OHL Alumni Central

Val Pusteria lost out to Asiago in the playoff finals in Italy’s Lega Italiana Hockey su Ghiaccio. However, it was a member of the losing team and an Ontario Hockey League grad selected as the LIHG’s 2011 Player of the Year.

Matt Kelly won the award while leading the team from the blueline. He netted nine and helped out on 24 others for 33 points in 34 regular season games. He continued at a point per game in the playoffs.

Kelly played four seasons in the Ontario Hockey League from 2002-03 to 2005-06, all with the Belleville Bulls. Undrafted, he played three seasons in the East Coast Hockey League with the Victoria Salmon Kings before heading to Italy.

Last season, 2009-10, Matt made a splash in his first season with Val Pusteria. Kelly led all LIHG defensemen in assists and points with 36 and 43.

As of now, Matt is unsigned for the 2011-12 season. Rumours in February had him going to Germany’s DEL but nothing came of it. It’s certain that Italy wants him back.

We give Italy’s Lega Italiana Hockey Ghiaccio Serie A1 a fair amount of attention here at OHL Alumni Central. With five Ontario Hockey League grads among the the top ten scorers as of Dec 9, 2010 and nineteen in the top one hundred, the attention is well deserved.

Here’s how our guys are doing in Italy. The number in front of their name refers to the position they sit at in the LIHG scoring race. Names that are hyperlinked will take you to a previous post at OHL Alumni Central featuring that player. (GP-G-A-PTS):

2. Luciano Aquino, Valpellice (16-12-21-33). Aquino played two seasons with the Brampton Battalion, 2004-05 and 2005-06.

3. Anthony Aquino, Valpellice (18-8-21-29). Anthony played one season with the Oshawa Generals in 2002-03.

4. Dan Tudin, Ritten/Renon (19-12-16-28). Dan played four seasons with the Ottawa 67′s from 1995-96 to 1998-99.

5. Ryan McDonough, Valpellice (18-14-11-25). Ryan played four seasons in the Ontario Hockey League from 2004-05 to 2007-08. His first season was with the Sudbury Wolves before becoming a Saginaw Spirit.

9. Michael Henrich, Asiago (18-10-12-22). Michael played four seasons with the Barrie Colts from 1996-97 to 1999-00.

18. Matt Kelly, Val Pusteria (19-6-14-20). Matt played four seasons with the Belleville Bulls from 2002-03 to 2005-06.

23. Marty Wilford, Fassa (17-3-16-19). Marty played three seasons with the Oshawa Generals from 1994-95 to 1996-97.

26. Kevin Baker, Ritten/Renon (18-7-11-18). Kevin played three seasons with the Belleville Bulls from 1997-98 to 1999-00.

30. Adam Henrich, Asiago (13-7-10-17). Adam played four seasons with the Brampton Battalion from 2000-01 to 2003-04.

33. John Vigilante, Asiago (17-7-9-16). John played four seasons with the Plymouth Whalers from 2002-03 to 2005-06.

43. Marco Insam, Bolzano (15-11-3-14). Marco played two seasons, 2008-09 and 2009-10, with the Niagara IceDogs.

46. Colin Chaulk, Alleghe (18-3-11-14). Colin played four seasons with the Kingston Frontenacs from 1994-95 to 1997-98.

47. Ryan Martinelli, Valpellice (18-2-12-14). Ryan played three seasons with the London Knights from 2004-05 to 2006-07.

52. Ralph Intranuovo, Asiago (14-6-6-12). Ralph played three seasons with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds from 1990-91 to 1992-93.

55. Nick Plastino, Asiago (18-2-10-12). Nick played four seasons with the Barrie Colts from 2003-04 to 2006-07.

56. Tyler Doig, Val Pusteria (8-1-11-12). Tyler played four seasons in the Ontario Hockey League from 2003-04 to 2006-07, split between the Barrie Colts, Guelph Storm and Belleville Bulls.

70. Gerome Giudice, Fassa (15-3-7-10). Gerome played four seasons with the Sudbury Wolves from 2005-06 to 2008-09.

84. John Parco, Asiago (8-3-3-6). John played three seasons with the Belleville Bulls from 1988-89 to 1990-91.

89. David Bowman, Alleghe (18-1-5-6). David played four seasons with the Windsor Spitfires from 2000-01 to 2003-04.

Check out the LIHG’s official website.

Matt Kelly with the ECHL's Victoria Salmon Kings.

A couple of Belleville Bulls alumni will be playing together in Italy for the 2010-11 season with HC Pusteral of the Lega Italiana Hockey Ghiaccio (LIHG).

Matt Kelly enters his second season with the Pusteral Wolves. Matt played four seasons in the Ontario Hockey League from 2002-03 to 2005-06, all with the Belleville Bulls. The defenseman played three seasons in the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL) with the Victoria Salmon Kings before heading to Italy. Additionally, Kelly has a total of ten games in the American Hockey League (AHL), all with the Manitoba Moose. Matt lead the LIHG in 2009-10 with the most assists and points by a defenseman.

Tyler Doig played in the Ontario Hockey League for four seasons from 2003-04 to 2006-07. His first season in the OHL consisted of just one game with the Barrie Colts. The following two and a half seasons were spent with the Guelph Storm. In his final Ontario Hockey League season, 2006-07, Doig was traded to the Belleville Bulls mid-season. Tyler played 25 regular season games and 15 playoff games with the Bulls. In his final season, he contributed 80 points in 61 regular season games as well as 17 points in 15 playoff games with the Bulls.

For the three seasons since leaving the OHL, Tyler Doig has played for three different ECHL teams (Columbus Inferno, Reading Royals, Charlotte Checkers) and two different AHL teams (Toronto Marlies, Hartford Wolf Pack). Pusteral is looking forward to Doig’s consistent offensive abilities.

The team plays out of Bruneck which is located in the far northeast of Italy, very near the border with Austria. 83% of the population speak German and only 15% speak Italian. The team plays out of the Leitner Solar Arena which seats just 2,100 for hockey.

Read the article on Tyler Doig’s signing that appears on the team’s official website (sorry – only in Italian and German).

Check out Matt Kelly’s profile page on the team’s official website.