Toronto, ON – The Canadian Hockey League announced today that Anaheim Ducks prospect John Gibson of the Kitchener Rangers is the first Vaughn CHL Goaltender of the Week for the 2012-13 season after posting a 2-0-0-0 record with a shutout victory along with a 0.96 goals-against-average and .964 save percentage for the week ending September 23.

Gibson opened the 2012-13 campaign on Friday night recording the first shutout across the CHL this season making, the second of his career, with 25-saves as first star of the Rangers’ 3-0 win over the Mississauga Steelheads. He followed that performance with a 28-save effort on Sunday afternoon in a 3-2 shootout win over the Sarnia Sting.

Gibson, a 19-year-old from Pittsburgh, PA, is playing in his second OHL season with the Rangers following a 2011-12 season where he led the league with a .928 save percentage in 32 games. Gibson was selected in the second round of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft by the Anaheim Ducks and was a member of last year’s U.S National Junior Team.

Also considered for the award this week was Luke Siemens of the Prince Albert Raiders who posted a 1-0-0-1 record for a 1.44 goals-against-average and a .957 save percentage. In the QMJHL, Carl Hozjan of the Rimouski Oceanic posted a 2-0-0-0 record with a goals-against-average of 0.61 and save percentage of .978.

- From CHL news release

NEW YORK — The Edmonton Oilers won the 2012 Scotiabank NHL Draft Lottery today and gained the first drafting position for the first round of the 2012 NHL Draft.

The Oilers own the first overall selection for the third consecutive year. This is the second time the Oilers have won the lottery. In 2010, Edmonton won the lottery, retaining the top pick in the Draft, which they used to select Taylor Hall. Last year, the Oilers again retained the first pick, which they used to select Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, when the New Jersey Devils won the lottery and moved from 8th position to 4th.

The Oilers had the second-greatest percentage likelihood, 18.8%, that one of the numbered sequences assigned to them would be the winning combination. Under the system, only the five teams with the fewest points had the chance to win the first overall selection; no team could move up more than four spots and no team could move backward more than one.

The Columbus Blue Jackets, Montreal Canadiens, New York Islanders and Toronto Maple Leafs own the second, third, fourth and fifth drafting positions, respectively, in the first round.

The order of selection for the first 14 drafting positions in the first round, only, of the 2012 NHL Draft is as follows:

1. Edmonton Oilers
2. Columbus Blue Jackets
3. Montreal Canadiens
4. New York Islanders
5. Toronto Maple Leafs
6. Anaheim Ducks
7. Minnesota Wild
8. Carolina Hurricanes
9. Winnipeg Jets
10. Tampa Bay Lightning
11. Washington Capitals (from Colorado)
12. Buffalo Sabres
13. Dallas Stars
14. Calgary Flames

The remaining positions are determined by the results of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The drawing was conducted at the NHL’s New York office and the results were televised live on the 2012 Scotiabank NHL Draft Lottery on TSN in Canada and NBC Sports Network in the U.S. The program aired live on TSN Mobile TV and can also be viewed on demand on TSN.ca.

Fourteen balls, numbered 1 to 14, were placed in a lottery machine. The machine expelled four balls, forming a series of numbers. The four-digit series resulting from the expulsion of the balls was matched against a probability chart that divided the possible combinations among the 14 participating clubs. The chart showed that the Oilers had been assigned the numbers (2-10-11-13) that were expelled.

The 2012 Scotiabank NHL Draft Lottery is a weighted system to give the teams that finished with the fewest points during the regular season the greatest chance of having their combination selected. The Columbus Blue Jackets finished the regular season with the fewest points in the League (65) and were assigned the greatest number of combinations, representing a 25% likelihood that their combination would emerge. Oilers were assigned 18.8% of the combinations, followed by Montreal (14.2%), the Islanders (10.7%) and Toronto (8.1%). The remaining teams had the following chances: 6.2%, 4.7%, 3.6%, 2.7%, 2.1%, 1.5%, 1.1%, 0.8% and 0.5%.

