Last weekend, the Ontario Minor Hockey Association (OMHA) held its championship tournaments for various birth years. Two of the clubs, 2008-born York Simcoe Express and 2011-born Oakville Rangers were the lone two to be featured in the WHH Rankings.
The defensive strength of York Simcoe Express showed up during group play at the U15 division, allowing only three goals in three games. It was put to the test in the team’s first playoff matchup against the Halton Hurricanes. York Simcoe padded its lead to 3-0 towards the midway point of the third period. Just 40 seconds later, the Hurricanes got themselves on the board. While killing off a power play, Halton would cut the lead to 3-2 when it managed to get a shorthanded goal. With 3:05 remaining on the clock, Halton tied the game at 3. With a chance to reset in overtime, the Express managed to hold off Halton’s comeback and netted the winning goal. York Simcoe would go on to defeat the Oakville Rangers 3-2 in the final contest to cap off its 5-0-0 run.
The Halton Hurricanes got off to a rocky start in the U14 division before rebounding with three straight wins to take home the title. Opening with a 3-3 tie against the Southern Tier Admirals, they then fell 5-2 to the Barrie Jr. Colts later in the same day. Halton finished group play with a strong 4-2 win over the Quinte Red Devils, where they secured the victory with three third-period goals. The Hurricanes finished off York Simcoe Express in overtime to get to a rematch against the Jr. Colts with the championship on the line. Despite Halton scoring first and taking a 1-0 lead into the second period, Barrie quickly collected the next three goals to build a 3-1 lead. In the final minutes of the period, the Hurricanes found the back of the net twice to even the score. With no goals found in the third frame, overtime was required where Halton netted the game-winner.
The Whitby Wildcats overcame a 4-2 tournament-opening loss to the Barrie Jr. Colts to win its next four for the U13 division championship. Down 1-0 in their first playoff matchup against the Quinte Red Devils, the Wildcats cashed in on a power play with 3:19 left in regulation to force overtime. They would eventually find the game-winner to secure a spot in the final against the Credit River Capitals. Deadlocked at 2 late in the third period, the Capitals found the back of the net with 2:41 remaining. Whitby clawed its way back to tying the game with 12 seconds left to bring things into the extra frame tied at 3. The Wildcats completed the comeback in overtime.
It was an undefeated performance backstopped by defense and goaltending that helped the Oakville Rangers obtain the U12 championship. Oakville recorded three straight shutout victories over the Southern Tier Admirals, Central Ontario Wolves and Richmond Hill Coyotes to get to the playoff stage. In the first contest, the Niagara North Stars finally broke through when they tallied a shorthanded goal to go up 1-0 in the second period. After the North Stars doubled their lead to 2-0, things looked dire for the Rangers. Oakville, however, would not go down without a fight and struck twice in the final five seconds of the game to force overtime. Almost a full second game would be played, with Oakville finally finding the winning goal in the third overtime. In the championship game against the Quinte Red Devils, the Rangers found their defensive form once again and collected another shutout en route to the championship.
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One year after Michael Misa broke Connor McDavid’s record for points, history happened again at the 2023 OHL Cup. However, it wasn’t a surge offense and goals, it was quite the opposite. Goaltending tandem — and twin brothers — Alex Armellin and Nico Armellin completed an OHL Cup championship run by allowing the fewest goals in a single tournament.
Through seven games, the Armellin brothers combined to allow just three goals against, breaking the previous team record set in 2012. The Mississauga Rebels allowed just four goals against during their championship run.
Both brothers posted two shutouts, with Alex putting together a 21-save blanking of the Vaughan Kings in a 3-0 championship win. It was his fourth start of the OHL Cup, and he finished with a 0.67 goals-against average and .972 save percentage. Brother Nico had a 0.44 goals against and .981 save percentage in one less game.
“My defense made it pretty easy for me,” Alex told OHLCup.ca. “I didn’t really get tested too much, and all tournament our forwards and defense were great in the defensive zone. It’s just unbelievable to get the win.”
Entering the tournament with a 49-16-4 record, the Jr. Canadiens ranked No. 5 in the country and 10th in the world. Ironically, they opened up OHL Cup action the same way it eventually ended. A win over the Vaughan Kings, plus another win over Thunder Bay Kings on the first day of the tournament put JRC in the driver’s seat of the Shanahan Division. Alex stopped 15-of-16 shots in the Vaughan matchup while Nico turned away 14-of-15 against Thunder Bay.
