OHL Alumni Central

The Stockton Thunder of the East Coast Hockey League enter the 2011-12 season with six grads of the Ontario Hockey League on the roster. Just one of the OHL alumni is a returning team member. The Thunder are coming off a great regular season in 2010-11 but they made an early exit from the ECHL’s Kelly Cup playoffs.

Jordan Foreman was with the Thunder for 40 games in 2010-11. Jordan played five years in the Ontario Hockey League from 2003-04 to 2007-08. His first four were with the London Knights, including the Memorial Cup year of 2004-05, and his final season was played with the Niagara IceDogs.

Kevin Baker was the ECHL’s leading point getter with 102 in 2008-09 as a member of the Florida Everblades. The Thunder are hoping he’ll find that scoring touch again this season. Baker played in Italy’s Lega Italiana Hockey su Ghiaccio in 2010-11 with Ritten/Renon. Kevin played three years in the Ontario Hockey League from 1997-98 to 1999-00, all with the Belleville Bulls. In 1998-99, the team beat the London Knights for the Robertson Cup and earned a berth in the Memorial Cup. Baker was a seventh round pick of the Los Angeles Kings in the 1999 NHL Entry Draft, 193rd overall.

Matt Foy is returning to hockey after missing the entire 2010-11 season due to injury. Foy played one season the Ontario Hockey League, 2002-03, with the Ottawa 67′s. He came to Ottawa already a prospect of the Minnesota Wild, going in the sixth round of the 2002 NHL Entry Draft, 175th overall. Matt brings with him 56 games of NHL experience, all with the Wild.

Ryan Martindale is yet another young prospect of the Edmonton Oilers. Ryan is fresh off an 83 point performance last year with the Ottawa 67′s. Martindale played with Ottawa from 2007-08 to 2010-11 and was a 3rd round pick of the Oilers in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, 61st overall.

Jason Morgan returns to North America after three years spent in Europe. After a year in Sweden and a year in Austria, Morgan spent 2010-11 with Stjernen of Norway’s Get-Ligaen. Jason played three years in the Ontario Hockey League from 1993-94 to 1995-96. He began with the Kitchener Rangers and shifted to the Kingston Frontenacs during his second season. Drafted in 1995 by the Los Angeles Kings, Morgan has 44 NHL games under his belt with L.A., Calgary Flames, Nashville Predators, Chicago Blackhawks and Minnesota Wild.

Kyle Paige spent 2010-11 with the University of Toronto Blues. Paige played in the OHL from 2004-05 to 2007-08 with the Guelph Storm, Oshawa Generals and Kingston Frontenacs. Kyle is currently with Stockton on a try-out basis.

After missing the entire 2010-11 season due to injury, Ontario Hockey League grad Matt Foy returns to the game with the Stockton Thunder of the East Coast Hockey League. Stockton is an ECHL affiliate of both the San Jose Sharks and Edmonton Oilers.

Foy played just one season in the Ontario Hockey League, 2002-03, with the Ottawa 67′s. He made the best of that one season, teaming up with Corey Locke to rip up the league. Locke and Foy finished one-two in OHL scoring with Locke totalling 151 points and Foy 132. Although Locke took the Eddie Powers Memorial Trophy as the league leading scorer, Foy was awarded with the Jim Mahon Memorial Trophy as the OHL’s top scoring right winger. He was named to the CHL Second All-Star team.

Matt came to the 67′s already a prospect of the Minnesota Wild. Foy was taken by the Wild in the sixth round of the 2002 NHL Entry Draft, 175th overall. He spent five years in Minnesota’s system, mostly with the American Hockey League’s Houston Aeros, however he did get into 56 NHL games. Matt led the Aeros in goals (27) and points (50) during the 2006-07 season.

When injury set in, Matt played just four games in 2008-09 with the AHL’s Peoria Rivermen and seven the following season with the Central Hockey League’s Arizona Sundogs. Foy claims to be 100% healthy now and hopefully this will be a successful return to the game.

Fraser Clair while playing in Italy.

Ontario Hockey League grad, Fraser Clair is back on North American soil for the 2010-11 season, the first time since 2005-06. Clair returns to the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL) where he played 224 games over four seasons with five different teams. Fraser joins fellow OHL grad, Jordan Foreman on the Stockton Thunder.

Fraser played five seasons in the Ontario Hockey League from 1998-99 to 2001-02. He began his OHL career with the Barrie Colts and was traded midway through his first season to the Mississauga IceDogs. He returned to the Colts midway through the 2000-01 season.

In his final season in the Ontario Hockey League, Clair was an integral part of the Colts team that went to the Robertson Cup final before losing out to the Erie Otters. It was in that playoff run that Fraser’s mean streak shone through. His 46 penalty minutes over 20 playoff games exceeded his 42 over 67 regular season games. He has become known as a player that is strong around the net and also plays an aggressive, in-your-face style of hockey.

