OHL Alumni Central

The Guelph Storm are the decendants of the once great Toronto Marlboros team that has roots that trace back to 1904. After a brief stop in Hamilton, where they were known as the Dukes, the franchise moved to Guelph for the 1991-92 Ontario Hockey League season and doesn’t look to be leaving any time soon.

The Storm is one of those quietly successful teams in the OHL, on par with the Ottawa 67′s. Since 1993, the Storm have only had two sub .500 seasons. Guelph has won the Robertson Cup four times, resulting in four visits to the Memorial Cup. The Storm have yet to be crowned Memorial Cup champions.

As far as player development, few Ontario Hockey League teams hold a candle to the Storm. Guelph currently has 104 former players that are on the rosters of professional and university teams in the world of hockey. In order to be included in this list, a player must have played at least just one regular season game in a Guelph Storm uniform. 18 of these players are in the AHL and 13 are in the National Hockey League.

Guelph Storm alumni can be found playing in 26 different leagues in 16 different countries throughout the hockey world. Three players, Rob Leask, Sylvain Cloutier and Todd Bertuzzi, were part of the 1991-92 Guelph Storm and are still quite active in pro hockey today.

What follows is the list of Guelph Storm alumni currently playing. The list reflects data as of February 6, 2012.

Player	Yrs w/Club	2011-12 Team	2011-12 League
Anderson, Craig	1998-2001	Ottawa Senators	NHL
Arniel, Jamie	2005-2008	Providence Bruins	AHL
Beaudoin, Eric	1997-2000	Biel	NLA(SWI)
Beck, Taylor	2007-2011	Milwaukee Admirals	AHL
Bertuzzi, Todd	1991-1995	Detroit Red Wings	NHL
Biggers, Brandon	2005-2007	PEI	CIS
Brochu, Derek	2007-2008	Brock	CIS
Brown, Dustin	2000-2003	Los Angeles Kings	NHL
Buck, Brandon	2006-2009	Sarpsborg	GET-Ligaen(NOR)
Callahan, Ryan	2002-2006	New York Rangers	NHL
Caruso, Michael	2004-2008	San Antonio Rampage	AHL
Chiarot, Ben	2007-2010	Colorado Eagles	ECHL
Cloutier, Sylvain	1991-1994	Hull Stingrays	EIHL(ENG)
Comrie, Adam	2009-2010	Cincinnati Cyclones	ECHL
Cowan, Jeff	1993-1995	Iserlohn Roosters	DEL(GER)
D’Agostini, Matt	2004-2006	St. Louis Blues	NHL
Dallman, Kevin	1998-2002	Barys Astana	KHL(RUS)
Dennis, Adam	2002-2005	Alleghe HC	LIHG(ITA)
Dickenson, Lou	2001-2003	Valpellice	LIHG(ITA)
Doughty, Drew	2005-2008	Los Angeles Kings	NHL
Drtina, Jiri	2002-2004	Kladno	Czech Extraliga
Flache, Peter	1999-2001	Augsburg Panthers	DEL(GER)
Florian, Jaromir	2004-2005	Amneville	France 3
Garlock, Ryan	2002-2004	Springfield Falcons	AHL
Gibbons, Travis	2006-2009	Acadia	CIS
Girardi, Daniel	2002-2005	New York Rangers	NHL
Godfrey, Josh	2004-2006	Binghamton Senators	AHL
Gottschalk, Ryan	2009-2010	St. Mary’s	CIS
Greenside, Brandon	2007-2008	Western	CIS
Guskov, Vadim	2009-2010	Voskresensk	MHL(RUS)
Guy, Jason	2005-2007	UOIT	CIS
Haskins, Tyler	2002-2004	Wolfsburg Grizzly Adams	DEL(GER)
Hayes, Jeff	2005-2007	Carleton	CIS
Hedman, Anton	2006-2007	Modo	Elitserien(SWE)
Holland, Peter	2007-2011	Syracuse Crunch	AHL
Hollenstein, Denis	2007-2009	Kloten	NLA(SWI)
Jacina, Greg	1998-1999	Frederikshavn	Denmark
Janssen, Cam	2003-2004	New Jersey Devils	NHL
Jezegou, Spencer	2004-2006	Acadia	CIS
Kelly, Brent	1998-2001	Langenthal	NLB(SWI)
Kennedy, Matt	2005-2010	Syracuse Crunch	AHL
