OHL Alumni Central

I had absolutely no plans to write an article dedicated to Remembrance Day. But then… I was reseaching AHL rookie of year winners through the years and wondered just who this guy was that the league’s top rookie trophy was named after. Dudley ‘Red’ Garrett played just one season of professional hockey in 1942-43 before joining the armed forces.

Dudley 'Red' Garrett of the New York Rangers.

I found that OHA stats and general info from that era are pretty scarce. However, Garrett was from Toronto and played for the Marlboros during the 1941-42 season. It is written that he led the OHA in penalty minutes that season with 61 in 18 games. He was property of the Toronto Maple Leafs but was traded to the New York Rangers prior to the 1942-43 season for star and Hall of Famer, Babe Pratt.

In 1942-43 at the young age of 18, Dudley played six games with the American Hockey League’s Providence Reds and 23 with the Rangers. The strong defenseman was in the running for the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s top rookie that season. Before the season was over, Red was off to war.

On November 25, 1944 at the age of 20, Garrett paid the ultimate price and lost his life off the coast of Newfoundland. Not much more than eight months later, the Americans bombed Hiroshima. About a month after that, World War II was over. Three years later, for the 1947-48 season, the Dudley ‘Red’ Garrett Memorial Award was first handed out. The first recipient was Bob Solinger of the Cleveland Barons and the second was Hockey Hall of Fame goaltender, Terry Sawchuk.

In Garrett’s only NHL season, it was the first year of the ‘Original 6′ era. The Brooklyn Americans folded after the 1941-42 season, leaving the league with the six teams that would comprise the NHL until 1967-68. Each team played 50 regular season games and the Rangers finished last with just eleven wins and 30 points. Detroit finished first overall and won the Stanley Cup over the Boston Bruins. 1942-43 was also the debut of Maurice ‘Rocket’ Richard and Ted Kennedy. Garrett played more than both as Richard appeared in 16 games with the Montreal Canadiens and Kennedy played just two with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

So… on Remembrance Day, be thankful that kids like Dudley ‘Red’ Garrett went off to war to fight for our freedom so that kids like

Dudley 'Red' Garrett Memorial Award.

Taylor Hall and Tyler Seguin can concentrate on playing hockey.

The Peoria Rivermen are off to a mediocre start to the American Hockey League season, sitting at a game below .500. The St. Louis Blues affiliate features seven Ontario Hockey League grads on the roster for the start of the 2011-12 season. One of the coaching staff is also a former OHLer.

There are some great Peoria Rivermen hockey cards on eBay, right now!

Phil McRae played four years in the Ontario Hockey League from 2006-07 to 2009-10. He played most of his OHL career with the London Knights before moving over to the Plymouth Whalers to finish off his final season. McRae was a second round pick of the Blues at the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, 33rd overall. Phil appeared in 15 games with St. Louis in 2010-11 and is in his second season with Peoria.

Jonathan Cheechoo played three years in the OHL from 1997-98 to 1999-00, all with the Belleville Bulls. Cheechoo was a second round pick of the San Jose Sharks in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft, 29th overall. He had six full seasons with the Sharks, including 2005-06 when his 56 goals led the league and earned him the Rocket Richard Trophy. After playing a partial season with the Ottawa Senators in 2009-10, he spent the 2010-11 season in the AHL with the Worcester Sharks. This is his first season with the Rivermen.

Mark Cundari played for the Windsor Spitfires from 2006-07 to 2009-10 and was an integral part of the team’s back to back Memorial Cup victories in 2008-09 and 2009-10. Undrafted, Mark was picked up as a free agent by the Blues and is starting his second season with Peoria.

Stefan Della Rovere played for the Barrie Colts for four seasons from 2006-07 to 2009-10, acting as team captain in his final two. Della Rovere led the Colts into the Robertson Cup finals in his final season where the team lost to current teammate Mark Cundari and the Windsor Spitfires. Stefan was a seventh round pick of the Washington Capitals at the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, 204th overall. In 2010-11, Della Rovere got into seven games with St. Louis but spent most of his time in Peoria.

Anthony Peluso played in the Ontario Hockey League for four seasons from 2005-06 to 2008-09 with the Erie Otters, Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds and Brampton Battalion. Peluso was a sixth round pick of the St. Louis Blues at the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, 160th overall. This season marks Peluso’s third with the Rivermen.

Anthony Nigro played in the OHL for four seasons from 2006-07 to 2009-10 with the Guelph Storm and Ottawa 67′s. Nigro was drafted by the Blues in the sixth round of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, 155th overall. This is Anthony’s second season with Peoria.

Danny Syvret played three full seasons with the London Knights from 2002-03 to 2004-05. He was a third round pick of the Edmonton Oilers at the 2005 NHL Entry Draft, 81st overall. Danny has made it into 59 NHL games to date with the Oilers, Philadelphia Flyers and Anaheim Ducks. This is Syvret’s first season with the Rivermen.

Assistant Coach of the Rivermen, Drake Berehowsky, played for the Kingston Frontenacs and North Bay Centennials between 1988-89 and 1991-92.

