OHL Alumni Central

The Graz 99ers of Austria’s Erste Bank Eishockey Liga have bolstered their blue line for 2011-12 with two Ontario Hockey League alumni. Cole Jarrett comes from Japan and Dustin VanBallegooie played the past three seasons in Denmark.

Cole Jarrett played four seasons in the Ontario Hockey League from 1999-00 to 2002-03, all with the Plymouth Whalers. He proved his offensive abilities in his final season with 55 points in 58 regular season games for the Whalers. Undrafted, he was picked up by the Bridgeport Sound Tigers of the American Hockey League and played seasons with the New York Islanders affiliate, appearing in one game with the NHL club in 2005-06.

2006-07 saw Cole jump the Atlantic to play in Germany’s Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL) with Eisbaren Berlin. Since, he was played in Finland, Sweden and Japan. He played for Graz two years ago before jumping to the Aisa League of Hockey last season, playing for Tohoku Free Blades. Tohoku was to play for the league championship when the devastating earthquake and tsunami hit. Tohoku was named co-champion with Jarrett leading the league in goals and points for defensemen.

Thought of highly in Graz, Jarrett starts the 2011-12 season as team captain. Graz finished sixth out of ten teams in 2010-11, one game over .500 and made a quick quarter-final exit. They’ll need the defensive help if they plan to take on Salzburg, champions 4 of the past 5 years, who have a tandem of London Knights in Danny Bois and Daniel Erlich.

Dustin VanBallegooie scored 23 goals from the point over four seasons in the Ontario Hockey League between 2000-01 and 2003-04. In his first season in Denmark, Dustin scored 17 to lead all defensemen. In fact, over his three years with Sonderjysk in Denmark, VanBallegooie led the league’s blueliners in goals each year.

Dustin started his Ontario Hockey League career with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds and played for the Oshawa Generals and Owen Sound Attack before finishing with the Toronto St. Michael’s Majors. Undrafted, VanBallegooie played three seasons in the East Coast Hockey League with the Fresno Falcons (with an 11 game call-up to the AHL’s Bridgeport Sound Tigers in 2006-07) before heading to Europe. Dustin played one season in Germany’s DEL with Duisburg before heading to Denmark.

Ontario Hockey League grad Pat Kavanagh is going from a team that didn’t make the playoffs last season and has only proceeded to the post season once since 2000-01 to a team that finished third and is a perennial contender.

Pat Kavanagh with the AHL's Manitoba Moose.

Kavanagh will spend 2011-12 with the Vienna Capitals of Austria’s Erste Bank Eishockey Liga (EBEL). The Peterborough Petes alumnus has spent the past four years in Germany’s Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL) with this past season in an Iserlohn Roosters jersey.

Pat played three years in the Ontario Hockey League from 1996-97 to 1998-99, all with the Peterborough Petes. Kavanagh was a second round pick of the Philadelphia Flyers in the 1997 NHL Entry Draft, 50th overall. He has 14 games of regular season NHL experience as well as three games in the Stanley Cup playoffs. He split his NHL time between the Vancouver Canucks and Philadelphia.

Kavanagh began his European odyssey in 2006-07, playing in both Finland and Sweden. From 2007-08 to 2010-11, Pat played in the DEL. His first and last seasons were with the Iserlohn Roosters and in between he played for the Frankfurt Lions and ERC Ingolstadt. In 2007-08, he played a major role in Iserlohn’s only venture into the post season.

This past season, Vienna finished third in the ten team EBEL during the regular season and lost in the semi-finals.

Medvescak Zagreb of Austria’s Erste Bank Eishockey Liga has said goodbye to two Ontario Hockey League grads, Jeff Heerema and Brad Smyth. Remaining captain Alan Letang and alternate captain John Hecimovic will be joined by three other OHL alumni for the 2011-12 season.

Zagreb, a city in Croatia, will enter it’s third season in the EBEL. The Austrian based elite league has truly become an international league with teams in Hungary, Croatia and Slovenia, as well as Austria. Zabreb finished each of it’s first two seasons in the EBEL in eighth place in the ten team league.

Michael Ouzas brings some great goaltending talent to ‘The Bears’. Ouzas played four seasons in the Ontario Hockey League from 2002-03 to 2005-06 with the Barrie Colts, Toronto St. Michael’s Majors, Mississauga IceDogs and Owen Sound Attack. In 2004-05, Ouzas was the OHL’s Goaltender of the Year with a 2.18 GAA and .926 save percentage in 44 games with the IceDogs.

Undrafted, Michael played two seasons with the University of New Brunswick before becoming a regular in the ECHL. This psat season, 2010-11, Ouzas started the ECHL All-Star game as a member of the Las Vegas Wranglers. He was a call-up for on game with the Houston Aeros of the American Hockey League.

Andy Delmore brings 283 games of NHL experience to Zagreb, despite the fact that he joins the team on a ‘try-out’ basis. Delmore played four seasons in the Ontario Hockey League from 1993-94 to 1996-97 with the North Bay Centennials and Sarnia Sting. He played NHL hockey with the Philadelphia Flyers, Nashville Predators, Buffalo Sabres and Columbus Blue Jackets.

Delmore’s highlight season came in 2005-06 with the Syracuse Crunch of the AHL. In 66 games, he scored 17 goals and totalled 72 points. He won the Eddie Shore Award as the league’s top defenseman while leading all blue liners in goals, assists and points. He played an additional seven games with the NHL’s Blue Jackets that season.