King, Colt	1999-2002	Sheffield Steelers	EIHL(ENG)
Klein, Kevin	2003-2004	Nashville Predators	NHL
Koreis, Jakub	2003-2004	Brno Kometa	Czech Extraliga
Krivomaz, Evgeny	1998-1999	Kiev	Ukraine
Latta, Michael	2008-2011	Milwaukee Admirals	AHL
Leask, Rob	1991-1992	Nurnberg Ice Tigers	DEL(GER)
Leveille, Chris	2004-2007	Fayetteville FireAntz	SPHL
Lofquist, Sam	2009-2011	Oskarshamn	Allsvenskan(SWE)
Lyall, Matthew	2004-2006	Guelph	CIS
MacDonald, Ryan	2004-2006	Heilbronn	2.Gbun(GER)
Maione, Matthew	2009-2010	PEI	CIS
Malhotra, Manny	1996-2000	Vancouver Canucks	NHL
Manderson, Denver	2005-2007	Wheeling Nailers	ECHL
Marsden, J.R.	2009-2010	Laurier	CIS
Martine, Nathan	2007-2009	Guelph	CIS
McCollum, Thomas	2006-2009	Grand Rapids Griffins	AHL
McDonnell, Kent	1996-2000	AIK	Elitserien(SWE)
McGee, Grant	2006-2007	Nipissing	CIS
McGrattan, Brian	1997-1999	Nashville Predators	NHL
McLean, Mike	2003-2007	Coventry Blaze	EIHL(ENG)
McNeill, Dan	2000-2002	Laredo Bucks	CHL
Melancon, Tyler	2006-2009	Herentals	Netherlands
Miller, Steve	2007-2008	Brock	CIS
Mitchell, Kevin	1997-2000	Villacher SV	EBEL(AUT)
Molotilov, Evgeny	2008-2010	Sarov	VHL(RUS)
Moran, Patrick	2006-2009	UOIT	CIS
Nigro, Anthony	2006-2009	Peoria Rivermen	AHL
O’Donnell, Conor	2009-2010	Nipissing	CIS
Ozolins, Arturs	2006-2007	Kokshetau	Kazakhstan
Paille, Daniel	2000-2004	Boston Bruins	NHL
Panik, Richard	2010-2011	Norfolk Admirals	AHL
Parent, Ryan	2003-2007	Chicago Wolves	AHL
Penner, Alex	2004-2005	Colorado Eagles	ECHL
Penner, Andrew	2001-2003	Colorado Eagles	ECHL
Pither, Luke	2006-2009	Adirondack Phantoms	AHL
Pitton, Jason	2005-2006	Asiago HC	LIHG(ITA)
Pottruff, Ryan	2004-2007	Lethbridge	CIS
Priamo, Tim	2006-2009	Wheeling Nailers	ECHL
Puntureri, Matt	2001-2003	New Jersey Outlaws	FHL
Randazzo, Andrew	2007-2008	UOIT	CIS
Reed, Harrison	2007-2008	Houston Aeros	AHL
Rotter, Rafael	2005-2008	Vienna Capitals	EBEL(AUT)
Ryan, Matt	2002-2004	Oskarshamn	Allsvenskan(SWE)
Salters, Leigh	2005-2009	Florida Everblades	ECHL
Searle, David	2008-2011	Ryerson	CIS
Sisca, Matt	2009-2011	Cincinnati Cyclones	ECHL
St. Jacques, Cody	2006-2010	Guelph	CIS
St. Pierre, Martin	2000-2004	Springfield Falcons	AHL
Stach, Lubomir	2004-2006	Znojmo Orli HC	EBEL(AUT)
Stephens, Charlie	1998-2002	Kolner Haie	DEL(GER)
Syvret, Corey	2006-2010	Trenton Titans	ECHL
Taylor, Danny	2003-2005	Abbotsford Heat	AHL
Tyutin, Fedor	2001-2002	Columbus Blue Jackets	NHL
Underwood, Joe	2006-2008	Waterloo	CIS
Van Laren, Chris	2009-2011	St. Thomas	CIS
VanderVeeken, Jamie	2002-2003	Cardiff Devils	EIHL(ENG)
Vasiljevs, Herbert	1995-1996	Krefeld Pinguine	DEL(GER)
Versteeg-Lytwyn,Mark	2003-2005	Mississippi Surge	SPHL
Wharton, Kyle	2005-2006	St. Mary’s	CIS
Willsie, Brian	1995-1998	Hamilton Bulldogs	AHL
Wilson, Kelsey	2004-2006	Toronto Marlies	AHL
Wright, Jamie	1993-1996	Basel	NLB(SWI)
Young, Harry	2005-2007	Kalamazoo Wings	ECHL

With the exception of 2007-08, when they were ousted in the Quarter-Finals, the Iserlohn Roosters of Germany’s Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL) have failed to make the post-season in each season since 2000-01. Things don’t look much brighter in 2011-12 with the team struggling in eleventh position in the fourteen team league. On the team are three hockey veterans and alumni of the Ontario Hockey League. All three played in the 1990′s. One actually started at the end of the 1980′s.