His most successful season in the ECHL was his last, 2005-06. Fraser scored his ECHL career high 25 goals en route to leading the team to the National Conference finals where they lost to the powerhouse Alaska Aces. That season, he was second on the team in PIM with 139, behind only fellow OHL alumnus Matt O’Dette. O’Dette is the assistant coach of the Stockton Thunder this season.

From 2006-07 to this past season, Clair played in several locations throughout Europe. Over the four seasons, he played in Germany, Denmark and Italy. In his first season in Europe, he was Kaufbeuren of Germany’s 2.Bundesliga’s top goal scorer (26) and top point-getter (50) in 49 games. The following season, he was the PIM leader for Bremerhaven of the 2.Bundesliga with 106 in 52 games.

In 2008-09, he played for the Nordsjaelland Cobras in Denmark. Fraser was the team’s top goal-scorer with 24 in 36 games. He was one point from the team lead in points with 35 to fellow OHL grad Patrick Jarrett’s 36.

This past season, with Bolzano in Italy’s Lega Italiana Hockey Ghiaccio (LIHG) he was once again second in team points to another fellow OHL grad, Kenny Corupe. He was the team’s PIM leader with 77 in 36 games.

With Clair and Foreman on the Thunder this season, the fans will be treated to grit and toughness as well as valuable playoff experience.

Check out Fraser Clair’s profile page on the Stockton Thunder official website.

Jordan Foreman was recently featured at OHL Alumni Central.

Fraser and Jordan can both be found on the OHL Alumni Big List.

Read article from Stockton Thunder official website about Fraser’s signing.

Jordan Foreman is an illusionist that appears to be 6’4″ and 225 lbs, when he is a slightly smaller 5’9″ and 185 lbs. Foreman played five seasons in the Ontario Hockey League from 2003-04 to 2007-08. His first four seasons were spent with the London Knights and his final season was spent with the Niagara IceDogs.

Foreman was part of the London Knights magical 2004-05 season when they set multiple Ontario Hockey League records on their way to winning the Hamilton Spectator Trophy as regular season Ontario Hockey League champion, the Robertson Cup as league playoff champion and the Memorial Cup as Canadian Hockey League champion.

Despite his toughness and grit that earned him 594 regular season penalty minutes in his Ontario Hockey League career, Jordan has the ability to put pucks in the net as well. In his third season with the Knights, he put in 29 goals in 65 games and in his overage year with Niagara, he put in 28 goals in 64 games.

In 2008-09, his first year out of junior, Jordan played for the Alaska Aces of the East Coast Hockey League and was invited to the Detroit Red Wings prospect tournament. Last season, Foreman played in the Central Hockey League with the Missouri Mavericks for 30 games. As you will hear if you watch the video below, Jordan was sought after last season by the Stockton Thunder of the ECHL after Alaska let him go. Because of immigration issues and timing, Foreman was left out of a roster spot.

Jordan is a highly anticipated addition to the Stockton Thunder for the upcoming season. He’s tough, he’s a leader, he can provide offense and, as OHL fans will surely know, he is nothing but a fan-favourite wherever he plays.

Check out Jordan Foreman’s profile page on the Stockton Thunder official website.

Andrew Perugini played three seasons in the Ontario Hockey League from 2005-06 to 2007-08. His first two seasons were spent with the Barrie Colts and his final season in the OHL was split between the Colts and the Sarnia Sting.

In 2006-07, Barrie finished first in the Ontario Hockey League’s Eastern Conference and Perugini led the way with a 2.83 Goals Against Average and a .917 Save Percentage. The 2.83 GAA was good for fifth in the OHL. The Colts did not live up to expectations in the Ontario Hockey League playoffs, being swept by the sixth seed Sudbury Wolves in the Conference semi-finals. Despite losing one more game than they won in the regular season, Sudbury went on to the Robertson Cup finals before succumbing to the Plymouth Whalers.

For the past two seasons, Perugini has been a member of the Stockton Thunder of the East Coast Hockey League. In both seasons, he finished with a .908 save percentage while maintaining a goals against average below 3.00. This past season, 2009-10, Andrew was called up to the American Hockey League’s Springfield Falcons for four games.

For the upcoming 2010-11 season, Perugini is off to Italy to play for HC Asiago of the Lega Italiana Hockey Ghiaccio (LIHG). Asiago is home to a number of Ontario Hockey League graduates who should help make Andrew feel right at home.

Andrew Perugini has yet to appear on the HC Asiago official website but the site can be found here.

Perugini has appeared in these previous posts at OHL Alumni Central:

Sarnia Sting Alumni

Barrie Colts Alumni

OHL Alumni on Stockton Thunder

The first ever post on OHL Alumni Central was about Ontario Hockey League graduates playing for HC Asiago. Check it out here.