The twins continued to alternate starts as Alex shut out York-Simcoe Express before Nico shut out Sun County Panthers. That clinched the top spot in the division for Toronto and moved them on to the quarterfinals.
In the playoffs, Alex again answered the call, as the Jr. Canadiens eliminated the London Jr. Knights 4-1. Eight hours later, Nico made his playoff start as the team took on the Waterloo Wolves in the semifinal. There, he stopped all 26 shots faced, allowing JRC to pull off the 4-0 win. That set the stage for Alex to close out the OHL Cup championship with his second shutout of the tournament.
The Armellin brothers closed the week without surrendering a single goal in the final 133:14 of game action.
The tournament featured highly-touted OHL prospects from the 2007 birth year like Ryan Roobroeck, William Moore and Brady Martin. Yet it was Jr. Canadiens forward Jake O’Brien that not only led his team to a championship but led the tournament in scoring in the process. O’Brien put together multi-point performances in six of the seven games for a total of seven goals and 17 points. One of those being a goal and an assist in the OHL Cup championship.
Jake O'Brien lights the lamp again! 🚨
— Ontario Hockey League (@OHLHockey) April 4, 2023
The #OHLCup's leading scorer tallies his seventh of the tournament to double the @JrCanadiensAAA lead!
WATCH LIVE FOR FREE 📺: https://t.co/EACCIQuI4x pic.twitter.com/gTG5vy9noX
“We fought through a lot of adversity throughout the year,” O’Brien told OHLCup.ca. “We didn’t win anything until now, but this is the most important and I’m so happy that we did it.”
He also scored two goals and an assist in the semifinal game against Waterloo to elevate Toronto to the championship game.
Pool play for the 2023 OHL Cup gets underway at 8 a.m. sharp, Wednesday morning. Twenty of the top teams in Ontario will compete over the next three days for a spot in the playoffs. Who will survive the grind of pool play, and who’s season will come to an abrupt end this week? World Hockey Hub takes a close look at all four groups, with predictions for how pool play will shake out at the OHL Cup.
They are the top two teams in the Shanahan Division, but only one of York Simcoe Express and Toronto Jr. Canadiens may end up advancing. YSE seems like the safer option, as they’ve proved to be one of the top teams in the OMHA all season long. Forward Owen Griffin led the team in scoring with 94 points in 35 games. It’s a high-powered offense that has out-scored opponents 444-142 this season, averaging 6.08 goals scored per game.
While the Jr. Canadiens should advance to the elimination rounds, I have just a bit more concern for them than I do YSE.
There’s a couple head-scratching results on JRC’s resume, where I just expected more dominant performances against a few opponents and didn’t get it. Plus, while they’re 3-0-0 against the Thunder Bay Kings this season, all three of those were tough, close games. That familiarity can play a factor, especially with the stakes as high as they come. Also worth noting, That matchup will be the second game of the day for the Jr. Canadiens on Wednesday, which can always present a challenge.
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The Toronto Marlboros have been one of, if not, the best 2007 team in Canada all season long. They come in as the early odds-on favorite to win the whole tournament, fueled by OHL Cup veteran William Moore. This team has it all, from highly-skilled offensive prospects to shut-down D in Luke Dragusica and top-notch goaltending with Jaeden Nelson and Crosby DaCosta. I expect them to dominate the Nash Division, especially given the Marlies have impressive wins over Halton and HP earlier this season. Don’t expect TPH or Wild Card Team to provide much resistance either.
Halton will play the Marlies tough in its Thursday night matchup. But even with a loss in that game, I could see the Hurricanes run the table through the other three games to solidify their spot in the OHL Cup playoff round. They’ve got top talent in guys like Tyler Hopkins and Matthew Schaefer who were part of Team Ontario’s gold medal winning squad at the 2023 Canada Winter Games. They may finish second in pool play, but a deep playoff run could set up a potential rematch with the Marlies later in the week.
