OHL Alumni Central

Fresh off the other day’s article about OHL grads owning the penalty boxes of Great Britain’s Elite Ice Hockey League, we take a look at another European league where Ontario Hockey League alumni dominate the sin bin. Italy’s Lega Italiana Hockey su Ghiaccio is, talent-wise, on par with the EIHL. The OHL can lay claim to five of the top 20 positions in the PIM race, including the number 1 and 2 slots. However, three of the top eleven point producers are also grads of the OHL, including number 3 and 5. Two players find themselves in the top 20 in each category. The LIHG is just a few games away from completing their 40 game regular season schedule.

The Sin Bin:

Adam Henrich of Alleghe is tops in the league with 88 minutes in 35 games. Hardly the PIM per game pace of those in the EIHL. Henrich played four years with the Brampton Battalion from 2000-01 to 2003-04. He is in his second year in the LIHG and first with Alleghe.

Ryan Martinelli of Valpellice is tied for second with 80 PIM in 36 games. The lanky defenseman is in his second season with Valpellice and was a member of the London Knights from 2004-05 to 2006-07.

Sitting in eleventh is David Ling of Val Pusteria with 60 PIM in 30 games. This is Ling’s first year in Italy. He played for the Kingston Frontenacs for three seasons from 1992-93 to 1994-95. David has 93 games of NHL experience with the Montreal Canadiens and Columbus Blue Jackets.

In thirteenth is Jason Pitton of Asiago with 57 PIM in 28 games. Pitton played in the Ontario Hockey League fro 2002-03 to 2005-06 with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds and Guelph Storm. This is Jason’s first year in Italy after playing five years mixed between the ECHL and AHL.

Pitton’s teammate on Asiago, Drew Fata, is tied for the 20th spot with 48 PIM in 33 games. Drew is in his first season in Italy. He played in the OHL from 2000-01 to 2002-03 with the Toronto St. Michael’s Majors and Kingston Frontenacs.

The Producers:

David Ling and Adam Henrich both find themselves amongst the top 20 point producers, as well. Ling is tied for third with 55 points in his 30 games while Henrich comes in eleventh with 42 points in his 35 games.

Rob Hennigar is the only other OHL alumnus in the top 20. Hennigar is in fifth place with 47 points in 29 games with Cortina. Rob played four years with the Windsor Spitfires from 2000-01 to 2003-04.

Just on the outskirts of the top 20 sit two other OHL grads. In 21st is Dan Tudin, formerly of the Ottawa 67′s and just behind him is Michael Henrich, a former star with the Barrie Colts.

We give Italy’s Lega Italiana Hockey Ghiaccio Serie A1 a fair amount of attention here at OHL Alumni Central. With five Ontario Hockey League grads among the the top ten scorers as of Dec 9, 2010 and nineteen in the top one hundred, the attention is well deserved.

Here’s how our guys are doing in Italy. The number in front of their name refers to the position they sit at in the LIHG scoring race. Names that are hyperlinked will take you to a previous post at OHL Alumni Central featuring that player. (GP-G-A-PTS):

2. Luciano Aquino, Valpellice (16-12-21-33). Aquino played two seasons with the Brampton Battalion, 2004-05 and 2005-06.

3. Anthony Aquino, Valpellice (18-8-21-29). Anthony played one season with the Oshawa Generals in 2002-03.

4. Dan Tudin, Ritten/Renon (19-12-16-28). Dan played four seasons with the Ottawa 67′s from 1995-96 to 1998-99.

5. Ryan McDonough, Valpellice (18-14-11-25). Ryan played four seasons in the Ontario Hockey League from 2004-05 to 2007-08. His first season was with the Sudbury Wolves before becoming a Saginaw Spirit.

9. Michael Henrich, Asiago (18-10-12-22). Michael played four seasons with the Barrie Colts from 1996-97 to 1999-00.

18. Matt Kelly, Val Pusteria (19-6-14-20). Matt played four seasons with the Belleville Bulls from 2002-03 to 2005-06.

23. Marty Wilford, Fassa (17-3-16-19). Marty played three seasons with the Oshawa Generals from 1994-95 to 1996-97.

26. Kevin Baker, Ritten/Renon (18-7-11-18). Kevin played three seasons with the Belleville Bulls from 1997-98 to 1999-00.