Sean Blanchard was CHL defenseman of the year in 1996-97, his third of four seasons with the Ottawa 67′s. Along with that, of course, he was selected as the recipient of the Max Kaminsky Trophy as the Ontario Hockey League’s top blue liner. In his final season of junior, Blanchard played for Team Canada at the 1998 World Junior Hockey Championships.

Sean was a fourth round pick of the Los Angeles Kings at the 1997 NHL Entry Draft, 99th overall. He has never played a regular season game in the National Hockey League. After just three years of playing in the North American minor pros, Blanchard moved on to Europe. He has played in Great Britain, Italy and Switzerland before settling into the DEL. After a return to North American for the 2006-07 season, Sean has been in the DEL since. 2011-12 sees him return to his first team, the Iserlohn Roosters. In 2010-11, he was a member of the Nurnberg Ice Tigers.

Jassen Cullimore played in 812 regular season NHL games between 1994-95 and 2010-11 with the Vancouver Canucks, Tampa Bay Lightning, Chicago Blackhawks and Florida Panthers. This past season, 2010-11, he mixed his season between Chicago and their AHL affiliates, the Rockford IceHogs.

Cullimore played four seasons with the Peterborough Petes from 1988-89 to 1991-92. In his first season, he appeared in just 20 regular season games and two in the playoffs. That season, Peterborough beat the Niagara Falls Thunder in six games to win the Robertson Cup. In 1992, Jassen played for Team Canada at the IIHF World Juniors.

Jassen was a second round pick of the Canucks at the 1991 NHL Entry Draft, 29th overall. He was a member of the Tampa Bay Lightning when the won the Stanley Cup in 2003-04, appearing in eleven playoff games. This is his first season with Iserlohn.

Like Cullimore, Jeff Cowan is in his first season with the Roosters after a lengthy career, split between the NHL and AHL. From 1999-00 to 2007-08, Cowan played 434 regular season NHL games with the Calgary Flames, Atlanta Thrashers, Los Angeles Kings and Vancouver Canucks. He has spent the past three seasons in the AHL.

Cowan played parts of three seasons in the Ontario Hockey League from 1993-94 to 1995-96. He played his first two seasons with the Guelph Storm and his final season with the Barrie Colts. He wore the ‘C’ in Barrie. Undrafted, Jeff played his most of his first four years in the pros with the Saint John Flames of the AHL.

 

 

Germany’s Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL) is nearing the halfway point of its 52 game 2011-12 season and three Ontario Hockey League grads can be found among the league’s top four point-getters. All three players are members of Grizzly Adams Wolfsburg. Wolfsburg is currently placed fourth in the fourteen team league. Last season, Grizzly Adams was first overall during the regular season and lost in the playoff finals.

Matt Dzieduszycki is currently tied for first in the league, with another member of Wolfsburg, with 11 goals and 14 assists for 25 points in 23 games. Matt played two seasons in the Ontario Hockey League, 1999-00 and 2000-01, with the Barrie Colts. He has been playing in the DEL since the 2006-07 season. He spent his first year with EV Duisburg then followed up with four years with the Hannover Scorpions. This is Dzieduszycki’s first season with Grizzly Adams.

Sitting alone in third place with 24 points is Tyler Haskins. Just one goal differentiates Haskins from Dzieduszycki. Haskins played five years in the Ontario Hockey League from 2002-03 to 2006-07. He began his OHL career with the Guelph Storm and was traded to the Toronto St. Michael’s Majors nine games into his second season. His final year in the OHL was spent with the Saginaw Spirit, where his 60 regular season assists placed him eighth in the league. Haskins was drafted by the Detroit Red Wings in the fifth round of the 2004 NHL Entry Draft. 2011-12 is Tyler’s second year in the DEL and second with Wolfsburg.

With one point less than Tyler Haskins, Norm Milley sits tied for fourth with four other players. Milley played four years with the Sudbury Wolves from 1996-97 to 1999-00. In 98-99, he was second in points to just Peter Sarno. He surpassed the 50 goal and 100 point plateaus in both his final two seasons with Sudbury. Norm was a second round pick of the Buffalo Sabres at the 1998 NHL Entry Draft. In all, Milley played 29 NHL games, all with Buffalo. 2011-12 is his fourth in the DEL and fourth with Wolfsburg.

