An Ontario Hockey League championship and the berth in the Memorial Cup tournament that follows seemed inevitable for the Ottawa 67’s this season. One of two CHL teams with 50 wins (the QMJHL’s Moncton Wildcats being the other) when the season was halted, they were a proper juggernaut, leading the OHL not just in goals, but also allowing the fewest, outscoring opponents by nearly a two-to-one margin. The season cancellation was therefore devastating news to a club seeking its first CHL title since 1999.
While the team didn’t get to reap the benefits of that stellar play, the young players certainly will when the NHL Draft is held later this year. We’ve already looked at Marco Rossi, who led the league with 120 points and is expected to be a top pick, but his teammate, Jack Quinn, turned a lot of heads in the 62 games he played this year.
Birthplace: Cobden, Ontario Date of birth: September 19, 2001 Shoots: Right Position: Right Wing Height: 6’0” Weight: 179 lbs. Team: Ottawa 67’s (OHL)
Part of the difficulty in projecting the two of them is deciding how much weight to give the strength of the team. It’s not just the two draft prospects who had exceptional years; four of the OHL’s top-nine scorers, and five of the top 15, played for Ottawa. No other team had even two players in the top 10. That certainly plays a role in Rossi’s case, as normally a player who scored better than two points per game in his draft year would be in contention for the top pick, not expected to go somewhere around fifth. The confidence isn’t there that he can replicate that type of offence at the NHL level, though he’s still expected to be an effective player.
Despite finishing 30 points behind Rossi on that strong team, Quinn is still regarded as a top-end prospect, ranking just a few spots behind his teammate, and at one outlet actually ahead. The reason for that optimism is that offence isn’t his only trait, and perhaps not even his most impressive one.
The most obvious quality of Quinn is his work ethic. He’s relentless in his own end when he doesn’t have the puck, and is a physical defender despite his average build. To go with that tenacity is a good awareness of what’s going on around him, allowing him to easily close down passing lanes and keep his man in check in defensive situations. While defensive lapses are usually features of top-tier forwards, Quinn is the rare prospect for whom own-zone play is a strength.
Those qualities aid in transitions. If he’s not the one who won possession and is carrying the puck himself, he’s finding a spot on the ice where he’s away from pressure to be a support option, and racing into open space to attack the blue line with speed.
He’s just as determined in the offensive zone, and easily forces his way to the high-danger area for scoring chances. That not only improves his opportunities, but opens up lots of options for teammates who had to be abandoned by opposition defenders as they react to Quinn’s presence.
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That close proximity to the goaltender is enough to find success in Junior hockey; many players go on to earn professional contracts based on their willingness to get to dirty areas. Other goal-scorers have shots that are so quick and/or precise that they’re able to beat netminders from distance. without needing to leave the perimeter In Quinn’s case, he has both of those traits, making his prospects of becoming an NHL scorer very high.
Often working in traffic, he isn’t given a lot of space to get a shot off, and his release doesn’t require it. A quick twist of his body with a short backswing is enough for him to generate a lot of torque to get pucks on net even if he has opponents closely monitoring him. An upward motion with his stick while his knee drops to the ice usually allows him to elevate the puck over goalies who believe just taking away the bottom of the net at such close range would be sufficient.
Add his awareness into the mix, and he doesn’t just fire the puck when his path gets closed off and hope the goaltender isn’t there to stop it. He’s often gauging the position of the opponents, getting himself to the best position before taking a higher-percentage shot. All of those abilities combined helped him find the net 52 times in 62 games; the highest goal total among draft-eligible prospects playing in at least the Major Junior ranks (Carter Savoie scored 53 in the Alberta Junior Hockey League).
Rankings
Elite Prospects: #16 Future Considerations: #20 Hockey Prospect: #6 McKeen’s Hockey: #10 McKenzie/TSN: #10 NHL Central Scouting: #7 (North American skaters)
In a first round filled with quality players, Quinn is one of the more all-around talents, which is probably unexpected given his goal-scoring numbers. Even if his finishing ability doesn’t translate — which it should given how faceted it is — his 200-foot game is enough to carry him to at least replacement-level status.
Other than the fact that’s he’s one of the older first-year prospects in 2020, concerns are mostly about his skating ability. He’s not particularly quick and does need time to get to his top gear, instead relying on his awareness and instincts to get an early jump on opponents. That’s not going to happen nearly as often in the NHL, where runways aren’t often left for players to build up speed, and that will limit some of his transition skills.
