February 22, 2012
Posted in Ontario Edition, Minor Midget
BY ADAM DUNFEE /
The defending OHL Cup champion Toronto Marlboros would like to continue defending Minor Midget hockey’s top prize into next season.
It would be unwise to bet against them.
The Marlboros swept their quarterfinal series against the Toronto Jr. Canadiens four games to none to open the playoffs and then took a three nothing series lead on the Vaughan Kings in the semifinals.
This after a regular season that saw the Marlboros go 30-2-1, edging out the Mississauga Rebels by one point for top spot in the GTHL. In their 33 games the Marlboros scored 201 goals, an average of 6.1 goals per game.
The Marlboros also won all four tournaments they entered.
All of this has Marlboros head coach Ken Strong feeling optimistic about a repeat.
“It’s not easy to win the OHL Cup. We should win it but anything can happen,” he says. “I’ve got some unbelievably skilled players and I’ve got great goaltending.”
Underage phenom Connor McDavid - a 1997-born player playing in a division against players born in 1996 - led the Marlboros in scoring however his point total is a mystery as the team doesn’t post individual player stats.
McDavid wasn’t the only Marlboro grabbing headlines though as he and teammate Joshua Ho-Sang were featured in a two-page spread in The Hockey News this January.
Ho-Sang is another highly skilled forward who some see going first overall in the 2012 OHL draft.
Strong says that while Ho-Sang possesses a staggering amount of offensive talent there are still some points of his game that need work to take him to the next level.
“He controls the game but sometimes he doesn’t seem to get (the puck) to the net. He could if he wanted to but sometimes he just doesn’t want to. He loves playing around with it, it’s like a cat and mouse game, he likes to deke around the same guy three of four times,” laughs Strong.
There is a chance however that McDavid could be taken in the No. 1 spot.
If the 1997-born McDavid were to be drafted in 2012 he would have to apply and be granted exceptional player status by Hockey Canada.
Strong believes McDavid has applied for exceptional player status but isn’t certain.
Only two players have ever been granted exceptional player status since the system was introduced. Current New York Islander John Tavares was granted exceptional player status in 2005 and Barrie Colts defenseman Aaron Ekblad was granted it last year. Both ended up being taken first overall in their OHL draft year.
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