OHL Alumni Central

Joe Talbot on left after Sheffield wins the EIHL championship (notice the beer bottles in hand - were the Canadian women really that badass at the Olympics??).

Ontario Hockey League grad Joe Talbot is entering his fourth season with the Sheffield Steelers. This is almost unheard of for an import in Great Britain’s Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL). For imports, the EIHL, or any other European elite league for that matter, can be pretty transient with stops of just one season before moving on to the next team, league or country.

Joe Talbot played four seasons in the Ontario Hockey League from 1997-98 to 2000-01, all with the Ottawa 67′s. In his final season, his 39 goals and 40 assists for 79 points in a full 68 games helped Ottawa to a third seed ranking in the Eastern Conference. His 28 points in 20 playoff games helped the 67′s win the Robertson Cup as the Ontario Hockey League’s playoff champion. The team was unsuccessful at the Memorial Cup tournament in Regina, Saskatchewan.

Joe went undrafted by any NHL club and decided on the university route, playing two seasons with the University of Western Ontario in London.

From 2003-04 to 2006-07, Talbot played in the East Coast Hockey League with the Alaska Aces. Over the four seasons, Joe consistently averaged 25 goals per season.

For the start of the 2007-08 season, Joe travelled to England to play with the Sheffield Steelers. In each of his first three seasons with the club, his point totals have increased from 59 to 62 to 67 points. The team was EIHL playoff champion in his first two seasons.

Talbot is not alone on the team as an OHL alumus. Ontario Hockey League grads Kevin Bolibruck and Derek Campbell will also be Sheffield Steelers this season.

Check out Joe Talbot’s profile page on the Sheffield Steelers official website.

Talbot is featured in this previous post at OHL Alumni Central listing OHL grads playing for Sheffield during the 2009-10 season.

Kevin Bolibruck (in yellow) with Pontebba in Italy during the 2008-09 season.

Kevin Bolibruck will be back with the Sheffield Steelers of Great Britain’s Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL) for the 2010-11 season. When he arrived in England for the 2009-10 season, Kevin signed a two-year deal with the team.

Bolibruck played three seasons in the Ontario Hockey League from 1994-95 to 1996-97, all with the Peterborough Petes. The highlight season, by far, was his second, 1995-96, when the Petes won the Robertson Cup and lost out in the Memorial Cup final on their own ice.

Out of junior, Kevin spent a season with the Canadian National Team, 1997-98. From 1998-99 to 2002-03, Bolibruck played in the American Hockey League (AHL) with four different teams: Hamilton Bulldogs, Rochester Americans, Houston Aeros and the Bridgeport Sound Tigers.

In 2003-04, Kevin began his travels through the hockey world. Ironically, he started out with the same Sheffield Steelers before playing in Denmark, Finland, Germany, Norway and Italy.

In his first year with Sheffield, Bolibruck helped the team to a regular season championship as well as the playoff championship. His winning ways continued in Denmark, helping Herning to the league championship in 2004-05. The team would finish a respectible third the next season.

This past season, Kevin was joined on the Steelers by fellow Peterborough native and OHL grad, Andrew Verner, as well as Ottawa 67s alumni, Jonathan Zion and Joe Talbot. None of the three are currently signed on for 2010-11. The group of OHL grads on the Sheffield Steelers are featured in this previous post.

Check out Kevin Bolibruck’s profile page on the Sheffield Steelers official website.

The Peterborough Petes and the Ottawa 67′s have long been bitter rivals in the Ontario Hockey League. It’s ironic that two alumni from each team have come together to lead the Sheffield Steelers of the United Kingdom’s EIHL.

Representing the Petes are goaltender Andrew Verner and defenseman Kevin Bolibruck. The 67′s grads are Jonathan Zion on defense and on forward, second in team scoring, Joe Talbot.

Andrew Verner had a three year stint with the Petes starting way back in 1989-90. Originally drafted in the 2nd round by the Edmonton Oilers in 1991, Andrew moved to Europe for the 1995-96 season and has never gone back to play in North America. His career has taken him to Austria, Finland, Sweden, Germany and finally to Great Britain where he’s been for the past two seasons.

Kevin Bolibruck was a blueliner for the Petes from 1994-95 to 1996-97. Highlighting his OHL career was playing for the league champions in 1995-96. The Petes would go on to lose in the final game of the Memorial Cup that season on home ice. Drafted deep down the list by the Oilers, Kevin played two seasons with their AHL affiliate, the Hamilton Bulldogs, for two seasons before spending the next three with four different AHL teams. Bolibruck made the move to Europe for the 2003-04 season and has spent time in Finland, Germany and Italy before ending up in Great Britain for this season.

Jonathan Zion wore an Ottawa 67 jersey from 1997-98 to 2001-02 and was part of the Memorial Cup winning team in 1999. A 4th round pick of the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1999, Zion never played in the Leafs system and spent five seasons spread over 10 different teams in the North American minors before heading to Finland midway through the 2005-06 season. He has made stops in Austria and Denmark before landing in Great Britain.

Joe Talbot was a 67 for four seasons from 1997-98 to 2000-01. Like Jonathan Zion, Joe was part of the 1999 Memorial Cup winning team in Ottawa. Joe has been an offensive leader for the Sheffield Steelers since landing there in 2007-08. Click here to read a recent article about Joe on the Sheffield Steelers team blog.

To see each player’s profile page on the team’s official website, click on their names below:

Joe Talbot

Kevin Bolibruck

Jonathan Zion

Andrew Verner

Check out these related posts:

Active players from the Ottawa 67′s 1999 Memorial Cup winning team.

OHL Grad Sean McMorrow keeping the peace with the Belfast Giants.