One more note on this division: Of all the Wild Card teams to enter the tournament from Tuesday’s games, I think the Toronto Nationals have the best shot at qualifying for the playoffs. Marlies and Hurricanes are still heavy favorites, but the Nats play teams tough and are capable of playing spoiler. One Wild Card team snuck their way into the quarterfinals last year; the Nats have the best case to repeat that tournament trend in 2023.
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If the Marlies are the favorite to win the tournament, Peterborough isn’t too far behind. Petes come into the 2023 OHL Cup as the hottest team in Ontario, with a 22-0-1 record since Jan. 22nd. They feel invincible, especially after surviving a triple overtime, 1-0 barn burner in the OMHA championship. Momentum is a real thing, and when you’ve got a team that just knows how to win — and win in close games, and win in high-pressure situations — you’ve got a Peterborough team that will feel like an impossible ‘out’ in the tournament.
While the Petes are white hot, let’s not overlook that fact that both the Mississauga Rebels and Waterloo Wolves tied Peterborough at different points this season.
Sure, both games were early in the season, but both teams will be tough games for the Petes. Plus, both will go down on Friday within five hours of each other at Scotiabank Pond. There is a scenario for Waterloo to wear out Peterborough in the morning, and the Rebels to pull off a win early afternoon. Not only is it two games in one day, but their third and fourth games in 48 hours.
The second team to come out of the Lindros Division could potentially be determined on the first day of pool play. Waterloo and Mississauga clash at 1:15pm to start the tournament. The winner will likely have a two-game swing, and a head-to-head tiebreaker in its back pocket. That will make it incredibly difficult for the loser of that game to claw its way into a top two position.
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The London Jr. Knights were one of the most popular teams to talk about this season. They have one of the top prospects in the province in Ryan Roobroeck. The power forward scored 79 points in 30 ALLIANCE games and has drawn plenty of attention, as the team has gone 49-8-6 this season. However, some skeptics were quick to point out the Jr. Knights’ schedule is one of the weaker ones, when compared to other top teams like the Marlboros, YSE and Peterborough.
The 2023 OHL Cup will provide an opportunity for the Jr. Knights to silence the skeptics and show they belong among the top teams in Ontario. However, it won’t be an easy road, given the draw for the Subban Division.
It’s the only division in the tournament with three of the five teams ranked in the Top 10 in Canada. And that spells trouble for London, Mississauga Senators and Southern Tier Admirals. I expect it to be a logjam at the top, with an incredibly small margin for error. London beat Mississauga in a one-goal game earlier this season. Mississauga beat Southern Tier in a one-goal game earlier this season. I fully expect these rematches at the OHL Cup to be just as close, and only time will tell how it truly shakes out.
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The 2023 OHL Cup starts on Tuesday, as the 54th annual tournament looks to crown the top team in Ontario youth hockey. Fifteen teams have already secured spots in the round of pool play. Ten more teams look to play their way in via Wild Card matchups. Here’s how the tournament stacks up so far:
| GTHL #1 Toronto Marlboros #2 Toronto Jr. Canadiens #3 Mississauga Senators #4 Mississauga Rebels | OMHA #1 Peterborough Petes #2 Southern Tier Admirals #3 Halton Hurricanes #4 York-Simcoe Express |
| ALLIANCE #1 London Jr. Knights #2 Huron-Perth Lakers #3 Waterloo Wolves #4 Sun County Panthers | HNO Representative Thunder Bay Kings NOHA Representative Team NOHA U.S. Representative TPH Hockey |
With 15 of the 20 spots for pool play already awarded to the teams listed above. The final five spots will be determined on Tuesday through Wild Card matchups. The winning team from each of the games below will advance to the next round.
Tuesday March 28, 2023
WC 1, 5:45pm – Ajax-Pickering Raiders vs. Toronto Young Nationals
WC 2, 7:15pm – Barrie Jr. Colts vs. Lambton Jr. Sting
WC 3, 7:30pm – Hamilton Jr. Bulldogs vs. Vaughan Kings
WC 4, 9:00pm – Burlington Eagles vs. Don Mills Flyers
WC 5, 9:15pm – Whitby Wildcats vs. Central Ontario Wolves
Pool play is slated to begin on Wednesday. The 20 remaining teams will be split into four groups of five. They will compete in four round-robin games on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Then, the top two teams from each of the four groups will advance and be seeded for an eight-team, single-elimination playoff. These are the groupings pre-Wild Card games.
