OHL Alumni Central

The Ontario Hockey League’s Kingston Frontenacs have been around at the major junior level since the 1973-74 OMJHL season. They began as the Canadians, changed to the Raiders for a season and have been called the Frontenacs since 1989-90.

The furthest Kingston has made it in the Robertson Cup playoffs is the semi-finals. The team has never played in the finals for the OHL championship. The Frontenacs have just one division title to speak of, in 1994-95 when they led the Eastern Division. This season, 2011-12, Kingston has found themselves in a position where it would take a miracle to qualify for the post-season. Currently in last place, 14 points behind the next team, it’s a long uphill battle.

Yet, despite the numbers, Kingston can produce professional hockey players with currently 90 alumni still playing around Planet Hockey in 2011-12. To be put on this list, a player needs to play just one game with the Frontenacs. More than a lot of teams, there are a number of players on the list that did just play a handful of games with the team. Amazingly, 25 players that have appeared with Kingston are now taking advantage of the CHL’s great scholarship program and are playing for various teams throughout the CIS.

Frontenacs alumni are playing in 23 different leagues in 14 different countries. Eight players are currently in the National Hockey League. Three well-known players from the early 1990′s are still rolling along: David Ling, Tyler Moss and Craig Rivet.

Information below is current as of January 10, 2012.

Well over halfway into the 54 game Erste Bank Eishockey Liga schedule, Ontario Hockey League grad John Hughes is atop the Austrian league’s scoring race. Hughes has a slim lead with 49 points as a member of Olimpija Ljubljana. Last season, he was fifth in points while leading the league in assists.

John Hughes with Olimpija Ljubljana.

John played in the Ontario Hockey League for four seasons from 2004-05 to 2007-08. He was the first overall pick by the Belleville Bulls at the 2004 OHL Priority Selection. He played with Belleville until a trade sent him to the Brampton Battalion during the 2006-07 season. Hughes finished his OHL career with 283 points in 256 regular season games.

Undrafted, Hughes made his way to Europe immediately upon leaving the OHL. This is John’s second season with Ljubljana. He has also played for teams in Finland in Germany. The team is sitting in fifth place in the eleven team EBEL in what well could be Ljubljana’s best showing in the Austrian elite league.

Joining John Hughes on Olimpija Ljubljana are two defenseman that also played their junior hockey in the Ontario Hockey League. Jamie Fraser played four seasons in the OHL from 2002-03 to 2005-06. His first two years were spent with the Brampton Battalion and his final two were with the Sarnia Sting. Undrafted, Fraser spent five years from 2006-07 to 2010-11 in the North American minors, mostly in the American Hockey League. He did get to play one NHL regular season game in 2008-09 with the New York Islanders. 2011-12 marks Fraser’s first year playing in Europe.

Scott Hotham is in his second year playing in Europe after playing for Lillehammer in Norway’s Get-Ligaen in 2010-11. Hotham played four years in the Ontario Hockey League from 2001-02 to 2004-05 with the North Bay Centennials, Saginaw Spirit, Mississauga IceDogs and Barrie Colts. Scott followed up his junior career with four years with St. Mary’s of the CIS. In his first year of pro hockey, 2009-10, he split his season with the Florida Everblades of the ECHL and the Rochester Americans of the AHL. Scott’s brother and father also are graduates of the Ontario Hockey League.

Five members of the London Knights coaching staff and front office began their playing careers in the OHL and have come back to give back to the league that developed them. Three of the five played their Ontario Hockey League (OHA, OMJHL, OHL – it’s all the same…) careers with London.

Dale Hunter has left his post as the head coach of the London Knights for the same position with the National Hockey League’s Washington Capitals. However, he remains president and co-owner of the Knights. Hunter played in the OHL for three seasons from 1977-78 to 1979-80. He played his first season with the Kitchener Rangers and the following two with the Sudbury Wolves. In his second season, he totaled 110 points in 59 games with the Wolves.

Dale was a second round pick of the Quebec Nordiques at the 1979 NHL Entry Draft, 41st overall. From 1980-81 to 1998-99, Hunter played 1,409 regular season NHL games with the Nordiques, Washington Capitals and Colorado Avalanche. He was captain of the Capitals from 1994-95 to 1998-99 and his number 32 is one of just four Washington Capitals retired numbers. Hunter was head coach of the Knights from 2001-02 until the fall of 2011 when he replaced Bruce Boudreau behind the Capitals bench.

Mark Hunter is general manager, vice-president, co-owner and, now, head coach of the London Knights. Mark played two seasons in the Ontario Hockey League, 1979-80 and 1980-81, with the Brantford Alexanders. In 119 OHL regular season games, Hunter totaled 168 points. He was selected seventh overall at the 1981 NHL Entry Draft by the Montreal Canadiens. Mark has been general manager of the Knights since 2000-01.

Mark played 628 regular season NHL games from 1981-82 to 1992-93 with the Canadiens, St. Louis Blues, Calgary Flames, Hartford Whalers and Washington Capitals. In 1985-86, Hunter scored 44 goals with the St. Louis Blues. He was part of the 1988-89 Calgary Flames Stanley Cup winning team.

