More on Silver Sticks

First off, a couple of clarifications. In my first post, I said that Belle Tire wasn't able to play with their '91 players, which apparently wasn't the case. Belle Tire uses fewer '91 players than just about every US midget minor team, which I think was part of the reason they were allowed into the tournament.

Second, I mentioned the three committed players on Compuware's midget minor team, mainly as a point of reference, but it should be noted that forward Jared Knight did not play due to a knee injury, anddefenseman Michael Gunn wasn't able to play due to a loss in his family.

Third, I mentioned that John McFarland received a three-game suspension. Apparently the suspension was for a check-from-behind, which compounded by arguing with the officials about it, and was given a three-game suspension.

Anyway, I was able to talk with a pretty well-connected hockey person that was in attendance at the event and was able to get some of his thoughts on the tournament.

The event was obviously well-scouted. Every OHL team had their scouts in attendance. There were fewer from the NCAA side. The only coaches spotted were from New Hampshire, Vermont, and UMass, along with USHL Central Scouting. Apparently there was quite a bit of "verbal jousting" between the OHL and USHL factions.

There was a lot of talk over the weekend about the Toronto Jr. Canadiens team, who apparently had not lost a game the past four years, but suffered their fourth loss of the season to Belle Tire in the tournament. The Jr. Canadiens still have some tremendously talented though. Forward John McFarland, Chase Balisy, Tyler Toffoli, and Cody McNaughton could all potentially be taken in the first round of this spring's OHL Priority Selection. Almost all of the players on the Jr. Canadiens are represented by Newport Sports Management, which has a history of directing players towards the CHL route(though NSM also represents some former college guys like Phil Kessel and David Backes). In any case, it's unlikely that you'll see the high-end kids off that team choosing the college route.

Elgin-Middlesex got off to a rough start this season, but their performance this weekend showed how talented they are. The two elite players off of that team are forwards Greg McKegg and Steven Shipley, who again, both look like they are almost guaranteed to go to the OHL. Other players of note includes center Drew Collinson, who looks like he will go to the OHL, forward Shayne Ryhno, and defenseman Nik Knezic