OHL Alumni Central

Ontario Hockey League grad Wes Goldie is closing in fast on ECHL history. Goldie started out the season second all-time for goals scored in the league. He is still in second, behind Rod Taylor, but has moved within 17 goals of overtaking Taylor for the all-time lead. Wes began the 2011-12 ECHL season with 335 goals while Taylor retired at 368. 34 games into the season, Goldie has increased his total by 17 for 352.

Considering Wes has scored between 40 and 50 goals in each of his past five seasons, a 34 goal season in 2011-12 is certainly achievable. Goldie’s ECHL high came in 2008-09 with the Victoria Salmon Kings when he recorded 48 goals. Last season with the Alaska Aces, he led the league with 46 goals. His career high came in 2004-05 while playing for Sorel-Tracy in Quebec’s LNAH with 57 goals in 59 games. Back in 1998-99, he scored 46 in the Ontario Hockey League with the Owen Sound Platers.

Goldie played four full seasons in the Ontario Hockey League with the Platers from 1996-97 to 1999-00. He appeared in two games with the London Knights in 1995-96. Undrafted, he played four years in the ECHL before a two year stint in the Quebec league. He returned to the ECHL for the 2006-07 season with Victoria. He played four years with the Salmon Kings and was captain for the final two seasons. Wes has been with the Alaska Aces since the start of the 2010-11 season.

This season, Goldie is tied for ninth in the ECHL with 36 points. He has also made strides up the ECHL all-time points list. He started the season in 17th place and is now just a handful of points away from cracking the top ten. He’s also a bit of an ironman, missing a few games this season for the first time since rejoining the league in 2006.

The Aces are ripping up the ECHL in 2011-12. The team currently has a 15 point lead in their division and have a 13 point cushion between them and the next best team in the league. Alaska is the reigning Kelly Cup champion and Wes Goldie is the reigning ECHL Most Valuable Player.

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Ontario Hockey League grad Steve Ward has played on nine different professional hockey teams in the four seasons since leaving the OHL after the 2006-07 season. Although last season was stable with the whole season played with the Charlotte Checkers of the ECHL, Steve has played for both the Alaska Aces of the ECHL and the Peoria Rivermen of the AHL this season.

Midway through his fourth season in professional hockey, Ward has played for nine different teams between the ECHL and AHL. During the 2008-09 season, Steve played for six different teams: Reading Royals – ECHL, Albany River Rats – AHL, San Antonio Rampage – AHL, Norfolk Admirals – AHL, Portland Pirates – AHL and Charlotte Checkers – ECHL.

Steve Ward played five seasons in the Ontario Hockey League from 2002-03 to 2006-07. His first two seasons were with the Sarnia Sting and his last three were as a member of the Plymouth Whalers. His work on the blue line in his final season in the OHL helped the Whalers to a Robertson Cup victory as the OHL’s playoff champion.

In 2008-09, Ward went to the ECHL All-Star game as a member of the Reading Royals.

Check out Steve Ward’s profile page on the Alaska Aces official website.

Check out these previous posts at OHL Alumni Central featuring teammates of Steve Ward on the 2006-07 Robertson Cup winning Plymouth Whalers:

Evan Brophey

Wes Cunningham

Read the new Bob Probert book? Buy it on-line from Chapters here :Tough Guy

Ontario Hockey League grad Gerald Coleman is on his tenth team in six seasons of professional hockey (eleven if a call-up to sit on the bench for the AHL’s Peoria Rivermen this season counts). His early season numbers with the East Coast Hockey League’s Alaska Aces are similar to those he put up with the London Knights when he was awarded two Dave Pinkney Trophies.

Coleman played three seasons in the Ontario Hockey League from 2002-03 to 2004-05, all with the London Knights. In 2003-04, he shared the Dave Pinkney Trophy for best team goals against average with Ryan McDonald. McDonald was traded to Guelph for Adam Dennis for the 2004-05 season. Coleman and Dennis shared the Pinkney that season. In 2003-04, Gerald had the league’s best save percentage. The following season he had the league’s best GAA.

Despite a 1.70 GAA and a .941 save percentage during 2004-05, it was Dennis who played all the playoff games in London’s run to their Robertson Cup victory followed by their Memorial Cup victory. (Click here to read a previous post on Adam Dennis at OHL Alumni Central).

Coleman was taken by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the seventh round of the 2003 NHL draft, 224th overall. In his rookie season, 2005-06, he played his only two NHL games with the Lightning. Since, he has played for nine other teams from all corners of the continent: Springfield Falcons – AHL, Johnstown Chiefs – ECHL, Portland Pirates – AHL, Augusta Lynx – ECHL, Phoenix Roadrunners – ECHL, Worcester Sharks – AHL, Trenton Devils – ECHL, Lowell Devils – AHL and the Aces.

During the 2008-09 season, Coleman was selected to the ECHL second team all-stars as a member of the Trenton Devils. His 2.38 GAA and .915 save percentage over 40 games was certainly worthy of the honour.

Check out Gerald Coleman’s profile page at the Alaska Aces official website.

Gerald also in mentioned in the following posts at OHL Alumni Central:

Members of the 2004-05 London Knights still active in pro hockey during the 2009-10 season.

List of London Knights Alumni still active in pro hockey during the 2009-10 season.

The OHL Alumni Big List.

The Victoria Salmon Kings loss is the Alaska Aces gain in the East Coast Hockey League. Wes Goldie played four seasons with the Salmon Kings and topped the 40-goal mark in each season, while not missing a single regular season game with the team. His top season with Victoria was 2008-09 when he netted 48 goals.

Wes Goldie played five seasons in the Ontario Hockey League from 1995-96 to 1999-00. His first season in the OHL consisted of just two games with the London Knights, a team that would win just three and tie just three that season to write the books on Canadian Hockey League futility. His final four seasons in the Ontario Hockey League were played with the Owen Sound Platers.

An interesting note about Goldie is that the two game stint with the London Knights is the only time in his career that his assists have outnumbered his goals. That season he had zero goals and one assist. Throughout his hockey career since that season with the Knights, Wes has netted 517 goals to date. His 289 ECHL goals place him eighth on the league’s all-time list.

Goldie’s most productive season came in 2004-05 in his first of two seasons with the Sorel-Tracy Mission of Quebec’s LNAH. Despite the fact the league has a reputation as a goon league, Wes accumulated just 14 penalty minutes while netting 57 goals in 59 games.

With the exception of those two seasons in Quebec and two games played in the AHL in 2003-04 with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, Wes has played his entire professional career in the East Coast Hockey League. He began his pro career with the Pee Dee / Florence Pride before his Quebec stint and has been with the Salmon Kings after Quebec and up until the end of the 2009-10 season.

Alaska is not only looking to Wes for his goal scoring ability, they are excited to have his leadership skills. Goldie has been the captain of the Victoria Salmon Kings since 2008.

Check out Wes Goldie’s profile page on the Alaska Aces official website.