The Manchester Monarchs have him listed at 5’7″ and 175 lbs. Justin Azevedo is proof that size isn’t everything. This past season with the Monarchs, the Ontario Hockey League grad had his most productive season yet in pro hockey with 18 goals and 53 points in 79 games. He added ten points over seven playoff games.

Azevedo played four seasons in the Ontario Hockey League from 2004-05 to 2007-08, all with the Kitchener Rangers. He broke out big time in his final year in the OHL, leading the league in assists and points, earning him the Eddie Powers Trophy. His 124 points was also tops in the entire CHL.

Here’s a list of Justin’s achievements during his final season in the Ontario Hockey League:

• Eddie Powers Trophy
• Red Tilson Trophy – OHL MVP
• Wayne Gretzky 99 Award – Robertson Cup playoffs MVP
• Ed Chynoweth Award – Most points in the Memorial Cup tournament
• CHL Player of the Year
• Memorial Cup All-Star
• CHL First Team All-Star
• OHL First Team All-Star
• Robertson Cup as OHL Playoff Champions (Kitchener Rangers)
• Most points and assists in the Robertson Cup playoffs

The Rangers, despite winning just one game in the round-robin of the Memorial Cup, ended up in the finals against the WHL’s Spokane Chiefs but lost 4-1.

Despite all these accolades, it took until the sixth round of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft before the Los Angeles Kings picked Azevedo, 153rd overall. He’s been a fixture on their American Hockey League affiliate in Manchester ever since.

Now a full season removed from leading the Ontario Hockey League in goals during the regular season, Bryan Cameron returns for his second season with the Abbotsford Heat of the American Hockey League. Cameron played 60 games with the Calgary Flames affiliate this past season, along with seven for the Victoria Salmon Kings of the ECHL.

Bryan played five seasons in the Ontario Hockey League from 2005-06 to 2009-10. He was a member of the Belleville Bulls until his final season when the Barrie Colts picked them up in anticipation of a long playoff run.

Over his five years, Cameron played in 76 playoff games. Compare that number to Ryan Ellis of the Windsor Spitfires who has played in 62 and Dylan Hunter of the London Knights who played in 72. Starting from his second year in Belleville, Cameron played on teams that at least made it to the Conference Finals. The 2006-07 Bulls fell to the Sudbury Wolves in the Eastern Conference Finals; The 2007-08 Bulls lost in the Robertson Cup finals to the Kitchener Rangers; The 2008-09 Bulls bowed out to the Brampton Battalion in the Conference finals and the Hamilton Spectator winning 2009-10 Barrie Colts went down in the finals to the Windsor Spitfires.

In 2008-09, Cameron won the Jim Mahon Trophy as the league’s top scoring right winger. His 37 goals and 44 assists for 81 points are the lowest totals of any Jim Mahon Trophy winner. Bryan led the OHL with 53 goals in 2009-10 and was awarded the Leo Lalonde Trophy as overage player of the year. In his final two seasons in the OHL, Cameron was selected as a First Team All-Star.

Bryan was taken by the Los Angeles Kings in the third round of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, 82nd overall. He was later signed as a free-agent by the Calgary Flames and began his professional hockey career in the Flames organization.

It was a bit of a ‘six degrees of Bryan Cameron’ situation in Abbotsford for the 2010-11 season. Playing for the Heat were Greg Nemisz who played for Windsor against Cameron at the 2010 Robertson Cup finals, T.J. Brodie who played with Bryan for the Barrie Colts in 2009-10 and Matt Pelech who played with Bryan on the Belleville Bulls for the 2006-07 season. Other Ontario Hockey League grads on the Heat included John Armstrong (Plymouth Whalers, Peterborough Petes) and Chris Breen (Saginaw Spirit, Erie Otters, Peterborough Petes).

His six goals in 60 games with Abbotsford in his AHL rookie season, suggest a different role for the OHL sniper. Time will tell if his goal scoring abilities will once again reveal themselves or if he’s destined for a the role of the energy man / checker.

Mike Duco played five seasons in the Ontario Hockey League from 2003-04 to 2007-08, although he played just five games in 2003-04. Duco played his entire OHL career with the Kitchener Rangers and ended his time in junior with a Robertson Cup as OHL playoff champions and a trip to the Memorial Cup.

The 2007-08 Kitchener Rangers hosted the 2008 Memorial Cup and made it to the final game. Unfortunately, the Spokane Chiefs won the final, 4-1. The tournament capped a fine season for Mike, scoring 32 goals during the regular season and totalling 22 points in 20 playoff games.

Duco went undrafted by an NHL club but signed with the Rochester Americans of the American Hockey League. Despite a ten game stint with the NHL’s Florida Panthers in 2009-10 and two games in 2010-11, Mike has spent all his pro career with Rochester.

2011-12 will bring a change in scenery for Duco. Mike has become property of the Vancouver Canucks and will most likely play the upcoming season with their brand new AHL affiliate, the Chicago Wolves. Prior to the upcoming season, the Manitoba Moose had been the AHL affiliate for the Canucks but with the rebirth of NHL hockey in Winnipeg, things have changed.