OHL Alumni Central

Ontario Hockey League grad Brian Lee is continuing his European tour with a stop in Italy for the 2011-12 season. Lee has signed on with Vipiteno of Italy’s Lega Italiana Hockey Ghiaccio Serie A2.

Brian Lee played five seasons in the Ontario Hockey League from 2000-01 to 2004-05, all with the Erie Otters. In just his second season with the Otters, Brian helped the team from the blue line as the won the Robertson Cup with a 4-1 series victory over the Barrie Colts in the playoff finals.

After that run to a 2002 Memorial Cup appearance, the Anaheim Ducks took an interest in Brian and selected in the third round of the 2002 NHL Entry Draft, 71st overall.

After graduating from the OHL, Lee played three years in the North American pros, bouncing around from teams in the ECHL and AHL. His most stable season was 2007-08, his last in North America, when he played 72 games with the ECHL’s Stockton Thunder and contributed 34 points.

In 2008-09, it was off to Europe. Brian played for Briançon in France’s Ligue Magnus. The following year, Lee found himself playing for the Coventry Blaze in Great Britain’s Elite Ice Hockey League. Coventry was the EIHL champion in his first year. This past year with Coventy, Brian wore the A on his jersey.

Ontario Hockey League grad Peter Campbell led the Lega Italiana Hockey Ghiaccio Serie A2 in total goals for the second season in a row. 2010-11 was Campbell’s second season in the second division of the LIHG with Eppan-Appiano. He scored 41 goals and totalled 74 points in 32 league games, up from 33 and 72 in 31 over the 2009-10 season.

Campbell played four seasons in the Ontario Hockey League from 1996-97 to 1999-00 and really showed his goal scoring brilliance during the 1998-99 season with the Owen Sound Platers when he popped in 45. Peter’s 88 points with the Platers that season were topped only by the late Dan Snyder.

Peter began his OHL career with the Sudbury Wolves and played there for two seasons before moving to Owen Sound for one season. His final season in the league began with the Belleville Bulls but after just nine games, he was moved to the Erie Otters.

Undrafted by an NHL club, Campbell spend just two years in the North American professional leagues, most the Central Hockey League, before heading to Europe. Since, Peter has played in Great Britain, Germany, Denmark and Italy. With Ravensburg of Germany’s Oberliga (tier 3) in 2005-06, Peter scored 50 goals in 52 games and totalled 104 points.

Peter was an all-star in Great Britain’s Elite Ice Hockey League in 2007-08 while playing mostly with the Belfast Giants. With Belfast, he lead the team in goals with 34 and totalled 78 points in just 43 games with the Giants.

Campbell is slated for a return to Eppan-Appiano for the 2011-12 season.

Val Pusteria lost out to Asiago in the playoff finals in Italy’s Lega Italiana Hockey su Ghiaccio. However, it was a member of the losing team and an Ontario Hockey League grad selected as the LIHG’s 2011 Player of the Year.

Matt Kelly won the award while leading the team from the blueline. He netted nine and helped out on 24 others for 33 points in 34 regular season games. He continued at a point per game in the playoffs.

Kelly played four seasons in the Ontario Hockey League from 2002-03 to 2005-06, all with the Belleville Bulls. Undrafted, he played three seasons in the East Coast Hockey League with the Victoria Salmon Kings before heading to Italy.

Last season, 2009-10, Matt made a splash in his first season with Val Pusteria. Kelly led all LIHG defensemen in assists and points with 36 and 43.

As of now, Matt is unsigned for the 2011-12 season. Rumours in February had him going to Germany’s DEL but nothing came of it. It’s certain that Italy wants him back.

In 2008, he was one of PETA’s 16 finalists for the Sexiest Vegetarian Next Door contest. At 6’3″ and 245 lbs., Kingston Frontenacs grad Chris Allen is not exactly the image people think of when the word vegetarian is brought up and he is proof that meat is not a necessary part of a professional athlete’s diet.

Chris played four seasons in the Ontario Hockey League from 1994-95 to 1997-98, all with the Kingston Frontenacs. In his second season, he competed in the first ever CHL Top Prospects Game and scored the first goal (assisted by Daniel Briere) in what has become an annual tradition. In his final season with the Frontenacs, Allen was both a CHL and OHL First Team All-Star. His 38 goals and 94 points led the league’s defensemen and he was awarded the Max Kaminsky Trophy as the OHL’s top defenseman.

Allen was drafted by the Florida Panthers in the third round of the 1996 NHL Entry Draft, 60th overall. He played one game for the Florida Panthers in 1997-98 and 1998-99. The rest of his time in North America was spent bouncing around teams in the AHL, ECHL and UHL.

Chris has put his passport to good use since 2004-05. He has played in Finland, Norway, Denmark, Hungary, Korea, England and now Italy. After starting the season with Telford of Great Britain’s EIHL, he switched to Peterborough in the same league. He has now signed on with Merano of Italy’s Lega Italiana Hockey Ghiaccio Serie 2.

Chris Allen’s profile with Merano can be viewed by clicking his name on their roster page.

Check out this article on Chris Allen at the Animal Liberation Front website.

Brad Bonello's profile picture with Dortmund earlier this season.

In four Ontario Hockey League seasons, Brad Bonello went to the Robertson Cup finals twice. His first go was with the Erie Otters in his first OHL season, 2001-02. The Otters beat the Barrie Colts in five games to earn a trip to the Memorial Cup. In 2004-05, as a member of the Ottawa 67′s, Bonello once again appeared in the Robertson Cup finals, this time losing in five to the London Knights. The 67′s made the trip to the Memorial Cup anyway since London was the host. Unfortunately, Brad does not own a Memorial Cup ring.

Bonello played four seasons in the Ontario Hockey League from 2001-02 to 2004-05. He played two and a half with the Otters before being traded to the Peterborough Petes during the 2003-04 season. He played his full final year with Ottawa. In that final season with Ottawa, Brad finished with 66 points, tied for second on the team with Julian Talbot at only two points away from Mark Mancari for the team lead.

Undrafted, Brad spent the better part of four seasons in the North American minor pro leagues. In those four years, Bonello bounced around among ten different teams in four leagues before ending up the 2008-09 season in Great Britain’s Elite Ice Hockey League with the Edinburgh Capitals.

Bonello spent last season with just one team for the first time since his 2004-05 season with Ottawa. With HC Fassa of Italy’s Lega Italiana Hockey Ghiaccio, Brad played 34 games and contributed 27 points.

He began this season with Dortmund of Germany’s Oberliga but only played three games. A December 28th deal brought him back to the LIHG with Alleghe.

Check out the Alleghe official website.

Brad Bonello is joined on Alleghe by the following players (click on names to check out previous posts on these players at OHL Alumni Central):

David Bowman

Adam Dennis

Looking for a good hockey read? Check out the new book review page at OHL Alumni Central.