OHL Alumni Central

Better late than never! Our apologies to Team USA fans at the 2010 IIHF World Hockey Championships - we almost passed you by.

There is one player on the roster of Team USA that is a graduate of the Ontario Hockey League. Nick Foligno played three seasons in the OHL from 2004-05 to 2006-07, all with the Sudbury Wolves. Nick led the Wolves in scoring in his final two seasons and had an impressive 29 points in 21 playoff games in his final season as the Wolves advanced to the Robertson Cup final before losing out to the Plymouth Whalers in six games.

Nick was a first round pick of the Ottawa Senators in the 2006 NHL draft. He spent a portion of his first pro season with Ottawa’s AHL affiliate, the Binghamton Senators but has been a regular with Ottawa ever since.

Check out Nick Foligno’s profile page on the Ottawa Senators official website.

Check out these posts on other OHL graduates playing in the 2010 IIHF World Hockey Championships:

Latvia

Canada

Italy – Plastino

Italy – Parco

Czech Republic

Norway

Finland

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The Pittsburgh Penguins face the Ottawa Senators in the first round of the NHL’s 2010 Stanley Cup playoffs. The series features 14 graduates of the Ontario Hockey League. Ottawa will dress 8 OHL alumni and Pittsburgh will dress 6.

Below are the 14 players. As usual, you can click on the player’s name to view his profile page on the team’s official website.

Pittsburgh Penguins

Brent Johnson played between the pipes for the Owen Sound Platers for three seasons from 1994-95 to 1996-97. Brent is in his first season with the Penguins after an NHL career split between the St. Louis Blues, Phoenix Coyotes and Washington Capitals.

Jordan Staal played two seasons in the OHL with the Peterborough Petes, 2004-05 and 2005-06. A first round pick, second overall by the Penguins in 2006, Jordan did not dissapoint and his been a star player with the team from day one.

Tyler Kennedy played four seasons for the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds from 2002-03 to 2005-06. He was a fourth round pick of the Penguins and after a season with their AHL affiliate, he his now in his third season with the NHL club.

Jay McKee played three seasons in the OHL from 1993-94 to 1995-96. His first season was with Sudbury Wolves, his last was with the Niagara Falls Thunder and the middle season was split between the two. Jay was a first round pick of the Buffalo Sabres in 1995 and played with the NHL club until 2006-07 when he began his first of three seasons with the St. Louis Blues. This is McKee’s first season with the Penguins.

Matt Cooke played three seasons in the OHL from 1995-96 to 1997-98. He played his first two full seasons with the Windsor Spitfires and split his final season in the OHL with the Spitfires and the Kingston Frontenacs. Drafted relatively low, in the 6th round, by the Vancouver Canucks didn’t stop Matt from becoming an NHL regular by the 1999-00 season. After 9 seasons with the Canucks, Matt played a ‘post-deadline’ stint with the Washington Capitals in 2007-08 and has been a Penguin ever since.

Michael Rupp began his OHL career in 1997-98 with the Windsor Spitfires and was traded midway through the season to the Erie Otters, where he would spend the 1998-99 and 1999-00 seasons. Rupp has done two tours of duty with the New Jersey Devils as well as stints with Phoenix and Columbus. This is his first full season with the Penguins.

Ottawa Senators

Jason Spezza played in the OHL from 1998-99 to 2001-02. It was four seasons and four different teams in the OHL for this second overall pick of the Senators. His first full season was spent with the Brampton Battalion. His second full season was with the Mississauga IceDogs. In his third season, he was traded to Windsor and in his final season he was traded from Windsor to the Belleville Bulls. Spezza has been a rock for the Senators, averaging over a point per game over his careeer.

Chris Campoli played four seasons in the OHL with the Erie Otters from 2000-01 to 2003-04. A deep 7th round pick of the New York Islanders, Chris played his first full season in 2005-06 after a season with the Islanders’ AHL affiliate, the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. Chris was traded to the Senators during the 2008-09 season.

Chris Kelly played in the OHL from 1997-98 to 2000-01. He was a London Knight until midway through his final season when he was traded to the Sudbury Wolves. A career Senator, Chris has now played over 400 games in Ottawa.

Shean Donovan began his OHL career way back in 1991-92 and played four seasons with the Ottawa 67′s. The Senators are Shean’s seventh NHL team, having played for the San Jose Sharks, Colorado Avalanche, Atlanta Thrashers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Calgary Flames and Boston Bruins before coming to Ottawa, where he has spent the past three seasons.

Matt Carkner was a Peterborough Pete for four seasons from 1997-98 to 2000-01. It took until 2005-06 before Matt played his first NHL game, a single game with the San Jose Sharks. In 2008-09, he played another single game in the NHL, this time with the Senators. Persistance paid off for Carkner this season as he played in 81 of Ottawa’s 82 games.

Mike Fisher played two seasons with the Sudbury Wolves, 1997-98 and 1998-99. In his second season, his 106 points were good enough for 5th in OHL scoring. This season marks the tenth with the Senators for Fisher.

Nick Foligno played three seasons in the OHL with the Sudbury Wolves from 2004-05 to 2006-07, providing toughness along with a scoring touch. This is the third season with the Senators for Foligno.