OHL Alumni Central

Rafael Rotter played three seasons in the Ontario Hockey League from 2005-06 to 2007-08, all with the Guelph Storm. Over his three OHL seasons, Rotter contributed 168 points in the regular season and 25 in the playoffs.

Twice, Rotter played for his native Austria at the IIHF Under-20 World Hockey Championships in B group play, winning a bronze and silver. Over the two tournaments, Rafael contributed 13 points in ten total games. In 2007, he led the tournament in assists and points.

Undrafted by an NHL club, Rotter returned to Austria to play for his hometown Vienna Capitals in Austria’s elite Erste Bank Eishockey Liga. Rafael will enter his fourth year with the club for the 2011-12 season. His first year in the EBEL actually came the year before he played for Guelph. Rotter played 44 games during the 2004-05 season with Red Bull Salzburg.

Rafael appeared on the international stage again this spring as a member of Austria’s team at the World Hockey Championships. The team did not fare well and Rotter contributed just a goal and assist in six games.

Rafael Rotter is under contract by the Vienna Capitals until the end of the 2012-13 season.

Check out Rafael Rotters profile page at the Vienna Capitals official website.

Ivan Svarny – ring a bell with you Belleville Bulls fans? Svarny played two seasons in the Ontario Hockey League, 2002-03 and 2003-04, both with the Bulls.

The big defenseman from Slovakia played a season with the New Mexico Scorpions of the Central Hockey League in 2004-05 after going undrafted in the NHL Entry Draft.

Svarny returned to Slovakia for the 2005-06 season and played with his hometown HK Nitra in the Slovak Extraliga. The following season with HK Nitra, Ivan set career bests for goals (9) and points (22) in just 47 games. He also spent more time in the penalty box than any other season during his career, including junior. In those 47 games, Svarny sat out 146 minutes, nearly double his highest single season count with the Bulls.

Ivan switched to the Czech Republic for the 2007-08 season and has been in the Czech Extraliga since. He has played the last three full seasons with HC Litvinov. In 2008-09, he joined his countrymen on Team Slovakia at the IIHF World Hockey Championships. Ivan was on the pre-tournament roster for Slovakia for the 2011 tournament but was left off the team for the main tournament. The Worlds this year are being played in his home country of Slovakia.

It has been confirmed that Svarny is looking for a new team for the 2011-12 season after Litvinov released at the end of the 2010-11 season.

The IIHF has what’s called the ‘Triple Gold Club’. To belong to this exclusive club you must win a Stanley Cup, World Championship and Olympic Gold Medal. Currently, and until at least 2014, there are 25 members. The 25 consist of 24 players and one coach. Seven of the players and the one coach are from Canada (read more about Canada’s Triple Gold Club members here). Of those seven, three are Ontario Hockey League grads.

Of the OHL’s three members, one has recently retired from the game and two are still active in the NHL. The first achieved all the requirements in 2002 and the third entered the club after the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Brendan Shanahan won gold at the 1994 World Championships, has three Stanley Cups with the Detroit Red Wings (1997, 1998, 2002) and won Gold with Canada at the 2002 Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Shanahan played two seasons in the Ontario Hockey League with the London Knights, 1985-86 and 1986-87. He was denied World Junior gold as a member of the team involved in the Punch-up in Piestary in 1987.

His NHL career spanned from 1987-88 to 2008-09 with the New Jersey Devils, St. Louis Blues, Hartford Whalers, Detroit Red Wings and New York Rangers. Brendan played in eight NHL All-Star games over his career. He was named the 2003 recipient of the King Clancy Memorial Trophy for leadership and humanitarian contributions.

Chris Pronger won World Championship Gold in 1997. His one Stanley Cup victory to date came in 2007 with the Anaheim Ducks. Chris has two gold medals from 2002 in Salt Lake City and 2010 in Vancouver.

Pronger played two seasons in the Ontario Hockey League with the Peterborough Petes in 1991-92 and 1992-93. In 1993, he was the CHL’s top defenseman as well as being named the Max Kaminsky Trophy winner as the OHL’s top blueliner. In 2000, Pronger won the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s top D-man, making him one of only three players to win both the Kaminsky and Norris.

