OHL Alumni Central

Now a full season removed from leading the Ontario Hockey League in goals during the regular season, Bryan Cameron returns for his second season with the Abbotsford Heat of the American Hockey League. Cameron played 60 games with the Calgary Flames affiliate this past season, along with seven for the Victoria Salmon Kings of the ECHL.

Bryan played five seasons in the Ontario Hockey League from 2005-06 to 2009-10. He was a member of the Belleville Bulls until his final season when the Barrie Colts picked them up in anticipation of a long playoff run.

Over his five years, Cameron played in 76 playoff games. Compare that number to Ryan Ellis of the Windsor Spitfires who has played in 62 and Dylan Hunter of the London Knights who played in 72. Starting from his second year in Belleville, Cameron played on teams that at least made it to the Conference Finals. The 2006-07 Bulls fell to the Sudbury Wolves in the Eastern Conference Finals; The 2007-08 Bulls lost in the Robertson Cup finals to the Kitchener Rangers; The 2008-09 Bulls bowed out to the Brampton Battalion in the Conference finals and the Hamilton Spectator winning 2009-10 Barrie Colts went down in the finals to the Windsor Spitfires.

In 2008-09, Cameron won the Jim Mahon Trophy as the league’s top scoring right winger. His 37 goals and 44 assists for 81 points are the lowest totals of any Jim Mahon Trophy winner. Bryan led the OHL with 53 goals in 2009-10 and was awarded the Leo Lalonde Trophy as overage player of the year. In his final two seasons in the OHL, Cameron was selected as a First Team All-Star.

Bryan was taken by the Los Angeles Kings in the third round of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, 82nd overall. He was later signed as a free-agent by the Calgary Flames and began his professional hockey career in the Flames organization.

It was a bit of a ‘six degrees of Bryan Cameron’ situation in Abbotsford for the 2010-11 season. Playing for the Heat were Greg Nemisz who played for Windsor against Cameron at the 2010 Robertson Cup finals, T.J. Brodie who played with Bryan for the Barrie Colts in 2009-10 and Matt Pelech who played with Bryan on the Belleville Bulls for the 2006-07 season. Other Ontario Hockey League grads on the Heat included John Armstrong (Plymouth Whalers, Peterborough Petes) and Chris Breen (Saginaw Spirit, Erie Otters, Peterborough Petes).

His six goals in 60 games with Abbotsford in his AHL rookie season, suggest a different role for the OHL sniper. Time will tell if his goal scoring abilities will once again reveal themselves or if he’s destined for a the role of the energy man / checker.

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Kevin Mitchell finds himself in a familiar position among the defensemen of Austria’s Erste Bank Eishockey Liga. As a member of Villacher SV, Mitchell is currently in eleventh overall in scoring for defensemen, a position he’s occupied for the two previous seasons. This past season, 2009-10, he was tied for the eleventh spot with another Ontario Hockey League alumnus, Alan Letang (see previous post on Alan).

Mitchell spent four seasons in the Ontario Hockey League from 1997-98 to 2000-01. His first three seasons were spent with the Guelph Storm and his final season was played in an Oshawa Generals uniform. In his first season with Guelph, the team won the Robertson Cup as OHL playoff champions then lost in overtime in the Memorial Cup Final.

The high scoring defenseman tied for the lead in points for Guelph in 1998-99 with Joe Gerbe (see previous post on Joe) at 78 points. His 26 goals that season were the most by any Ontario Hockey League defenseman. The following season, he topped Gerbe for the team lead with 77 points. He led all OHL defensemen in assists (58) and points (77). In both those seasons, Mitchell was an OHL Second Team All-Star.

Kevin was drafted in the ninth round of the 1998 NHL Entry Draft but the Calgary Flames, 234th overall. Mitchell never played a game in the NHL but played for several teams in the AHL and ECHL before switching to Europe. In 2001-02, he was chosen to the ECHL’s All-Rookie Team as a member of the Louisiana IceGators.

His journeys in Europe began during the NHL lock-out season of 2004-05 as a member of the Iserlohn Roosters of Germany’s Deutsche Eishockey Liga. His 37 points in 50 games were good for second on the team.

Mitchell has since played in Austria, Switzerland, Slovenia and the Czech Republic. At the 2008 EBEL All-Star Game, Kevin won the fastest slap shot competition. This past season, 2009-10, he was captain of Olimpija Ljubljana of the EBEL but was loaned to HC Pardubice of the Czech Republic’s Extraliga for their playoff run that resulted in a championship victory.

