OHL Alumni Central

Back in 1974-75 and 1975-76, Greg Hotham played for the Kingston Canadians. Three decades later, both of Greg’s sons, Andrew and Scott, also played in the Ontario Hockey League. All three are blue liners.

The Toronto Maple Leafs selected Greg in the fifth round of the 1976 NHL Amateur Draft, 84th overall. Between 1979-80 and 1984-85, Greg played in 230 regular season NHL games with the Maple Leafs and Pittsburgh Penguins. He retired from the American Hockey League after the 1989-90 season, after playing 513 regular season games with the New Brunswick Hawks, Baltimore Skipjacks and Newmarket Saints (all three are extinct now).

The oldest Hotham son, Scott, played in the Ontario Hockey League from 2001-02 to 2004-05. He began with the North Bay Centennials and moved with the club to Saginaw, where he played one game with the Spirit in 2002-03. After that game, Scott went back to Canada to play for the Mississauga IceDogs. The following season, he was traded early again, this time to the Barrie Colts.

Scott Hotham went undrafted and spent the four years post-OHL with St. Mary’s University. Hotham entered the world of pro hockey in 2009-10, mostly with the ECHL’s Florida Everblades but also playing nine games with the Rochester Americans of the AHL. In 2010-11, he played for Lillehammer in Norway’s Get-Ligaen. This season, he is playing in Austria’s Erste Bank Hockey League (EBEL) for Olimija Ljubljana.

Andrew Hotham’s career has paralleled brother Scott’s in several ways. Both played for the Barrie Colts (at the same time) and Saginaw Spirit (not at the same time) in the Ontario Hockey League. Both played four years with St. Mary’s. Both had a cup of coffee with the Rochester Americans.

Andrew played in the Ontario Hockey League from 2003-04 to 2006-07 with the Barrie Colts, Erie Otters and Saginaw Spirit. He played with St. Mary’s from 2007-08 to 2010-11, joining the Americans after the CIS season had ended. With St. Mary’s, Andrew was an All-Canadian First Team All-Star in his final three seasons and was the Atlantic’s Most Valuable Player for 2010-11, This season, Hotham is playing for the Wheeling Nailers of the ECHL.

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.

The Stockton Thunder of the East Coast Hockey League enter the 2011-12 season with six grads of the Ontario Hockey League on the roster. Just one of the OHL alumni is a returning team member. The Thunder are coming off a great regular season in 2010-11 but they made an early exit from the ECHL’s Kelly Cup playoffs.

Jordan Foreman was with the Thunder for 40 games in 2010-11. Jordan played five years in the Ontario Hockey League from 2003-04 to 2007-08. His first four were with the London Knights, including the Memorial Cup year of 2004-05, and his final season was played with the Niagara IceDogs.

Kevin Baker was the ECHL’s leading point getter with 102 in 2008-09 as a member of the Florida Everblades. The Thunder are hoping he’ll find that scoring touch again this season. Baker played in Italy’s Lega Italiana Hockey su Ghiaccio in 2010-11 with Ritten/Renon. Kevin played three years in the Ontario Hockey League from 1997-98 to 1999-00, all with the Belleville Bulls. In 1998-99, the team beat the London Knights for the Robertson Cup and earned a berth in the Memorial Cup. Baker was a seventh round pick of the Los Angeles Kings in the 1999 NHL Entry Draft, 193rd overall.

Matt Foy is returning to hockey after missing the entire 2010-11 season due to injury. Foy played one season the Ontario Hockey League, 2002-03, with the Ottawa 67′s. He came to Ottawa already a prospect of the Minnesota Wild, going in the sixth round of the 2002 NHL Entry Draft, 175th overall. Matt brings with him 56 games of NHL experience, all with the Wild.

Ryan Martindale is yet another young prospect of the Edmonton Oilers. Ryan is fresh off an 83 point performance last year with the Ottawa 67′s. Martindale played with Ottawa from 2007-08 to 2010-11 and was a 3rd round pick of the Oilers in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, 61st overall.