30. Adam Henrich, Asiago (13-7-10-17). Adam played four seasons with the Brampton Battalion from 2000-01 to 2003-04.

33. John Vigilante, Asiago (17-7-9-16). John played four seasons with the Plymouth Whalers from 2002-03 to 2005-06.

43. Marco Insam, Bolzano (15-11-3-14). Marco played two seasons, 2008-09 and 2009-10, with the Niagara IceDogs.

46. Colin Chaulk, Alleghe (18-3-11-14). Colin played four seasons with the Kingston Frontenacs from 1994-95 to 1997-98.

47. Ryan Martinelli, Valpellice (18-2-12-14). Ryan played three seasons with the London Knights from 2004-05 to 2006-07.

52. Ralph Intranuovo, Asiago (14-6-6-12). Ralph played three seasons with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds from 1990-91 to 1992-93.

55. Nick Plastino, Asiago (18-2-10-12). Nick played four seasons with the Barrie Colts from 2003-04 to 2006-07.

56. Tyler Doig, Val Pusteria (8-1-11-12). Tyler played four seasons in the Ontario Hockey League from 2003-04 to 2006-07, split between the Barrie Colts, Guelph Storm and Belleville Bulls.

70. Gerome Giudice, Fassa (15-3-7-10). Gerome played four seasons with the Sudbury Wolves from 2005-06 to 2008-09.

84. John Parco, Asiago (8-3-3-6). John played three seasons with the Belleville Bulls from 1988-89 to 1990-91.

89. David Bowman, Alleghe (18-1-5-6). David played four seasons with the Windsor Spitfires from 2000-01 to 2003-04.

Check out the LIHG’s official website.

Michael with Wolfsburg of Germany's DEL.

It’s all in the family this upcoming season in Italy as Adam Henrich joins older

Adam with Wilkes-Barre Scranton of AHL.

 brother Michael on HC Asiago of Italy’s Lega Italiana Hockey Ghiaccio.

Michael Henrich played four seasons in the Ontario Hockey League from 1996-97 to 1999-00, all with the Barrie Colts. Henrich led the team in goals in his second season with 41, was second on the team to Daniel Tkaczuk in goals his third season and finished eleventh overall in the Ontario Hockey League for total points in his final season.

In his senior year, the Colts won the Robertson Cup as Ontario Hockey League playoff champion. Michael’s 28 points in 25 games during those playoffs was good enough for team lead.

Michael was drafted in the first round of the 1998 NHL draft by the Edmonton Oilers, 13th overall. He spent two full seasons with Edmonton’s American League affiliate, the Hamilton Bulldogs. It wasn’t until 2004-05, playing in Austria’s Second Tier that Henrich regained his goal scoring touch, netting 42 in just 34 games.

Between 2005-06 and 2007-08, Henrich spent three seasons in Germany playing in the DEL and the Bundesliga. He made the move to Italy for this past season and found great success. His 60 points in 39 regular season games with HC Asiago placed him first on the team. The 60 points placed him sixth in league scoring behind fellow Ontario Hockey League alumni, Luciano Aquino, Daniel Sisca and Dan Tudin. Michael added another 18 points in 15 playoff games for Asiago.

Adam Henrich spent four seasons in the Ontario Hockey League from 2000-01 to 2003-04, all with the Brampton Battalion. Although not quite as prolific, Adam shared his brother’s abilities around the net during his OHL career with 33, 31 and 29 goals seasons in his final three.

Adam was also drafted, going in the second round of the 2002 NHL draft to the Tampa Bay Lightning, 60th overall. Henrich has spent time on eight different teams over the past six seasons. Last season alone he appeared in games for four different teams: Springfield Falcons – AHL; Ontario Reign – ECHL, Cincinnati Cyclones – ECHL; Hamburg Freezers – DEL.

Adam has just signed with HC Asiago for the 2010-11 season and should feel quite at home in a league that is packed full of Ontario Hockey League grads.

Check out the article about Adam’s arrival with HC Asiago at the team’s official website. The article is in Italian so use Google Translate to cut and paste the article.