Guest Posted December 2, 2013 Share Posted December 2, 2013 Breeding Ground: OHL Edition In last weeks article we covered the path players take from the Western Hockey League to our league through juniors. Many stars from the past and present in our league have taken their talents from the WHL to the VHL. Also, many players have gone from the WHL to the National Hockey League. In this report we will give you insight into some players juniors careers in the Ontario Hockey League that led them to the Victory Hockey League as well as the NHL. Mississauga Steelheads The Mississauga Steelheads are the former Mississauga St. Michaels Majors (also the Toronto St. Michaels Majors). The team has a long history dating way back to 1906 in the area of Ontario. In that time they have produced many top end talents for both the VHL and the NHL. Jason Spezza, Kyle Quincey and Alex Pietrangelo are all former players from this junior program. All have made huge strides into the National Hockey League and are all riding stars. The VHL is much like the NHL and has its fair share of players from the Mississauga franchise. Most notably recently Steven Smyl made the jump from the VHLM to the VHL where he now is the main puck stopper for the Seattle Bears. Smyl transitioned well from the OHL to the VHLM and is a proud alumni member. In the past Steve Kent and Matt Fletcher were both alumni of the Mississauga OHL franchise and went onto VHL careers. Peterborough Petes The Peterborough Petes are a highly decorated trophy franchise with a long history of talent and success. The alumnus of Peterborough into the pro ranks is a list longer than the years the franchise has been existence (which is well over 60 years). Larry Murphy, Steve Yzerman and Wayne Gretzky all played for the Peterborough Petes. However, Wayne only played three games but we just wanted a chance to put his name in this article. When it comes to VHL talent we have seen Titans all-star forward Ethan Osborne fine tune his skills in the OHL for a few years before making a big jump to our league. Over the course of our history we have seen many OHL alumni on the way through their careers. Some may remember Torsten Schwarz and Peter Payne both playing for the Petes early in their respective careers. Kingston Frontenacs Former NHL great Doug Gilmour runs the Frontenacs and that has guided them to producing some great talent. Over the years the Kingston franchise has helped the development of players like Erik Gudbranson, Kirk Muller and the NHL fan favorite Matt Cooke. Not only has the NHL benefitted from the progression of youngsters, but also so has the VHL. Current Cologne Express defenseman Greg Glass is a former Frontenac captain and defensive stalwart. More recently young VHL prospect Slaeter Fjorsstrom was slated to join the Frontenacs but never signed in Kingston at the end of it. VHL history has seen players such as Markus Lidstrom and Robert Zygadlo come from the Frontenacs and achieve success right here in our league. If you are interested in being in future "Breeding Ground" articles, make yourself known and post in our thread. We will be doing the QMJHL next week for all who wish to be mentioned. http://vhlsim.invisionzone.com/index.php?/topic/2115-junior-teams/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fire Tortorella 2,653 Posted December 9, 2013 Share Posted December 9, 2013 Content: 3/3 - A solid media spot detailing where some of the players from the OHL are today. I have no reason for it at all, but I've always picked the Petes as the OHL team I used in NHL whenever I did Be A Pro. Hopefully you do one of these on the USHL, since that's where Robin came from. Grammar: 2/2 - A couple. players juniors careers = players' juniors careers all riding stars. = all rising stars. onto VHL careers. = on to VHL careers. has been existence = has been in existence Appearance: 1/1 - Very nice. Overall: 6/6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eaglesfan036 4,585 Posted December 10, 2013 Share Posted December 10, 2013 Content: 3/3 - Once again interesting to see where the VHL and NHL talent comes from. While most NHL talent comes from Canada, I'll be curious to see if the U.S. starts producing more prospects as hockey becomes more popular. Grammar: 2/2 - Flyers got it all. Appearance: 1/1 - Looks good. Overall: 6/6 Final: 6/6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 29, 2013 Share Posted December 29, 2013 Claimed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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