Jason Morgan returns to North America after three years spent in Europe. After a year in Sweden and a year in Austria, Morgan spent 2010-11 with Stjernen of Norway’s Get-Ligaen. Jason played three years in the Ontario Hockey League from 1993-94 to 1995-96. He began with the Kitchener Rangers and shifted to the Kingston Frontenacs during his second season. Drafted in 1995 by the Los Angeles Kings, Morgan has 44 NHL games under his belt with L.A., Calgary Flames, Nashville Predators, Chicago Blackhawks and Minnesota Wild.

Kyle Paige spent 2010-11 with the University of Toronto Blues. Paige played in the OHL from 2004-05 to 2007-08 with the Guelph Storm, Oshawa Generals and Kingston Frontenacs. Kyle is currently with Stockton on a try-out basis.

Josh Godfrey was just three years old when Craig Rivet played his first Ontario Hockey League game. The two OHL grads will lead the defense of the Elmira Jackals of the East Coast Hockey League for the 2011-12 season.

Rivet played three seasons with the Kingston Frontenacs from 1991-92 to 1993-94. His high offensive numbers reached with Kingston, 74 and 64 points in his final two seasons, were replaced with a stay-at-home style once he reached the NHL. In 923 National Hockey League games, Craig has scored an even 50 goals.

Rivet was taken by the Montreal Canadiens in the third round of the 1992 NHL Entry Draft, 68th overall. He remained with the Habs until midway through the 2006-07 season when he was shipped to the San Jose Sharks. He spent 2007-08 with San Jose, moved to Buffalo for the 2008-09 season and split this past season with Buffalo and the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Craig brings an incredible amount of leadership to the ECHL club, having worn a letter on his jersey since 2001-02 with three different NHL clubs. For the past three seasons, Rivet was team captain for Buffalo.

Josh Godfrey played four seasons in the Ontario Hockey League from 2004-05 to 2007-08. He began his OHL career with the Guelph Storm and switched to the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds midway through the 2005-06 season. In 2006-07, he led the league’s defensemen in the goals department with 24. In his final season, he won World Junior gold with Team Canada, leading the tournament’s defensemen in assists with 5.

Godfrey was a second round pick of the Washington Capitals in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, going 34th overall. For the past three seasons, Josh has played within Washington’s system, mixed between their AHL club (Hershey Bears) and their ECHL club (South Carolina Stingrays). This past season, he played in the ECHL All-Star game.

Ontario Hockey League grad Scott Lehman is vying for a spot with the Chicago Express, the East Coast Hockey League’s newest franchise. The Express begin play for the first time in 2011-12, playing out of the 11,000 seat Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates, Illinois.

Scott Lehman with the Gwinnett Gladiators.

Scott played four seasons in the Ontario Hockey League from 2002-03 to 2005-06, all with the Toronto St. Michael’s Majors. Known more for his tough play (603 career OHL regular season PIM) than his offense, Lehman assisted on a very respectable 50 goals from the blue line in his final season. Lehman led the Majors in penalty minutes in each of his final three years. He proved he had just as much brains as brawn, being awarded the Bobby Smith Trophy in 2003-04 as the league’s scholastic player of the year.

Scott gained playoff experience early in his Ontario Hockey League career. In his first season, he played 19 games as the Majors made it to the Conference Finals before losing in seven to the Ottawa 67′s. The following season, the Majors found themselves in the Conference Finals yet again, this time losing to the Mississauga IceDogs in six.

Lehman was drafted by the Atlanta Thrashers after just his second season in the OHL. He went in the third round, 76th overall in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft. He played in the Thrashers system from 2006-07 to 2009-10, mostly with the Gwinnett Gladiators of the ECHL and the Chicago Wolves of the AHL. He dressed for one NHL game with the Thrashers during the 2008-09 season.

This past season, 2010-11, Scott was invited to the Nashville Predators camp but was sent down to the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals, then to the ECHL’s Cincinnati Cyclones. The Chicago Express are affiliated with the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets and the AHL’s Springfield Falcons.