 

***Update***(Feb. 4, 12)

Missed one! Not sure how Jakub Svoboda got missed. Jakub played the 2008-09 season with the Saginaw Spirit. Thank you to Miroslava Svoboda for the reminder! Here is Jakub’s career stats, courtesy of eliteprospects.com:

 

HC Kometa Brno was promoted back to the top division of the Czech Republic Extraliga for the 2009-10 season. Brno won the Czechoslovakia championship eleven of twelve years between 1954-55 and 1965-66. The one season in that span when they didn’t win, 1958-59, they finished second. The team fell on hard times, dealing with relegation over the past few decades.

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HC Kometa currently sits tenth in the fourteen team league, playing out of the 7,200 seat Kajot Arena in Brno. Brno is the second largest city in the Czech Republic, next to Prague, and has a metro population of 810,000. The hockey team has three Ontario Hockey League grads helping the cause, all natives of the Czech Republic.

Radim Bicanek played two years in the Ontario Hockey League with the Belleville Bulls, 1993-94 and 1994-95. The solid D-man came to Belleville already a prospect of the Ottawa Senators. Bicanek was taken in the second round of the 1993 NHL Entry Draft, 27th overall. Radim’s NHL career consisted of 122 games with the Senators, Chicago Blackhawks and Columbus Blue Jackets. He has been in the Czech Extraliga since the 2004-05 season and is in his third year with Brno. Bicanek has been an assistant captain with HC Kometa since coming from HC Znojemsti Orli where he served as team captain for two seasons.

Jakub Koreis came to Brno during the 2010-11 season from HC Sparta Prague and finished off the season with six games in a HC Kometa uniform. Koreis played just one season in the Ontario Hockey League, 2003-04 with the Guelph Storm. In 48 regular season games, Jakub contributed 38 points to Guelph’s cause. In the Storm’s run to a Robertson Cup championship, Koreis totalled 18 points in 22 games. He played for Guelph at the Memorial Cup and the Czech Republic at the 2004 IIHF World Juniors.

Koreis was drafted by the Phoenix Coyotes at the 2002 NHL Entry Draft, over a year before even playing a game in the Ontario Hockey League. Jakub was a first round pick, going nineteenth overall. After three years in the American Hockey League, Koreis returned to Europe, playing one year in Finland’s SM-Liiga before heading to the Czech Republic.

Tomas Pospisil played two years in the Ontario Hockey League with the Sarnia Sting, 2005-06 and 2006-07. Like Jakub Koreis and Radim Bicanek, Pospisil came to the OHL already drafted to an NHL club. Tomas was a fifth round pick of the Atlanta Thrashers in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft, 135th overall. He was twice a member of the Czech Republic’s team at the IIHF World Juniors. After two years in the AHL, Pospisil returned to the Czech Republic for the 2009-10 season.

 

Ontario Hockey League grad Kent McDonell has started his fifth season in Sweden’s Elitserien and his second with AIK. In an odd twist of European hockey, McDonell was loaned to Rapperswil of Switzerland’s National League ‘A’ for ten games but is back with his Swedish club.

Check out the surprising number of Kent McDonell hockey cards on eBay!

Kent played four years in the Ontario Hockey League from 1996-97 to 1999-00, all with the Guelph Storm. In 60 games during the 1998-99 season, McDonell scored 31 goals. He helped Team Canada to a Silver Medal at the IIHF World Junior Tournament in 1999. In his final season with Guelph, he scored 35 and assisted on 35 others for 70 points in just 56 games.

McDonell was taken in the ninth round of the 1997 NHL Entry Draft by the Carolina Hurricanes, 225th overall. He was put back into the draft in 1999 and was a sixth round pick by the Detroit Red Wings, 181st overall. To date, Kent has played in 32 National Hockey League games, all with the Columbus Blue Jackets during the 2002-03 and 2003-04 seasons.

During the 2004-05 NHL lockout season, McDonell got his first taste of the European game, splitting the season between Norway’s Get-Ligaen and Germany’s 2.Bundesliga. He returned to North America for 2005-06, playing for the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins and putting up decent numbers with 21 goals and 58 points.

After a season in Finland’s SM-Liiga, Kent found his niche in Sweden. AIK is his third team in five years and he currently wears the ‘A’ on his jersey. He is under contract by AIK until the end of the 2011-12 season.