung the momentum towards the home side.

Once Shane Wright got the chance on the power-play, he took over the game. He activated a close to full minute cycle in the 67’s end that produced several high danger chances. His head was up the entire time and the lateral movement of his feet was a real skating clinic to behold.

The Fronts actually went 0-for-7 on the power-play this particular afternoon, but the pressure created on those chances led to a couple of goals after going back to full strength. There is no doubt that Shane Wright’s dominance in creating pressure was the key difference in the game.

He ended the game with a goal, two assists and a plus-3 rating with two shots on target and a minor penalty. The projected first overall pick of the upcoming 2022 NHL Entry Draft was also named the first star.

The 6-foot-1-inch player from Burlington, Ontario also had the highlight of the game, scoring the eventual game-winning goal with an absolute beauty of a wrist shot from the face-off dot. The shot just snuck under the bar and was unstoppable. It got off the tape so fast and with so much velocity, you could have been fooled into thinking Auston Matthews was on the ice. To say his shot is NHL-ready is an understatement.

Wright is well-regarded as a very responsible two-way centre. Even in his rookie season as a 15 year-old, he received rave reviews for how well he handled assignments in his own end. In this game, he did have a few nice back-checks that led to turnovers. The most impressive part being his composure once play went the other way. There was no panic and no extra effort needed to turn direction, find his coverage, and quickly catch up before a chance against developed.

Leevi Merilainen | Goaltender | Kingston Frontenacs

The 6-foot-2-inch goaltender from Oulu, Finland is in his first season with the Kingston Frontenacs after being selected in the first round, 48th overall in the 2021 CHL Import Draft.

Leevi Merilainen stopped 20 of 21 shots, including three perfect penalty-kills, enroute to a 5-1 victory, his 14th win of the season.

Merilainen was selected by the Ottawa Senators in the third round, 71st overall, in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. What impressed me most was his ability to battle through traffic.

The 67’s crashed the net hard, especially early on in the game. Not many of the 21 shots Leevi faced were in clear sight. He did a terrific job holding his position in net and finding ways to throw his body in-front of shots, giving up minimal rebounds in the process.

Merilainen has transitioned nicely to the North American game so far. His skill level is evident and is backed up by superb numbers in his last full season in his homeland, where he posted a .934 save percentage in 22 games with U-20 Karpat.

Expect his puck handling to continue to improve. It is evident that he is still hesitant leaving the net. With a very quick breakout scheme, a smooth first pass from a goaltender will only add to what is already an impressive attack in Kingston.

Sarnia Sting vs Guelph Storm (December 8th, 2021)

Shout out to Henry @HuttenHenry from Grand River Robotics @GRRobotics for hosting my family in his suite for this game.

Ty Voit | Right Wing | Sarnia Sting

As a smart and very agile forward, Ty Voit of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is an integral part of the Sting attack that features prominent finishers like Nolan Burke and Nolan Dann as well as a young blue chip import rookie in Max Namestnikov. All of these fairly one dimensional players require a play driver. That’s where Ty Voit shines.

In this game, Voit was all over the ice, scoring a goal and assisting on another while earning a plus-2 rating. Ty also impressed by winning the majority of his puck battles and making crisp tape-to-tape passes once the puck was acquired.

Voit was a 2021 NHL Entry Draft fifth round selection, 143rd overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs. In the offensive zone, Voit made shifty plays with the puck to create space and distributed many of those chances to his fellow team-mates in high danger areas around the net. It is no surprise to see the diminutive 5-foot-10-inch winger lead his squad in scoring early on with eight goals and 21 assists for 29 points in 24 games.

Daniil Chayka | Defenceman | Guelph Storm

After a stint with three different teams in three different leagues, including some international duty for Russia in his native home land last season, Daniil Chayka made his return to the Guelph Storm this Fall. He has picked up where he left off, yet again leading all Storm blue liners with 22 points comprised of seven goals and 15 assists. That is also good for third on the team in scoring.

Chayka was selected by the Vegas Golden Knights in the second round of the NHL Entry Draft, 38th overall. The 6-foot-3-inch defenceman is best known for his shutdown abilities around the net. His reach and strength to separate the attacker from the puck is considered elite and a high hockey IQ leads to quick breakout passes.

The Moskva, Russia native also has a bomb from the point that is well highlighted on the Storm power-play. In this contest, Daniil scored a goal midway through the third period to bring his Guelph squad within one and allow for a short lived chance to tie it up. Chayka ended the evening as a plus-1 in a game that was in the Stings control after taking an early 2-0 lead, that later ballooned to 4-1 advantage at the first intermission.

His defensive abilities were on full display, often boxing out screens and intercepting passing lanes while Sarnia forwards cycled the zone. He had several smart breakout passes that unfortunately ended in nothing plays as Guelph forwards struggled all game to penetrate the Sarnia offensive zone.

Mississauga Steelheads vs Hamilton Bulldogs (December 15th, 2021)

Shout out to fellow RSM team member @Ben_Dankiw for joining me at the game. Check out his weekly fan reaction videos on the All Habs Hockey Magazine YouTube channel, titled “Habs Fan Forum.”

James Hardie | Left Wing | Mississauga Steelheads

After being passed over twice in the 2020 and 2021 NHL Entry Drafts, James Hardie is on a mission to prove scouts and NHL front offices wrong. The 6-foot-0-inch, 19-year-old, like the majority of the last two seasons, was an absolute beast in this game. He scored the game-winning and the insurance goals to ensure the victory for an upstart Steelheads team currently tied for second in the OHL Eastern Conference with a record of 17-7-1-1.

The Innsfil, Ontario native is best known for his excellent skating, specifically his strong first step acceleration. That was evident in this game often receiving passes in motion and immediately penetrating the Bulldogs zone, mostly untouched, for a good scoring chance. Hardie scored twice on four shots and showed a unique ability to shot from anywhere with a quick release and decent accuracy.

The left-winger leads his team in scoring early on, with 18 goals and 14 assists for 32 points in 26 games. Known as a pure sniper, Hardie has shown strong play-making abilities in his third season with Mississauga. He has had the good fortune of playing with strong linemates this season that compliment his game very well primarily 2022 NHL Draft Eligible centre Luca Del Bel Belluz and rookie winger Owen Beck.

Logan Morrison | Center | Hamilton Bulldogs

Yet another passed over NHL Draft eligible, Logan Morrison, is on a mission of his own to get noticed. The 6-foot Guelph, Ontario native also leads his Hamilton Bulldogs with 40 points this season made up of 11 goals and 29 assists in only 27 games. The 19-year-old centre is a complete player that competes all over the ice, creating turnovers on defence and driving the middle of the ice on the attach. He is physical when needed and can forecheck effectively when needed.

In this affair, he scored the opening goal only 50 seconds into the game on a play beautifully set up by veteran winger Avery Hayes. Unfortunately, that was all the offence the Bulldogs would provide. Morrison did take three other shots on net, but they were not considered high danger chances.

Morrison was solid on the defensive side, being one of only five Bulldogs skaters to not go into the negatives in plus/minus. Specifically, Logan had a backcheck on fellow veteran forward, Steelheads James Hardie, that prevented an odd man rush.

His defensive awareness is strong, but on the offensive side, he has thrived this season as a pass distributor which is a nice compliment to the 48 total goals he has scored in his OHL career. These qualities should help him stand out as a prospect that NHL teams should take a look at in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft.

What Junior players have intrigued you so far this season ? Comment below or find me on  Twitter.

By Mike Raschle, Staff Writer
All Habs Hockey Magazine
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