Fans can enter the contest by following the Otters on Twitter (@erieotters) and replying to the Erie Otters with the hashtag “OttersNHLDraft” (#OttersNHLDraft) and why they would like to go to the draft. A winner will be chosen June 8 and will be announced on the Otters’ Twitter account at noon that day.

- From Erie Otters news release

Fans will have the opportunity to see the NHL’s future stars and 2012 NHL Draft™ picks from May 18-27 at the Canadian Hockey League’s elite event. The host Shawinigan Cataractes of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League will be joined by the QMJHL champion Saint John Sea Dogs; the Ontario Hockey League champion London Knights; and the winner of the Western Hockey League, the Edmonton Oil Kings.

Each team will play three games in the preliminary round-robin, May 18-23. The semifinal game is May 25 and the championship game is May 27.

NHL Network U.S. will telecast Rogers Sportsnet’s coverage of all the championship games with the broadcast team of play-by-play man RJ Broadhead, analyst Sam Cosentino and host Rob Faulds. Each live game broadcast will feature intermission reports from NHL Network’s own NHL Tonight™ team in Toronto. All games will be broadcast in high definition.

MasterCard Memorial Cup games will be live unless there is a Stanley Cup® Conference Final game being played that night. In those instances, NHL Network will offer a broadcast of the MasterCard Memorial Cup game on a tape delay. Additional live game coverage from the championship will be added to the NHL Network U.S. schedule as the Stanley Cup Conference Finals series conclude. Fans are encouraged to check www.nhlnetwork.com for updates.

NHL.com also will have special coverage of the championship in its entirety with a team of reporters and videographers on-site to cover the sights and sounds of the CHL’s best.

2012 MasterCard Memorial Cup on NHL Network U.S. Schedule (all times Eastern)

Date Game Time (ET)
Fri., May 18 Edmonton vs. Shawinigan 7:00 p.m. (LIVE)
Sat., May 19 Edmonton vs. Shawinigan 10:00 a.m. (tape delay)
Sat., May 19 Saint John vs. London 7:00 p.m. (LIVE)
Sun., May 20 Saint John vs. London 10:00 a.m. (tape delay)
Sun., May 20 Shawinigan vs. London 7:00 p.m. (LIVE)
Mon., May 21 Shawinigan vs. London 1:00 p.m. (tape delay)
Tue., May 22 Saint John vs. Edmonton 1:00 p.m. (tape delay)
Wed., May 23 London vs. Edmonton 1:00 p.m. (tape delay)
Thur., May 24 Shawinigan vs. Saint John 1:00 p.m. (tape delay)
Fri., May 25 tiebreaker* (if necessary) 1:00 p.m. (tape delay)
Fri., May 25 Semifinal TBA
Sun., May 27 Championship TBA

** for a complete MasterCard Memorial Cup schedule, visit
www.mastercardmemorialcup.ca.

A three-year captain with the IceDogs, Agozzino was chosen for the award by a media selection committee as the OHL team captain that best exemplifies leadership on and off the ice, with a passion and dedication to the game of hockey and his community that Mickey demonstrated.

Nomination forms were submitted by OHL general managers on behalf of their individual team captains. The selection committee consisted of a panel of four, representing media from each OHL division.

“It is a special honor to have been awarded of the Mickey Renaud Captain’s Trophy,” said Agozzino, who competed against Mickey as a rookie with the IceDogs in 2007. “Mickey was very well respected and a great captain and to receive this in his memory is something I’m very proud of.”

On the IceDogs nomination form, Agozzino is described as a passionate and determined individual who truly cares for his teammates, his opponents, and the game. He leads by example putting team goals, objectives, and the well-being of those around him before his own personal goals. Agozzino is also very active in the community playing a large role in appearances and team initiatives in each of his five seasons, while personally raising $2,480 for Movember this year. His fundraising efforts led all OHL players in the first year of this CHL-wide initiative in support of men’s health and prostate cancer awareness.

“For five years Andrew has been the heart and soul of the IceDogs, just as Mickey was the heart and soul of the Spitfires,” said IceDogs’ owner Bill Burke. “With Mickey’s mother Jane having been from Niagara Falls and his father Mark having played for the Thunder, there is obviously a connection between the Renaud’s and the Niagara Region, making the award even more special for our team.”

Agozzino is a 21-year-old native of Kleinburg, ON, who played all five of his OHL seasons with the IceDogs after being the franchise’s first ever draft pick selected 15th overall in the 2007 Priority Selection. This season he tied for fifth in league scoring with a career-high 88 points in 67 games scoring 40 goals and 48 assists leading the IceDogs to their first Central Division title and best overall record in team history with a record of 47-18-0-3 for 97 points.

Also named the Overage Player of the Year, he led the IceDogs in both goals and points for the third time in five years finishing his career with a franchise record 159 goals and 147 assists for 306 points in a franchise record 318 regular season games played.

Agozzino becomes the fourth recipient of the award following Ryan Ellis of the Windsor Spitfires, John Kurtz of the Sudbury Wolves, and Chris Terry of the Plymouth Whalers who won the inaugural award for the 2008-09 season.

The Mickey Renaud Captain’s Trophy will be formally presented to Agozzino in addition to the Leo Lalonde Memorial Trophy at the OHL Awards Ceremony on Tuesday June 5 at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto.

- From OHL news release

“We are very excited about the upcoming 2012-13 hockey season as well as the opportunity to continue Major Junior Hockey in our great City of Mississauga,” said Kerr. “I have been a proud resident of Mississauga for 25 years, my six year-old twins are actively involved in minor hockey here, our Mississauga Marathon event will be celebrating its tenth anniversary in 2013 and our Landmark Sport Group office is based here as well.”

“The Ontario Hockey League is excited to see the expanded involvement of Elliott Kerr in the OHL with his acquisition of the Mississauga franchise,” said OHL Commissioner David Branch. “ His experience as part of the ownership group with the Guelph Storm and the original Mississauga franchise, along with his passion for the game, family values, and being a Mississauga resident, will undoubtedly serve to see the Mississauga franchise grow and flourish”

Mayor Hazel McCallion is also thrilled to have the team staying in Mississauga “It is wonderful to know that we will continue to have an OHL team in Mississauga under the ownership of Elliott Kerr” said City of Mississauga Mayor Hazel McCallion. “I encourage community support for hockey at all levels in Mississauga and I am pleased that our residents will continue to enjoy a high caliber of sports entertainment that brings in many visitors to our City.

Under the new ownership, the hockey club will undergo a complete rebranding as the Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors name will be returned to the school. We want to thank Eugene Melnyk for supporting minor hockey in Mississauga and for bringing the Majors to this great city. In an effort to engage the residents of Mississauga, the new team will be conducting a “Name the Team Contest” in association with the Mississauga News this week. The team name will be unveiled following the contest.

Coach and General Manager, James Boyd will remain with the team and Kerr has appointed Scott Rogers as Vice President and Director of Business Operations for the club.

- From OHL news release