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.

Ontario Hockey League grad Danny Richmond is switching to the Washington Capitals system for the 2011-12 season. The London Knights alumnus spent 2010-11 with the Toronto Marlies, the AHL affiliate of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Richmond has signed with the Hershey Bears of the AHL for one season.

Danny played just one season in the Ontario Hockey League, 2003-04, as yet another American born player snagged by the Hunter Brothers in London. With the Knights, Richmond scored 13 and totalled 35 points in 59 games from the blue line.

Richmond played for Team USA at the 2004 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championships. He contributed four assists in six games as the United States won their first gold medal ever in the tournament. The U.S., undefeated up to the final, met Canada, also undefeated, in Helsinki, Finland. The States edged out Canada 4-3 for the gold.

Before Richmond came to the Knights, he was already a prospect of the Carolina Hurricanes. Danny was taken by the Canes in the second round of the 2003 NHL Entry Draft, 31st overall. In his second year of pro hockey, Richmond got into 10 games with Carolina and 10 more with the Chicago Black Hawks. He would see 22 games with Chicago in 2006-07 and seven the following year.

Richmond has spent most of his pro career in the AHL, playing 433 games with six different teams as of the end of the 2010-11 season.

Justin Hodgman of the Fort Wayne Komets accepts the trophy for IHL playoff MVP.

Ontario Hockey League grad Justin Hodgman’s streak of three playoff championships in a row may come to an end. Despite playing just twenty regular season games with the Fort Wayne Komets of the IHL over the past three seasons, Hodgman played a huge role in the team winning the past three Turner Cups. Not only did Justin play an important part of the Komets victories, he was named IHL playoff MVP in his first and second seasons with the team.

Justin Hodgman played four seasons in the Ontario Hockey League from 2005-06 to 2008-09, all with the Erie Otters. His best season in the OHL came in 2007-08 when he popped 37 goals and totalled 80 points in 64 games, leading the team in goals, assists and points. In 2008-09, Justin tied with Ryan O’Reilly for the team lead in points with 66. 

Undrafted, Justin spent the 2009-10 season, his first full season in professional hockey, in three different leagues. He split the year fairly even between the Toledo Walleye of the ECHL and the Toronto Marlies of the AHL. Of course, he ended the season with the Komets, just in time for the IHL playoffs.

This season, Hodgman has worn nothing but a Marlies jersey. He’s contributed 21 points in 41 games on a team that has a major uphill battle ahead if Justin is to have any chance of winning a championship. However, if he’s sent down to Toronto’s ECHL affiliate, the Reading Royals, the fourth championship in a row will surely be possible. Reading is currently sitting atop the ECHL standings.

You can find Justin Hodgman’s profile at the Toronto Marlies official website.

Bryan Helmer wrote his name into more American Hockey League history last week as he made his return to the league with the Oklahoma City Barons. Helmer eclipsed fellow Ontario Hockey League grad John Slaney’s  AHL record for the most career points by a defenseman. Slaney’s mark had stood at 519 points.

Bryan Helmer was not very well known around Ontario Hockey League rinks. Helmer played just six games with the Belleville Bulls during the 1989-90 season. For the most part, his junior hockey career was played with the Wellington Dukes of the OJHL. Yet, at the age of 40, Helmer has put in a very admirable hockey career.

Bryan already owned the all-time AHL mark for most assists and games by a defenseman. Helmer is seventh all-time among all players for total games played. He also owns the AHL record for most playoff games in a career. The past three seasons, he’s captained his club. In 2007-08, it was the San Antonio Rampage. The past two seasons, Helmer was the captain of the Calder Cup champions, the Hershey Bears. The Calder Cup victories with Hershey were his second and third after winning one with the Albany River Rats in 1994-95.

Despite playing at a lower level of junior hockey and not being drafted to a NHL club, Helmer has managed 146 games in the NHL as recent as this past season, 2009-10, with the Washington Capitals. He appeared in 12 games with the Caps. He has also played for the Phoenix Coyotes, St. Louis Blues and Vancouver Canucks.

After just six games with the Barons after signing on over Christmas, Helmer has ten points. It would seem there’s a lot of life in this quality d-man yet. Bryan should serve as inspiration to all young (and not so young) hockey players. He’s definitely proof that persistance is king.

Check out Bryan Helmer’s profile page at the Oklahoma City Barons official website.

Pat Maroon was lured away from the U.S.A.’s NAHL for the 2007-08 season by the ever-persuasive Hunter brothers. Maroon played just one season in the Ontario Hockey League with the London Knights and led the league’s first year players in assists (55) and points (90). He led the team in scoring that season, nearly 30 points better than the next player down the list.

Recently, Maroon was traded from the Adirondack Phantoms to the Syracuse Crunch in the American Hockey League for another player developed by the Hunters, Danny Syvret. Maroon and Syvret had previously been teammates with the Phantoms during the 2008-09 season and the start of the 2009-10 season before Syvret was moved to Syracuse.

Pat was already property of the Philadelphia Flyers before playing a game in the Ontario Hockey League. He was taken in the sixth round of the 2007 draft, 161st overall. He has played with the Flyers AHL affiliate since graduating. In his rookie season with the Phantoms, Maroon was sixth in points in the league among rookies.

Maroon had a great start to the 2010-11 season with Adirondack and was providing the team with offense that they still desperately need. However, he was released from the team after nine games after a disagreement with the club and can finally now resume his season with the Crunch. He is joined in Syracuse by another former London Knight, Leigh Salters.

The Crunch have yet to post Pat Maroon’s profile on their official site. You can still check out his profile on the AHL official website.

Danny Syvret appears in this previous post at OHL Alumni Central.