This year will not be Andy Delmore’s first European experience. He has played in Germany’s Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL) and played this past season in Norway’s Get-Ligaen.

The team captain of Medvescak Zagreb, Alan Letang, begins his fourth season in the EBEL and third with Zagreb. Letang played four seasons in the Ontario Hockey League from 1991-92 to 1994-95. After playing his rookie season with the Cornwall Royals, he followed the franchise as they morphed into the Newmarket Royals and then the Sarnia Sting. In his final season, he was a teammate of Andy Delmore.

A late pick of the Montreal Canadiens in the 1993 NHL Entry Draft, Letang appeared in 14 NHL games with the Dallas Stars, Calgary Flames and New York Islanders. Letang spent four years in Germany’s DEL before moving to the EBEL.

John Hecimovic enters his third season with Zagreb. He played five seasons in the Ontario Hockey League from 2000-01 to 2004-05. Hecimovic was a Sarnia Sting until midway through his final season when he was sent to the Mississauga IceDogs. John has been in Europe since 2007-08. He played two seasons with The Hague in the Netherlands before moving to the EBEL.

Tom Zanoski returns to his roots, having been born in Zagreb. Tom played four seasons in the Ontario Hockey League from 2001-02 to 2004-05, starting with the Owen Sound Attack and moving to the Mississauga IceDogs midway through his third season. Zanoski is surely looking for stability with Zagreb after playing for six different teams in 2009-10 and three teams in 2010-11.

Zagreb Medvescak has been in existence since 1961. Originally part of the Yugoslav Hockey League, the have played in the Croatian Ice Hockey League from 1991. They actually play in both the CIHL and EBEL at the same time. The team plays out of the 6400 seat Dom Sportova in Zagreb.

Rafael Rotter played three seasons in the Ontario Hockey League from 2005-06 to 2007-08, all with the Guelph Storm. Over his three OHL seasons, Rotter contributed 168 points in the regular season and 25 in the playoffs.

Twice, Rotter played for his native Austria at the IIHF Under-20 World Hockey Championships in B group play, winning a bronze and silver. Over the two tournaments, Rafael contributed 13 points in ten total games. In 2007, he led the tournament in assists and points.

Undrafted by an NHL club, Rotter returned to Austria to play for his hometown Vienna Capitals in Austria’s elite Erste Bank Eishockey Liga. Rafael will enter his fourth year with the club for the 2011-12 season. His first year in the EBEL actually came the year before he played for Guelph. Rotter played 44 games during the 2004-05 season with Red Bull Salzburg.

Rafael appeared on the international stage again this spring as a member of Austria’s team at the World Hockey Championships. The team did not fare well and Rotter contributed just a goal and assist in six games.

Rafael Rotter is under contract by the Vienna Capitals until the end of the 2012-13 season.

Check out Rafael Rotters profile page at the Vienna Capitals official website.

HK Acroni Jesenice of Austria’s Erste Bank Eishockey Liga has begun re-tooling for the 2011-12 season after a dismal 2010-11. Jesenice was six goals removed from being the lowest scoring team in the ten team league while finishing in last place overall. After picking up three Ontario Hockey League grads that have been known for their offensive abilities, goal scoring shouldn’t be a problem going into next season.

Yesterday, it was confirmed that Ontario Hockey League grads Dylan Hunter, Tyler Donati and Justin Donati will join the Slovenia based team. All three played in the North American minor leagues in 2010-11.

Dylan Hunter spent five years in the Ontario Hockey League from 2001-02 to 2005-06, all with the London Knights. In 2004-05, along with winning the Robertson Cup and Memorial Cup with the Knights, Hunter placed second in league scoring with 104 points during the regular season. In his final season, the point total increased to 117 but his position in the OHL dropped to fourth.

Dylan was taken by the Buffalo Sabres in the ninth round of the 2004 NHL Entry Draft, 273rd overall. He has since bounced around with several teams in the AHL and ECHL. This past season, Hunter played for the Cincinnati Cyclones of the ECHL and was an alternate captain. He finished out the year with the Milwaukee Admirals of the AHL.

Similar to the NHL’s Sedin twins, the Donati’s have taken turns over the past two seasons leading the ECHL in scoring. In 2009-10, it was Tyler leading the league with 114 points. This past season, it was Justin taking the title with 94.

Justin Donati played four seasons in the Ontario Hockey League split between the Oshawa Generals, Toronto St. Michael’s Majors and Sudbury Wolves. In 2005-06, Justin finished eight points and two positions in OHL scoring behind Dylan Hunter. This will be Justin’s second attempt at Europe, having played three games with Thurgau of Switzerland’s National League B at the start of the 2009-10 season.

In an Ontario Hockey League season when the show was stolen by Patrick Kane and John Tavares, Tyler Donati’s 2006-07 offensive totals were overshadowed. Donati finished fourth in points in the OHL with 129 on 54 goals and 75 assists with the Belleville Bulls. He added another 26 in 15 playoff games.

Tyler Donati played four seasons in the OHL, split between the Oshawa Generals, Toronto St. Michael’s Majors and Belleville Bulls. This past season, Tyler was limited to nine games with the AHL’s Connecticut Whale and 18 with the ECHL’s Elmira Jackals. Like brother Justin, Tyler played three games in with Thurgau in Switzerland at the start of the 2009-10 season.