Pronger’s NHL career began in 1993-94 with the Hartford Whalers. He was traded to St. Louis in 1995 for, ironically, Brendan Shanahan. Currently a member of the Philadelphia Flyers, Chris also played for the Edmonton Oilers and Anaheim Ducks along the way. He has played in six NHL All-Star games and won the Hart Memorial Trophy as league MVP in 2000.

Eric Staal was quick to join the club. Staal won the Stanley Cup with Carolina in 2006. The following year, he won gold at the World Championships. Eric was part of the 2010 gold medal winning team in Vancouver.

Staal played three seasons in the Ontario Hockey League from 2000-01 to 2002-03, all with the Peterborough Petes. The second overall pick of the Carolina Hurricanes at the 2003 NHL Entry Draft is currently still with the club, wearing the ‘C’ on his jersey. Eric has been to four NHL All-Star games in his six seasons. He was a 100 point man in his second season with the Canes.

Oskar Osala played two seasons in the Ontario Hockey League, 2005-06 and 2006-07, both with the Mississauga IceDogs. After his first season, he was taken by the Washington Capitals in the fourth round of the NHL Entry Draft, 97th overall.

During the second season of Osala’s Ontario Hockey League career, he represented Finland at the Under-20 World Junior Hockey Championships. Although the team lost out in the first game of the playoff round, Oskar tied for the tournament lead in goals (5) and was tied for fifth in points with eight, two points off the leader. Osala had previously played for Finland at the Under-18, Under-17 and Under-16 tournaments.

His first year of professional hockey, 2007-08, saw him return to Finland to play for the Espoo Blues of the elite SM-Liiga. Oskar’s 18 goals and 17 assists for 35 points in 53 regular season games earned him the destinction of being the SM-Liiga’s Rookie of the Year. He played another 17 games in the playoffs as the Blues made it to the finals before losing out.

The Capitals were showing great interest in Osala and he returned to North America for the 2008-09 season. He appeared in two games with the NHL club and enjoyed some pretty good success with the AHL’s Hershey Bears. Oskar was second among AHL rookies with 23 goals. He played 22 games in the playoffs as the Bears captured the Calder Cup as the American Hockey League playoff champions.

Midway through the 2009-10 season, Osala was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes system. He played one game with the Hurricanes and finished the season with the AHL Albay River Rats. With a fairly quick exit from the playoffs, Oskar was off to Germany to represent Finland at the World Hockey Championships.

Oskar has been putting up decent numbers with the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers this season (54-13-28-40) and is still looking for an extended stay in the National Hockey League.

Check out Oskar Osala’s profile page at the Charlotte Checkers official website.

Georgi Misharin played just one season in the Ontario Hockey League, 2003-04, with the Saginaw Spirit. Misharin was certainly one of the bright spots on a Saginaw team that shared the league’s basement with the Belleville Bulls, both with just 39 points.

Misharin came to the Ontario Hockey League already drafted by an National Hockey League club. Georgi was taken in the seventh round of the 2003 NHL Entry Draft by the Minnesota Wild, 207th overall. With 2004-05 being the NHL lockout year, Misharin went home to Russia to play in the RSL and has been there since.

Georgi has worn the Russia jersey on the world stage on three occasions. He helped Team Russia to a Bronze Medal at the 2003 Under-18 championships and stepped it up to a Silver two years later in the Under-20 tournament. Just turning 21, Misharin played for Russia at the World Hockey Championships in 2006 with Russia finishing in fifth place.

2010-11 is Georgi’s fourth season with CSKA Moscow. After 46 games, he was traded to Metallurg Magnitogorsk who needed to bolster the blue line for a promising playoff run. CSKA Moscow currently sits in tenth place in the KHL’s Western Conference and twelve points out of a playoff spot. Magnitogorsk is comfortably in fourth place in the East, twelve points up on fifth position.

Check out Georgi Misharin’s profile page at the KHL official website. 

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