The 2012 NHL Draft will take place at CONSOL Energy Center in Pittsburgh. The first round is on Friday, June 22 and the subsequent rounds take place Saturday, June 23.

Results of Previous Draft Drawings

Year Selected Effect On Draft Order Player Selected
1995 Los Angeles Moved from 7th to 3rd D Aki Berg
1996 Ottawa Retained 1st selection D Chris Phillips
1997 Boston Retained 1st selection C Joe Thornton
1998 Tampa Bay Moved from 3rd to 1st via trades C Vincent Lecavalier
1999 Chicago Moved from 8th to 4th RW Pavel Brendl *
2000 NY Islanders Moved from 5th to 1st G Rick DiPietro
2001 Atlanta Moved from 3rd to 1st LW Ilya Kovalchuk
2002 Florida Moved from 3rd to 1st LW Rick Nash **
2003 Florida Moved from 4th to 1st G Marc-Andre Fleury ***
2004 Washington Moved from 3rd to 1st LW Alex Ovechkin
2005 Pittsburgh n/a C Sidney Crosby
2006 St. Louis Retained 1st selection D Erik Johnson
2007 Chicago Moved from 5th to 1st RW Patrick Kane
2008 Tampa Bay Retained 1st selection C Steven Stamkos
2009 NY Islanders Retained 1st selection C John Tavares
2010 Edmonton Retained 1st selection LW Taylor Hall
2011 New Jersey Moved from 8th to 4th D Adam Larsson
2012 Edmonton Moved from 2nd to 1st

* NY Rangers obtained Chicago’s pick in a trade (via Vancouver and Tampa Bay). The Rangers selected RW Pavel Brendl fourth overall.

** Columbus obtained Florida’s pick in a trade. The Blue Jackets selected LW Rick Nash first overall.

*** Pittsburgh obtained Florida’s pick in a trade. The Penguins selected G Marc-Andre Fleury first overall.

- From NHL news release

The Mississauga St. Michael’s took advantage of the man advantage Wednesday night.

The Majors scored three power-play goals on six chances – headlined by Dylan DeMelo’s go-ahead goal 8:12 into the third period – to rally past the Erie Otters 4-2 in front of 2,218 fans at Tullio Arena.

DeMelo led the Majors (8-1-0-0) with a goal and two assists, while goaltender Spencer Martin earned the win in his OHL debut after being a late addition to the lineup in place of veteran J.P. Anderson.

Meanwhile, injury woes and third-period struggles led to the Otters’ second straight loss and sixth defeat in seven games to start the season. The Otters allowed three goals in the final period.

Before the game, the Otters added veteran center Mike Cazzola to an injury list that includes defenseman Adam Pelech (wrist surgery) and forward Connor Crisp (shoulder surgery).

Cazzola undergoes surgery today in Erie to repair a small fracture in his hand and will miss the next month. The Otters also were without veteran forward Brett Thompson, a 40-goal scorer the past two seasons, because of the flu.

Yet the surging Majors also were short-handed, as they were without veterans Devante Smith-Pelly (who remains with the NHL’s Anaheim Ducks), Joseph Cramarossa, Jordan Mayer and Stuart Percy.

So the teams were evenly matched in the opening period, with the Otters taking a 1-0 lead on rookie Connor Brown’s second career goal. He stole the puck at the Majors’ blue line, raced in on net and fired a shot under the crossbar for a 1-0 lead with 4:06 left in the period.

The Majors tied the score at 1 on the power play, as Sergey Kuptsov scored his sixth goal of the season on assists from David Corrente and DeMelo with 49 seconds left in the period. But the Otters capitalized on a power play early in the second.

Chris Marchese turned rookie defenseman Travis Wood’s point shot into a rebound goal 6:37 into the period. Rookie Sondre Olden also assisted on the goal. The Otters seemed to gain momentum from that goal. They outshot the Majors 15-9 in the period. Erie nearly capitalized on several of them, especially during a 5-minute power play that carried into the third.

However, the Otters didn’t extend their one-goal lead. The inability to finish proved costly for the Otters.

Derek Schoenmakers scored on the power play, with assists from Riley Brace and DeMelo, to tie the score at 2 at the 3:18 mark of the third. Then the Majors turned a 5-minute charging penalty against Otters rookie Tyler McCarthy into their third power-play goal of the game. DeMelo scored on assists from Justin Rasmussen and Corrente with 11:48 left. McCarthy also received a game misconduct.

Spencer Cobbold capped the Majors’ win with his first OHL goal late in the game.

- Victor Fernandes

Steve Montador (Contributed/NHL)

The Buffalo Sabres traded the negotiating rights to defenseman Steve Montador, a former Erie Otter, to the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday in exchange for a 2012 or 2013 draft pick, the Sabres announced.

The seventh-round pick in 2012, which the Blackhawks acquired from the Florida Panthers on Monday in the Tomas Kopecky trade, is currently conditional to the Nashville Predators. If that pick isn’t available, the Sabres would receive the Panthers’ seventh-round selection in 2013.

Montador, 31, had 10 goals, 49 points and 158 penalty minutes in 151 games with the Sabres the past two seasons. He has 28 goals, 117 points and 762 penalty minutes in 519 games with the Calgary Flames, Panthers, Anaheim Ducks, Boston Bruins and Sabres from 2001-11. He had 12 goals, 62 points and 149 penalty minutes in 87 games with the Otters from 1997-99.

What: Erie Otters (3-7-1-0) at Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (4-6-1-0)

When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.

Where: Essar Centre – Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario

On the air: WFNN-AM/1330, www.ottershockey.com (live stream)

Players to watch

Erie – C Greg McKegg (8 goals, 11 assists, 19 points), C Mike Cazzola (5-11-16), RW Shawn Szydlowski (4-7-11), LW David Broll (2-5-7), D Tyler Hostetter (3-5-8)

Sault Ste. Marie – C Brett Thompson (9-4-13), C Daniel Catenacci (3-10-13), LW Vern Cooper (2-11-13), C Nick Cousins (5-3-8), C Carson Dubchak (4-2-6)

Fast facts

Erie – The Otters have a season-high, five-game losing streak. … They have lost three straight on the road and are 2-5-0-0 overall. … The two-game trip through northwestern Ontario concludes a stretch of seven road games in 10 outings. The Otters begin a stretch of five straight games and eight of nine at home on Wednesday against Plymouth. … The injury-ravaged Otters have been playing without defensemen Brett Cook (concussion) and David Shields (back) and forwards Brett Appio (leg), Connor Crisp (concussion) and Anthony Luciani (wrist). … Defenseman Mitch Gaulton has played despite a nagging hand injury. But he left Saturday’s game against Ottawa in the third period. … The Otters and Greyhounds rank near the bottom of the OHL with 46 and 43 goals against, respectively. … McKegg ranks among the top 10 in goals, assists and points. He leads the league with three short-handed goals.

Sault Ste. Marie – Former Otters assistant coach Mike Stapleton (2006-08) left his assistant position with the Greyhounds (2008-10) in June to become an assistant with the Syracuse Crunch, the Anaheim Ducks’ AHL affiliate. … The Greyhounds won both meetings against the Otters last season – 4-3 in a shootout at home on Sept. 19, 2009, and 5-1 in Erie on Oct. 24, 2009. … They return home after a 1-2 road trip to Brampton, Mississauga St. Michael’s and Guelph. … The Greyhounds swapped goaltenders last week, trading Bryce O’Hagan to Peterborough and acquiring Chris Perugini from Ottawa. … Thompson ranks fourth in goals and among the top 20 in points.

Up next: at Sudbury (Saturday, 7 p.m.), vs. Plymouth (Wednesday, 7 p.m.)

- Victor Fernandes

What: Erie Otters (3-4-1-0) at Windsor Spitfires (4-4-0-1)

When: Thursday, 7:05 p.m.

Where: WFCU Centre – Windsor, Ontario

On the air: WFNN-AM/1330, www.ottershockey.com (live stream)

Players to watch

Erie – C Greg McKegg (7 goals, 9 assists, 16 points), C Mike Cazzola (4-8-12), RW Shawn Szydlowski (3-6-9), LW David Broll (2-4-6), D Tyler Hostetter (2-4-6)

Windsor – D Ryan Ellis (3-3-6), RW Zack Kassian (3-8-11), C Alexander Khokhlachev (6-5-11), C Zack MacQueen (4-7-11), D Michael MacIntyre (4-4-8)

Fast facts

Erie – The Otters play four of the next five games on the road. They are 2-3-0-0 away from Tullio Arena. … McKegg has points in seven straight games (seven goals, nine points). He is tied with Kitchener D Ryan Murphy for the OHL’s scoring lead. McKegg also is third in goals, tied for second in assists and leads with three short-handed goals. … Five of eight games have been decided by one goal (1-3-1-0). … RW Anthony Luciani (undisclosed injury) began skating with the team on Tuesday. He hopes to play this weekend. … D Brett Cook (undisclosed injury) and rookie C Connor Crisp (concussion) still haven’t returned to practice. … The Otters

Zack MacQueen (Contributed/Windsor Spitfires)

have allowed power-play goals in seven of eight games this season. … They rank in the league’s bottom five on the power play and penalty kill. … The Otters have lost eight straight trips to Windsor since a 3-2 shootout win on Feb. 1, 2007. That streak includes two defeats in an opening-round playoff sweep by the Spitfires last season.

Windsor – The Spitfires are rebuilding after losing several members of the two-time defending league and Memorial Cup champions to the pros, headlined by LW Taylor Hall (Edmonton Oilers), D Cam Fowler (Anaheim Ducks) and coach Bob Boughner (Columbus Blue Jackets assistant coach). … Ellis and Kassian, who recorded his 11 points in the past four games, anchor a young team. Both were recently assigned to the Spitfires by the Buffalo Sabres and Nashville Predators, respectively. … MacQueen, who was traded to the Spitfires by his father – former Otters coach and current Sarnia coach/general manager Dave MacQueen – is tied for the team lead in scoring. … G Jack Campbell, who led the United States to a gold medal in the IIHF World Junior Championship last winter, has struggled in his first OHL season (2-4-0-0, 4.99 goals-against average, .855 save percentage). … Khokhlachev, the 23^rd pick in the 2010 CHL Import Draft, is tied for fourth in goals.

Up next: at London (Friday, 7:30 p.m.), vs. Ottawa (Saturday, 7 p.m.)

What: Erie Otters (2-3-0-0) at Guelph Storm (3-2-0-0)

When: Today, 7:30 p.m.

Where: Sleeman Centre – Guelph, Ontario

On the air: WFNN-AM/1330, www.ottershockey.com (live stream)

Players to watch

Erie – C Greg McKegg (3 goals, 5 assists, 8 points), C Mike Cazzola (2-4-6), RW Anthony Luciani (3-2-5), LW David Broll (2-4-6), D Tyler Hostetter (2-2-4)

Guelph – C Peter Holland (4-5-9), C Michael Latta (4-2-6), RW Taylor Beck (3-3-6), D Tim Campbell (0-6-6), C Mathew Sisca (3-0-3)

Fast facts

Erie – The Otters snapped a three-game losing streak with a 5-2 home win against London on Saturday. … They have lost two of their first three on the road (5-4 in Niagara on Sept. 30 and 7-3 in Kitchener last Friday). … They continue a stretch of five straight games against Midwest Division teams. … They play six of the next eight games on the road. … McKegg, the reigning OHL player of the week, has points in four straight games (three goals, five points). … G Ramis Sadikov (2-2-0-0 record, 2.76 goals-against average, .933 save percentage) has made 35 or more saves in three of four outings. … RW Scott Mitchell hasn’t played in a game this season. He has dressed for only 10 games in the past three seasons. … D Brett Cook (undisclosed injury) and rookie C Connor Crisp (mild concussion) remain out of the lineup. … The Otters were 7-for-7 on the penalty kill against London on Saturday, their first game without a power-play goal against this season. … Cazzola snapped a four-game point streak on Saturday.

Guelph – The Storm are playing the 20^th season in franchise history. … They have outscored opponents 12-9 in their three wins and been outscored 14-5 in two losses. … Holland, who signed with the NHL’s Anaheim Ducks in April, is tied for third overall in scoring. He has goals and points in four of five games. … Holland, Latta and Beck – the Storm’s top three scorers – have combined for 11 of the club’s 17 goals. … The teams split the six-game season series last year, with the Storm winning two of three at home.

Up next: vs. Kitchener (Saturday, 7 p.m.), at Kitchener (Monday, 1 p.m.)

- Victor Fernandes

The Erie Otters finally produced a strong defensive effort.

After surrendering 12 goals in the opening two games of the weekend, the Otters stymied rival London to snap a three-game losing streak with a 5-2 win in front of 3,456 at Tullio Arena on Saturday night.

The Otters (2-3-0-0) held the Knights in check for nearly two periods. The penalty-kill unit, which allowed seven goals on 18 chances in the opening four games, went 7-for-7 against the Knights (2-2-0-0).

Meanwhile, the Otters scored four straight goals, two apiece in the first and second, to build a 4-0 lead.

“This was a huge win for us,” second-year winger David Broll said. “It’s a really good confidence boost.”

The Otters found an opening through Igor Bobkov, London’s 6 foot 6 inch, 240-pound rookie goaltender and Anaheim Ducks prospect, late in the opening period. Broll turned defenseman David Shields’ pass into his second goal of the season and a 1-0 Otters lead with 5 minutes, 32 seconds left in the first. Thirty-one seconds later, overage winger Shawn Szydlowski, who has joined Mike Cazzola and Greg McKegg on the No. 1 line, scored his first goal of the season for a 2-0 lead.

Then in the second period, a defensive miscue and Bobkov’s inability to cover the puck in the crease turned into McKegg’s short-handed goal at the 8:04 mark. McKegg poked the puck through Bobkov after it slipped out from under Bobkov’s glove. The Otters continued the offensive assault late in the period.

Tyler Hostetter scored his second goal of the season, off assists from rookie Chris Marchese and Broll, for a 4-0 lead with 4:58 left. The Knights ended Ramis Sadikov’s bid for his first Ontario Hockey League shutout, as rookie Andreas Athanasiou poked in a rebound with 7.6 seconds left in the second.

London sliced the Otters’ lead to 4-2 at the 2:40 mark of the third, as rookie Vladislav Namestnikov’s shot trickled through Sadikov. London outshot the Otters 14-5 in the final 20 minutes. But Sadikov and the Otters held off the Knights the rest of the way.

Along the way, McKegg scored his second short-handed goal, this one into an empty net, with 1:02 left in the game. He’s the first Otter to score two short-handed goals in a game since Zack Torquato on Feb. 29, 2008, against Owen Sound and the fifth in the franchise’s 15-year history. Sadikov had 35 saves. Bobkov had 24 in his OHL debut. McKegg led Erie with two goals and an assist. Broll and Hostetter each had a goal and assist. Namestnikov had a goal and assist for the Knights.

* News and notes: Defenseman Brett Cook missed the game. He apparently was injured in a first-period fight against Kitchener’s Tyler Randell on Friday night. Coach Robbie Ftorek said he was unaware of Cook’s condition. … Brady Austin has played the first five games on defense. Before the season, club officials said he would return to defense permanently.

- Victor Fernandes

SUMMARY

Otters 5, Knights 2

London  0  1  1  —  2

Erie  2  2  1  —  5

1^st Period — 1. Erie, David Broll 2 (Shields, Luciani), 14:28. 2. Erie, Shawn Szydlowski 1 (McKegg, Hostetter), 14:59. Penalties — Paton (E) high sticking, 7:13; McNeill (L) holding, 15:56; Szydlowski (E) high sticking, 16:47; Paton (E) hooking, 19:58.

2^nd Period — 3. Erie, Greg McKegg 2 (unassisted), 8:04 (sh). 4. Erie, Tyler Hostetter 2 (Marchese, Broll), 15:02. London, Andreas Athanasiou 1 (D’Orazio, Namestnikov), 19:52. Penalties — Appio (E) 4-min. roughing, 6:34; Terreri (L) checking from behind, 6:34.

3^rd Period — 6. London, Vladislav Namestnikov 2 (Donnay), 2:40. 7. Erie, McKegg 3 (unassisted), 18:52 (sh-en). Penalties — Shields (E) holding, 4:35; Appio (E) high sticking, 6:45; Holden (E) delay of game, 17:58.

Shots on goal — London, 10-13-14—37; Erie, 13-11-5—29.

Goaltenders — London, Igor Bobkov 0-1-0-0 (28 shots, 24 saves); Erie, Ramis Sadikov 2-2-0-0 (37 shots, 35 saves).

Power plays — London (0-7), Erie (0-1).

Referees — Ben Wilson, Craig Spada. Linesmen — Ron Wilson, Fraiser MacIntire.

Attendance — 3,456.

Three stars

* Greg McKegg, Otters (2 goals, assist) ** Ramis Sadikov, Otters (35 saves) *** Tyler Hostetter, Otters (goal, assist)

The NHL‘s Anaheim Ducks assigned former Erie Otters defenseman Eric Regan to the ECHL‘s Elmira (N.Y.) Jackals on Friday.

What: London Knights (2-1-0-0) at Erie Otters (1-3-0-0)

When: Saturday, 7 p.m.

Where: Tullio Arena

On the air: WFNN-AM/1330, www.ottershockey.com (live stream)

Players to watch

Erie – C Greg McKegg (1 goals, 4 assists, 5 points), C Mike Cazzola (2-4-6), RW Anthony Luciani (3-1-4), LW David Broll (1-3-4), D Mitch Gaulton (2-0-2)

London – RW Vladislav Namestnikov (1-3-4), RW Jared Knight (2-1-3), LW Michael McDonald (1-2-3), LW Colin Martin (1-2-3), C Phil Varone (1-0-1)

Fast facts

Erie – The Otters attempt to snap a three-game losing streak at home, where they lost their opener to Saginaw 3-2 last weekend. … They lost four of six meetings with the Midwest Division rival Knights last season. But four of the defeats were by a goal – three in overtime or shootout. The Otters won two of three home games in the season series. … D Brett Cook suffered an apparent injury early in Friday’s loss to Kitchener and didn’t return. … Rookie C Connor Crisp (mild concussion) missed his fourth straight game on Friday. … The Otters have allowed power-play goals in all four games (seven goals on 18 chances). … Cazzola has points in all four games.

London – The Knights play their first road game of the season. They opened with three straight at home – a 3-2 shootout win against Plymouth, 4-3 overtime win against Sarnia and a 4-2 loss to Owen Sound. … Second-year goaltender Michael Houser (2-1-0-0 record, 2.53 goals-against average, .925 save percentage, 1 shutout) has started the first three games in front of rookie Igor Bobkov, an Anaheim Ducks prospect. … The Knight selected Namestnikov 20^th overall in the 2010 CHL Import Draft.

Up next: at Guelph (Friday, 7:30 p.m.), vs. Kitchener (Oct. 9, 7 p.m.)

- Victor Fernandes