Check out Kevin Mitchell’s profile page at the Villacher SV official website.

Kevin also appears in this previous post at OHL Alumni Central featuring the members of the 1997-98 Robertson Cup winning Guelph Storm team that were still active in pro hockey during the 2009-10 season.

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Daniel Tkaczuk played four seasons in the Ontario Hockey League from 1995-96 to 1998-99, all with the Barrie Colts. Tkaczuk was captain of the Colts in his final three seasons. Over his four seasons in Barrie, Daniel accumulated 334 regular season points, including 105 in his final season which was good enough for sixth in the league.

Three times over his junior career, Tkaczuk represented Canada on the international hockey scene, once as an under-18 and twice as an under-20. In the 1999 World Junior Hockey Championship, Daniel was one point off the tournament lead in points with ten as Canada finished with the silver medal on home turf.

Tkaczuk was taken in the first round of the 1997 NHL draft by the Calgary Flames, sixth overall. In 2000-01, Daniel appeared in 19 games with the Flames, his only NHL games to date.

After four years of mostly American Hockey League action it was off to Europe for Daniel. Since 2003-04, Tkaczuk has played in Finland’s SM-Liiga, Italy’s Lega Italiana Hockey Ghiaccio (LIHG), Germany’s Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL) and now Austria’s Nationalliga (tier 2). He played for the league champion, Milano, in his two seasons in Italy.

This past season, 2009-10, Daniel made a return to North American hockey, playing mostly for the Charlotte Checkers of the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL). In 46 games with the Checkers, Tkaczuk contributed 45 points. He also made appearances with the Syracuse Crunch, Rochester Americans and Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League.

Tkaczuk has signed on with EC Dornbirn Bulldogs of the Austrian Nationalliga for the 2010-11 season. The Nationalliga is a step below the Erste Bank Eishockey Liga (EBEL), Austria’s elite hockey league.

Check out the EC Dornbirn Bulldogs official website.

Daniel is on The Big List. Who else is?

David Shantz played goal in the Ontario Hockey League for three seasons, 2003-04 to 2005-06. His first two season were with the Mississauga IceDogs and his final with the Peterborough Petes.

Shantz led the IceDogs into the Robertson Cup final in his first season before the team was swept by the Guelph Storm. With the Petes in 2005-06, he played all of the team’s playoff games as the team won the Robertson Cup before finishing third at the Memorial Cup tournament.

David was drafted by the Florida Panthers in the 2004 NHL draft. The Panthers took him in the second round, 37th overall. He was the first OHL goaltender picked in that year’s draft. David as yet to play in a regular season NHL game and is now in the Calgary Flames organization.

Shantz has played for six different teams over his first four seasons of professional hockey (Florida Everblades – ECHL, Rochester Americans – AHL, Dayton Bombers – ECHL, Elmira Jackals – ECHL, Abbotsford Heat – AHL and Victoria Salmon Kings – ECHL). This past season was split between the ECHL’s Victoria Salmon Kings and the AHL’s Abbotsford Heat.

View David Shantz’s profile page on the ECHL’s official website.

View David Shantz’s profile page on the Abbotsford Heat official website.

At 6’4″ and 235 pounds, it’s understandable that BrianMcGrattan is one highly feared hockey player. Like fellow on-ice policeman, Sean McMorrow, McGrattan is known for the distinction of having played for 6 different OHL teams over his junior career.

Unlike McMorrow, Brian has found success in the NHL. He is in his fifth season in the NHL and his first with the Calgary Flames. His first three were spent in Ottawa with the Senators and last season he played 5 games with the Phoenix Coyotes. He was originally selected by the Los Angeles Kings but never played in their system.

McGrattan’s OHL career began in 1997-98 with the Guelph Storm. During the 1998-99 season, he was traded to the Sudbury Wolves. During the 1999-00 season, he was traded to the Mississauga Ice Dogs. Then came 2001-02. In his final season of OHL hockey, Brian split his play between four different teams. He started out with the Ice Dogs, made stops in Owen Sound and Oshawa before settling in Sault Ste. Marie with the Greyhounds. His stop in Owen Sound lasted for only 2 games.

He spent 3 seasons with the Binghamton Senators between the OHL and NHL. In 2004-05, he spent 551 minutes in the penalty box.

Check out his profile page at the Calgary Flames official website, here.

Read the previous post about 6-team OHLer, Sean McMorrow, here.