| SHANAHAN DIVISION #2 GTHL Toronto Jr. Canadiens #4 OMHA York-Simcoe Express #4 ALLIANCE Sun County Panthers HNO Thunder Bay Kings Wild Card TBD | NASH DIVISION #1 GTHL Toronto Marlboros #2 ALLIANCE Huron-Perth Lakers #3 OMHA Halton Hurricanes US TPH Hockey Wild Card TBD |
| LINDROS DIVISION #1 OMHA Peterborough Petes #3 ALLIANCE Waterloo Wolves #4 GTHL Mississauga Rebels NOHA Team NOHA Wild Card TBD | SUBBAN DIVISION #1 ALLIANCE London Jr. Knights #2 OMHA Southern Tier Admirals #3 GTHL Mississauga Senators Wild Card TBD Wild Card TBD |
Expect all three league champions London Jr. Knights, Toronto Marlboros and Peterborough Petes to advance out of pool play. The Toronto Jr. Canadiens can be seen as an early favorite to come out of the Shanahan Division as well. With only eight teams advancing to the playoffs, a lot is still left to be determined in the next four days at Scotiabank Pond.
The top nine teams ranked in the Top 10 in Canada will be in Toronto competing for the 2023 OHL Cup. William Moore and the No. 1 Toronto Marlboros are at the forefront, coming in as champions of the GTHL. Highly-touted prospect Ryan Roobroeck brings the No. 4 London Jr. Knights into action as well. Plus, Kaiden Harmon’s triple overtime goal pushed the No. 2 Peterborough Petes into top position of the OMHA as well.
A couple early matchups to pay attention to is when No. 6 Halton Hurricanes take on the top-ranked Marlies on Thursday night. Another Top-10 tilt takes place prior to that, with No. 3 York-Simcoe Express taking on the No. 5 Toronto Jr. Canadiens at 4 p.m. EST. The No. 8 Mississauga Rebels will get a shot at the higher ranked Petes on Friday afternoon.
The Subban Division, despite still having two spots yet to be decided, is the only division with three ranked teams in the grouping. The aforementioned Jr. Knights are joined by the No. 7 Mississauga Senators and No. 9 Southern Tier Admirals. All three will take the ice against each other in Thursday-Friday matchups, that could potentially determine which two will advance out of the group.
Want more coverage of the 2023 OHL Cup? Be sure to follow WHH on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Discord and YouTube for the latest news, updates and more!
The 2009-born Toronto Red Wings climbed to No. 7 in the most recent update of the World Rankings. The club rattled off three consecutive wins over No. 8 Toronto Marlboros to kick off their stretch. That run pushed the Red Wings north of 40 wins on the season, and 69 total wins for the ‘09 group dating back to last season.
Unfortunately for the Red Wings, their season came to an end in the GTHL semifinals when they were swept in three games by the No. 2 Don Mills Flyers.
Mikhailov Academy rolled through a three-game stretch against a trio of quality opponents. The team picked up consecutive wins over Khimik Voskresensk, Lokomotiv 2004 Yaroslavl and No. 7 Dynamo Moscow. In those contests, Semyon Kochurin (3G, 2A) and Dmitry Kubanstev (1G, 4A) led the way with five points each. Overall this season, Boris Borin (16G, 32A) and Matvey Cheranev (23G, 24A) have been the mainstays at the top of the leaderboard for the club.
In the 2011-born Russian Rankings, No. 3 Lokomotiv 2004 Yaroslavl and No. 9 SKA Strelna came up big in prime matchups. Timofey Makoedov notched two goals to lead Lokomotiv to a vital 5-1 victory over No. 4 Vityaz Podolsk. Strelna edged a 4-3 victory over No. 10 SKA St. Petersburg, leapfrogging them in the Top 10.
No. 6 North Shore Winter Club’s wins in two important ’10 Pacific Coast Amateur Hockey Association (PCAHA) matchups were a telling sign of the talent throughout its roster. They took care of business with a 7-2 victory over the Semiahmoo Ravens before potting another six goals in a 6-3 win over No. 7 Burnaby Winter Club. The wins also extended a five-game win streak for the team.
Be sure to check out the complete world rankings, including Top 10s by country and World Top 25s for each of the 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011 birth years.