Basil McRae co-owns the Knights with the Hunter Brothers. McRae played three seasons with the Knights from 1978-79 to 1980-81. Basil was a fifth round pick of the Quebec Nordiques at the 1980 NHL Entry Draft, 87th overall. He played in 576 NHL regular season games from 1981-82 to 1992-93 with the Nordiques, Toronto Maple Leafs, Detroit Red Wings, Minnesota North Stars, Tampa Bay Lightning, St. Louis Blues and Chicago Blackhawks.

Basil sits 24th all-time in career penalty minutes in the NHL. He sat out 2,457 minutes over his career. In 1989-90, with the Minnesota North Stars, McRae led the NHL in penalty minutes with 351.

Dylan Hunter, son of Dale, played five seasons with London from 2001-02 to 2005-06 and was team captain in his final two seasons. In 315 Ontario Hockey League games, Hunter contributed 369 points. He was a major factor in the Knights becoming Memorial Cup champions in 2004-05.

Dylan was taken by the Buffalo Sabres in the ninth round of the 2004 NHL Entry Draft, 273rd overall. He spent five years splitting time between the AHL and ECHL. He last played in 2010-11 with the Cincinnati Cyclones of the ECHL and the Milwaukee Admirals of the AHL. This is his first year behind the bench.

Rob Ramage starred with the Knights for three seasons from 1975-76 to 1977-78, co-winning the Max Kaminsky Trophy with Brad Marsh in his final season. After a year in the World Hockey Association with the Birmingham Bulls in 1978-79, Ramage was taken first overall in the 1979 NHL Entry Draft by the Colorado Rockies.

Ramage played 1,044 regular season NHL games from 1979-80 to 1993-94 with the Rockies, St. Louis Blues, Calgary Flames, Toronto Maple Leafs, Minnesota North Stars, Tampa Bay Lightning, Montreal Canadiens and Philadelphia Flyers. He won the Stanley Cup twice, in 1988-89 with the Calgary Flames and 1992-93 with the Montreal Canadiens. Rob is in his first season as assistant coach.

The 2007-08 Kitchener Rangers finished atop the Ontario Hockey League during the regular season with 110 points, earning them the Hamilton Spectator Trophy. The Rangers finished 28 points ahead of Midwest Division rival, the London Knights. The Rangers bulldozed the Plymouth Whalers, Sarnia Sting and Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, losing just one game to the Hounds, enroute to a Robertson Cup showdown with the Belleville Bulls. The Bulls took the Rangers to seven games but Kitchener came out victorious.

Justin Azevedo was awarded the Eddie Powers Trophy as the OHL’s top scorer with 124 points on 43 goals and 81 assists in 67 games. Azevedo was also awarded the Red Tilson Trophy as the most outstanding player in the Ontario Hockey League. Other major award winners included goaltender Josh Unice winning the Dinty Moore Trophy and Nick Spaling winning the William Hanley Trophy.

Kitchener hosted the Memorial Cup and, despite finishing the round robin with one win and two losses, the Rangers made it to the final game against the Spokane Chiefs of the WHL. Spokane won the game 4-1 to become Memorial Cup champions. Belleville finished the round robin with two wins and loss but Kitchener had their way with the Bulls in the semi-final game, winning 9-0. The Gatineau Olympiques were the representative from the QMJHL. The infamous dropping of the Memorial Cup incident occurred when the Chiefs were receiving the trophy after beating the Rangers.

Of the players that played at least one game with the Rangers during the 2007-08 season, including those that were traded away before the playoffs, 26 are still actively playing in 2011-12. A remarkable seven each are in the NHL and AHL. Eight are taking advantage of the CHL scholarship program and are playing for teams in the CIS. Two are in the ECHL, one is in Switzerland and one is still a member of the Kitchener Rangers. Coach Peter DeBoer is now the head coach of the NHL’s New Jersey Devils.

Here’s where the 26 are playing (as of Jan. 7, 12):

The other day, I was so proud of the article I published at Factoidz.com about the six OHL players to assist on 100 or more goals in a single season. I’d done my research, compared the OHL’s 100 assist men to the three in the NHL (and one from the WHA), and thought I had a real winner. Then…

The following day, I was researching some OHL numbers for another article about the three Niagara Falls Thunder players that won the Eddie Powers Trophy during the franchise’s eight year stay in Niagara. Suddenly, a was stricken by a horrible feeling when I started to notice that I’d missed a few 100 assist men. It turns out, the count is thirteen and not six!

Now, Factoidz, and other article sites like InfoBarrel or Hubpages, are full of low-quality crap. I use them primarily to create links to this site, and others, and secondarily to make a dime (literally). Even so, I try to be 100% factually correct and bring a little class to these sites. So – needless to say, I was pretty embarrassed.

Follow this link to the original article: 6 OHL Players to Total 100 or More Assists in a Single Season. Go there and abuse me in the comments for being so blatantly wrong! At least I’ll make $.0001 cents for you viewing the article…

Here’s the full list of 100 assist OHL seasons: