This week, I’ll break down all 20 OHL clubs division by division and unveil my predictions for the 2012-13 season. Today, let’s look at the Western Conference’s Midwest Division (listed in alphabetical order):

Erie Otters
Coach/GM: Robbie Ftorek/Sherry Bassin
2011-12 finish: 10-52-3-3, 5th division, 10th conference
Playoff finish: Did not qualify
Key players: C Connor McDavid (No. 1 pick in 2012 OHL Priority Selection; 33 goals, 39 assists, 72 points in 33 games with Toronto Marlboros minor midget), G Oscar Dansk (No. 3 pick in 2012 CHL Import Draft; 2.82 goals-against average, .910 save percentage in 28 games with Brynas in Sweden), C Dane Fox (23-31-54), RW Connor Brown (25-28-53; Toronto prospect), LW Stephen Harper (24-11-35)
Key losses: G Ramis Sadikov (6-23-3-2, 4.26, .894)
Outlook: The highly anticipated McDavid era begins in Erie, but this team has other promising players at every position. Now these young Otters have to learn how to win after enduring the worst record in franchise history a season ago.

Guelph Storm
Coach/GM: Scott Walker/Mike Kelly
2011-12 finish: 31-31-2-4, 4th division, 7th conference
Playoff finish: Lost to Plymouth 4-2 in conference quarterfinals
Key players: RW Zack Mitchell (37-38-75), G Garret Sparks (27-25-1-3, 3.11, .907, 5 SO; Toronto prospect), RW Cody McNaughton (25-24-49), RW Scott Kosmachuk (30-29-59; Winnipeg prospect), D Andrey Pedan (10-30-40; N.Y. Islanders prospect)
Key losses: C Francis Menard (24-36-60; traded to Peterborough)
Outlook: The Storm are ready to take the next step in this always competitive conference. They play solid defense, led by Sparks in goal and Pedan on the blue line, and they have skill up front in Kosmachuk, Mitchell and McNaughton.

Kitchener Rangers
Coach/GM: Steve Spott
2011-12 finish: 42-24-1-1, 2nd division, 3rd conference
Playoff finish: Lost to London 4-0 in conference finals
Key players: RW Tobias Rieder (42-43-85; Edmonton prospect), D Ryan Murphy (11-43-54, +14; signed with Carolina), C Radek Faksa (29-37-66; signed with Dallas), LW Matt Puempel (34-35-69; acquired from Peterborough, signed with Ottawa), G John Gibson (21-10-0-0, 2.75, .928, 1 SO; signed with Anaheim)
Key losses: C Michael Catenacci (25-44-69), C Andrew Crescenzi (24-23-37; signed with Toronto)
Outlook: The Rangers are a perennial contender in the conference, and they made sure this season was no different with the acquisition of Puempel from Peterborough. Expect the Rangers to be near, if not at, the top of the West in 2012-13.

London Knights
Coach/GM: Dale Hunter/Mark Hunter
2011-12 finish: 49-18-0-1; 1st division, 1st conference
Playoff finish: Won league championship, lost to Shawinigan (QMJHL) in Memorial Cup final
Key players: RW Seth Griffith (45-40-85, Boston prospect), D Scott Harrington (3-23-26, +26; signed with Pittsburgh), D Olli Maatta (5-27-32, +25; signed with Pittsburgh; C Max Domi (21-28-49), C Ryan Rupert (17-31-48)
Key losses: Michael Houser (46-15-0-1, 2.47, .925, 6 SO; signed with Florida), C Greg McKegg (31-44-75; former Otter, signed with Toronto), C Vladislav Namestnikov (30-39-69; signed with Tampa Bay), RW Jared Knight (25-45-70; signed with Boston), C Austin Watson (25-43-68; signed with Nashville)
Outlook: Dale Hunter returns behind the Knights’ bench after leading the NHL’s Washington Capitals to the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs last season. He has work to do if the Knights are to recapture the success they enjoyed in 2011-12.

Owen Sound Attack
Coach/GM: Greg Ireland/Dale DeGray
2011-12 finish: 32-29-304, 3rd division, 6th conference
Playoff finish: Lost to Kitchener 4-1 in conference quarterfinals
Key players: G Jordan Binnington (21-17-0-1, 2.99, .906, 1 SO; signed with St. Louis), C Daniel Catenacci (33-39-72; signed with Buffalo), C Gemel Smith (21-39-60; Dallas prospect), C Cameron Brace (29-27-56), D Keevin Cutting (7-18-25, +20)
Key losses: LW Mike Halmo (40-45-85; signed with N.Y. Islanders), D Jay Gilbert (10-23-33, +8)
Outlook: The Attack lost a 40-goal scorer in Halmo, but they have enough talent from back to front to make a run in the conference. But they need to be more consistent after tailing off late last season and losing in the first round of the playoffs.

- Victor Fernandes

GUELPH, Ontario – The offensive onslaught continued against the Erie Otters on Friday night.

Guelph handed the Otters a 10-2 loss in front of 2,806 at Sleeman Centre. Erie enters today’s 7 pm. home opener against Oshawa having been outscored 21-6 in a season-opening, three-game losing streak.

The Otters’ young defense, which features four rookies and has lost second-year player Adam Pelech to a wrist injury, has allowed 131 shots on goal in those three games.

On this night, Zack Mitchell led the Storm’s offense with three goals and an assist. Francis Menard had a goal and three assists.

Ryan Horvat (two goals, assist), Ben Harpur (goal, two assists), Cody McNaughton (goal, two assists) and Tanner Richard (goal, two assists) had three points apiece for the Storm (2-1-0-1). Chris Festarini allowed all 10 goals on 38 shots for the Otters (0-3-0-0).

The Otters erased nearly all of a 3-0 deficit with goals from Mike Cazzola and Mac McDonnell in the second period. Rookie winger Nick Betz assisted on McDonnell’s goal for his first career point.

But the Storm scored the game’s final seven goals. The start of the game was delayed by 20 minutes because a closure on the Queen Elizabeth Way in Ontario left the team bus stuck in traffic.

SUMMARY

Storm 10, Otters 2

Erie  0  2  0  —  2

Guelph  3  3  4  —  10

1^st Period — 1. Guelph, Ben Harpur 1 (Auger, Garlent), 1:15. 2. Guelph, Tanner Richard 1 (Horvat, Kosmachuk), 2:15. 3. Guelph, Zack Mitchell 1 (Menard, McNaughton), 18:40. Penalties — McKegg (E) checking from behind, 4:01; Foote (G) delay of game, 5:14; Cazzola (E) hooking, 7:42; McKegg (E) goaltender interference, 12:40; Leslie (G) slashing, 13:33.

2^nd Period — 4. Erie, Mike Cazzola 1 (unassisted), 1:22. 5. Erie, Mac McDonnell 1 (Betz), 13:25. 6. Guelph, Mitchell 2 (McNaughton), 16:33. 7. Guelph, Ryan Horvat 1 (Richard), 16:45. 8. Guelph, Horvat 2 (unassisted), 19:10 (sh). Penalties — Auger (G) hooking, 7:34; Wood (E) 5-min. fighting, 12:01; Bertuzzi (G) 5-min. fighting, 12:01; Leslie (G) slashing, 18:07.

3^rd Period — 9. Guelph, Cody McNaughton 4 (Kosmachuk, Richard), 1:10. 10. Guelph, Kyle Pereira 2 (Leslie, Menard), 2:57. 11. Guelph, Mitchell 3 (Menard, Harpur), 13:42. 12. Guelph, Francis Menard 3 (Mitchell, Harpur), 17:50. Penalties — Cazzola (E) slashing, 3:13; Pereira (G) cross checking, 3:13; McGuire (E) slashing, 10:41; McGuire (E) 5-min. fighting, 10:41; McNaughton (G) 5-min. fighting, 10:41; McGuire (E) game misconduct, 10:41.

Shots on goal — Erie, 15-8-7—33; Guelph, 15-6-17—38.

Goaltenders — Erie, Chris Festarini 0-2-0-0 (36 shots, 26 saves); Guelph, Brandon Foote (4 shots, 4 saves), Garret Sparks 1-1-0-1 (29 shots, 27 saves).

Power plays — Erie (0-4), Guelph (0-3).

Referees — Matt Parlette, Ben Wilson. Linesmen — Tim Steen.

Attendance — 2,806.

Three stars

* Zack Mitchell, Storm (3 goals, assist) ** Ryan Horvat, Storm (2 goals, assist) *** Tanner Richard, Storm (goal, 2 assists)

Shawn Szydlowski put the Erie Otters in position. David Shields finished it off.

Shields scored with 3.5 seconds left in overtime to seal a 5-4 win against Guelph in front of 2,444 at Tullio Arena on Sunday. Szydlowski forced overtime with 1:45 left in regulation on his third goal of the game, which capped his second hat trick of the season and fourth of his Ontario Hockey League career.

The Otters have (13-14-1-0) have a four-game winning streak for the first time since the middle of last season. They also have recorded hat tricks in three straight games for the first time in franchise history.

The Otters wasted little time in getting their offense in gear against the Storm.

Szydlowski gathered a loose puck at center ice and fired a wrist shot past goaltender Brandon Foote for a 1-0 lead 1:14 into the opening period. But after that, these Midwest Division rivals settled into a defensive struggle. They combined for 11 more shots in the period, with the Storm holding a 7-5 edge.

The Otters began the second period as they did in the first – with a quick goal. A hooking penalty to Storm center Michael Latta led to David Broll’s fourth goal of the season 1:42 into the period.

Phil Varone assisted on the goal – his ninth point in a season-high, five-game point streak. Greg McKegg also earned an assist for his team-leading 39^th point. The Storm sliced Erie’s lead in half at 2-1 less than three minutes later, as Cody McNaughton scored through a goal-mouth scramble during a delayed penalty.

Then the Storm capitalized on a 4-on-3 power play, as Peter Holland fired a slap shot past a screened Ramis Sadikov 7:31 into the period to tie the score at 2. Guelph took their first lead of the game at 3-2 on Tyler Carroll’s power-play goal with 7:49 left in the period – a rebound of a shot that glanced off the post. But the Otters responded on the power play, with Szydlowski scoring his second goal 1:23 later.

Szydlowski responded after Guelph’s Taylor Beck scored on the power play with 4:41 left in the third period. He completed his hat trick off assists from Shields and Brett Cook to force overtime.

Then Shields stole the spotlight in overtime to cap a franchise-record ninth win in November.

Latta had a goal and three assists for the Storm (10-12-2-1), which have lost five straight games.

* News and notes: The Otters finished November with a 9-3 record. … The Otters won in overtime for the first time in nearly a year – a 5-4 win against Guelph on Nov. 27, 2009. They won in overtime at home for the first time since Nick Palmieri’s goal in a 4-3 win against Belleville on Nov. 22, 2007, which snapped a franchise-record, 16-game losing streak. … Guelph’s No. 1 line of Latta, Beck and Holland combined for three goals and seven goals. They had a goal and two points in the first two meetings with the Otters. … The Storm (10-11-3-1) have lost five straight and eight of their last 11 games.

- Victor Fernandes

GUELPH, Ontario – The Erie Otters needed an offensive spark Friday night.

Their No. 1 line provided it. Greg McKegg, Mike Cazzola and Shawn Szydlowski each scored in the second period to erase a two-goal deficit and secure a 3-2 win against Guelph at Sleeman Centre.

McKegg’s team-leading fourth goal of the season, scored 19 seconds into the middle period on assists from Cazzola and Szydlowski, began the Otters’ rally to a second straight win. Mike Cazzola tied the score at 2 with 7:18 left in the period. Defensemen Mitch Gaulton and Tyler Hostetter had the assists.

Then McKegg and Cazzola teamed on Szydlowski’s tiebreaking goal 1:19 later.

Second-year goaltender Ramis Sadikov took over from there. He capped a 33-save effort by stopping all 11 Storm shots in the third. Guelph (3-3-0-0), which built a 2-0 lead on goals from Cody McNaughton and Peter Holland late in the first period, outshot the Otters 11-4 in the period and 35-28 overall.

The Otters (3-3-0-0) also survived a 6-on-4 situation in the game’s final moments.

Cazzola, a native of Guelph, Ontario, led the Otters (3-3-0-0) with a goal and two assists. McKegg and Szydlowski had a goal and assist apiece. The Otters return to the ice today for a 7 p.m. game against Kitchener. It’s the first game of a home-and-home series that concludes Monday in Kitchener.

SUMMARY

Otters 3, Storm 2

Erie  0  3  0  —  3

Guelph  2  0  0  —  2

1^st Period — 1. Guelph, Cody McNaughton 2 (Menard, Sisca), 17:41 (pp). 2. Guelph, Peter Holland 5 (Beck, Latta), 18:33. Penalties — Van Laren (G) tripping, 2:45; Coccimiglio (E) tripping, 9:07; Holden (E) high sticking, 15:45.

2^nd Period — 3. Erie, Greg McKegg 4 (Cazzola, Szydlowski), :19. 4. Erie, Mike Cazzola 3 (Gaulton, Hostetter), 12:42. 5. Erie, Shawn Szydlowski 2 (McKegg, Cazzola), 16:01. Penalties — Paton (E) 5-min. fighting, 1:52; Carroll (G) 5-min. fighting, 1:52; Broll (E) high sticking, 6:16; Broll (E) 5-min. fighting, 12:43; Sandlak (G) 5-min. fighting, 12:43.

3^rd Period — None. Penalties — Erie, too many men (served by Marchese), 1:10; Erie, too many men (served by Paton), 18:24; Beck (G) high sticking, 19:46.

Shots on goal — Erie, 10-14-4—28; Guelph, 14-10-11—35.

Goaltenders — Erie, Ramis Sadikov 3-2-0-0 (35 shots, 33 saves); Guelph, Garret Sparks 0-1-0-0 (28 shots, 25 saves).

Power plays — Erie (0-2), Guelph (1-5).

Referees — N/A. Linesmen — N/A.

Attendance — N/A.