In a model based on his offence alone, he’s projected to be just about as effective in the attacking end as last year’s top goal-scorer, Cole Caufield. Only a fraction of his production is expected to carry over, but he’ll have little difficulty being a positive-impact player in the NHL.
Jack Quinn is a player who will be high on many draft boards. NHL teams may have some of the more skilled options and better skaters ahead of him, but we won’t be very deep into the first round when one of them calls his name.
VANCOUVER – The Vancouver Canucks announced Tuesday that defenceman Alex Edler will sign a one-day contract in order to officially retire as a member of the NHL team.
The signing will be part of a celebration of Edler’s career held Oct. 11 when the Canucks host the Philadelphia Flyers.
The Canucks selected Edler, from Ostersund, Sweden, in the third round (91st overall) of the 2004 NHL draft.
He played in 925 career games for the Canucks between the 2006-07 and 2020-21 seasons, ranking fourth in franchise history and first among defencemen.
The 38-year-old leads all Vancouver defencemen with 99 goals, 310 assists and 177 power-play points with the team.
Edler also appeared in 82 career post-season contests with Vancouver and was an integral part of the Canucks’ run to the 2011 Stanley Cup final, putting up 11 points (2-9-11) across 25 games.
“I am humbled and honoured to officially end my career and retire as a member of the Vancouver Canucks,” Edler said in a release. “I consider myself lucky to have started my career with such an outstanding organization, in this amazing city, with the best fans in the NHL. Finishing my NHL career where it all began is something very special for myself and my family.”
Edler played two seasons for Los Angeles in 2021-22 and 2022-23. He did not play in the NHL last season.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024.
The sixth-ranked Canadian women will face World Cup champion Spain in an international friendly next month.
Third-ranked Spain will host Canada on Oct. 25 at Estadio Francisco de la Hera in Almendralejo.
The game will be the first for the Canadian women since the Paris Olympics, where they lost to Germany in a quarterfinal penalty shootout after coach Bev Priestman was sent home and later suspended for a year by FIFA over her part in Canada’s drone-spying scandal.
In announcing the Spain friendly, Canada Soccer said more information on the interim women’s coaching staff for the October window will come later. Assistant coach Andy Spence took charge of the team in Priestman’s absence at the Olympics.
Spain finished fourth in Paris, beaten 1-0 by Germany in the bronze-medal match.
Canada is winless in three previous meetings (0-2-1) with Spain, most recently losing 1-0 at the Arnold Clark Cup in England in February 2022.
The teams played to a scoreless draw in May 2019 in Logroñés, Spain in a warm-up for the 2019 World Cup. Spain won 1-0 in March 2019 at the Algarve Cup in São João da Venda, Portugal.
Spain is a powerhouse in the women’s game these days.
It won the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2022 and was runner-up in 2018. And it ousted Canada 2-1 in the round of 16 of the current U-20 tournament earlier this month in Colombia before falling 1-0 to Japan after extra time in the quarterfinal.
Spain won the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 2018 and 2022 and has finished on the podium on three other occasions.
FC Barcelona’s Aitana Bonmati (2023) and Alexia Putellas (2021 and ’22) have combined to win the last three Women’s Ballon d’Or awards.
And Barcelona has won three of the last four UEFA Women’s Champions League titles.
“We continue to strive to diversify our opponent pool while maintaining a high level of competition.” Daniel Michelucci, Canada Soccer’s director of national team operations, said in a statement. “We anticipate a thrilling encounter, showcasing two of the world’s top-ranked teams.”
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024
TORONTO – The Toronto Maple Leafs have announced cookie brand Oreo as the team’s helmet sponsor for the upcoming NHL season.
The new helmet will debut Sunday when Toronto opens its 2024-25 pre-season against the Ottawa Senators at Scotiabank Arena.
The Oreo logo replaces Canadian restaurant chain Pizza Pizza, which was the Leafs’ helmet sponsor last season.
Previously, social media platform TikTok sponsored Toronto starting in the 2021-22 regular season when the league began allowing teams to sell advertising space on helmets.
The Oreo cookie consists of two chocolate biscuits around a white icing filling and is often dipped in milk.
Fittingly, the Leafs wear the Dairy Farmers of Ontario’s “Milk” logo on their jerseys.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024.
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