The Erie Otters of the Ontario Hockey League selected Swedish goaltender Oscar Dansk (DAHN-sk) from Brynäs of the Elitserien with the third overall selection in the 2012 CHL Import Draft Wednesday morning.

Born February 28, 1994 in Stockholm, the 6-foot-2, 187-pound Dansk was drafted by the Columbus Blue Jackets with the 31st overall pick of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft. Dansk was ranked second among European goaltenders by NHL Central Scouting in their final rankings for the draft.

In 28 games in the junior-level Super Elitserien, Dansk had a 2.82 goals-against-average and a save percentage of .910 with Brynäs. He also won a silver medal with Sweden at the 2012 IIHF Under-18 World Championships.

Dansk has previously played in North America with the storied Shattuck-St. Mary’s program in Minnesota, which has produced hockey superstars such as Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby, New Jersey Devils left wing Zach Parise and Chicago Blackhawks center Jonathan Toews.

Elite Prospects describes Dansk as “A very agile goalie with a large frame. Plays a hybrid style of play. Solid technical skills and is also strong mentally. Uses his size to his advantage and cuts off angles well. A good competitor.”

The Otters will select their next player in the 63rd spot.

The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League’s Moncton Wildcats used the first overall pick to select Russia left wing Ivan Barbashev. The Prince Albert Raiders of the Western Hockey League selected German left wing Leon Draisaitl with the second overall pick.

- From Erie Otters news release

The Erie Otters of the Ontario Hockey League are proud to announce that forward Stephen Harper is one of 40 players invited by Hockey Canada to attend Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team selection camp, August 3-6 at the MasterCard Centre in Toronto, Ont.

Harper last played on the international stage at the 2012 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge in Windsor, Ont., where he won a bronze medal with Team Ontario. Harper scored two goals in five games during the tournament.

In his first OHL season with the Otters, Harper collected 24 goals and 11 assists, sharing team Rookie of the Year honors with Connor Brown. Harper’s 24 goals were the most among 1995-born players in the OHL last season.

The roster includes four goaltenders, 12 defensemen and 24 forwards. The players, born in 1995 and 1996, were selected by Hockey Canada head scout Kevin Prendergast, in consultation with head coach Todd Gill and assistant coaches Yanick Jean and Scott Walker.

“These players are the cream of the crop of under-18 talent in Canada, and it’s going to be exciting to see them battle for 22 roster spots,” Prendergast said. “As it is every year, there were some tough decisions to get down to 40, and they’ll be even tougher decisions to make to finalize the roster.”

The camp roster includes 17 players from the Ontario Hockey League, 13 from the Western Hockey League and 10 from the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. Of the 40 players who have been invited to the selection camp, 22 will be selected for Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team, which will play in the 2012 Memorial of Ivan Hlinka tournament, scheduled for August 13-18 in Piestany, Slovakia and Breclav, Czech Republic.

Otters defenseman Adam Pelech won a gold medal with Team Canada at last year’s Memorial of Ivan Hlinka.

Also participating in the selection camp is Otters equipment manager Mike Hildenbrand, who is set to begin his third season with the Otters after stints with the Windsor Spitfires and ECHL’s Victoria Salmon Kings.

- From Erie Otters news release

SHAWINIGAN, Quebec – The Erie Otters have a connection to Sunday’s Memorial Cup title game.
Former Otters Brett Cook, Greg McKegg and Tyson Teichmann play for the London Knights, which face the host Shawinigan Cataractes at 7 p.m. for the Canadian Hockey League championship.
McKegg has one point, a goal, in three games at the four-team tournament, while Cook has no points, a minus-1 rating and 13 penalty minutes in three games. Teichmann has not appeared in any games.
The OHL champion Knights advanced to the final with a 2-1 record. They beat Saint John, the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League champion, 5-3, before losing to Shawinigan 6-2. Then the Knights beat the Edmonton, the Western Hockey League champion 6-2.
The game can be seen live on NHL Network.

NEW YORK — For the fifth consecutive year, NHL Network™ U.S. will air the MasterCard Memorial Cup, the championship of the Canadian Hockey League. NHL Network U.S will feature a combination of live and tape-delayed broadcasts throughout the 10 days of competition from the host city of Shawinigan, Quebec.

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.

The Erie Otters of the Ontario Hockey League have announced that defenseman Adam Pelech will participate in the 2012 Home Hardware CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game, which will take place Wednesday, February 1 in Kelowna, British Columbia.

The 2012 Home Hardware CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game will mark the 17th annual showcase of the CHL’s top-40 NHL draft eligible players featuring talent from the Western Hockey League, Ontario Hockey League, and Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. The two-day event also features an exciting skills competition and three-on-three challenge taking place on Tuesday, January 31.

Pelech is the first Otters defenseman to participate in the Top Prospects Game since Brian Lee in 2002 and is the 14th player from Erie selected to play in the game. Andrew Yogan (2010), Ryan O’Reilly (2009), Nick Palmieri (2007) and Zack Torquato (2007) are some of the recent players to have participated in the Top Prospects Game.

In an injury-shortened season, Pelech has excelled with six assists and a plus-two rating in eight games. He appeared in all but three games last season and was selected as the team’s Rookie of the Year at the Annual Summer Awards Banquet in June. Pelech has also won gold medals at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge with Team Ontario and at the Memorial of Ivan Hlinka with Team Canada.

- From Erie Otters news release

Calgary, AB – The Western Hockey League announced today that the Saskatoon Blades have been selected to host the 2013 MasterCard Memorial Cup.  The 2013 MasterCard Memorial Cup will be held at the Credit Union Centre in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, from May 17-26, 2013 and will mark the 95^th edition of the Canadian Hockey League national championship.

Three WHL Clubs – Kelowna Rockets, Red Deer Rebels and Saskatoon Blades – submitted applications to host the 2013 MasterCard Memorial Cup.  The decision to award the hosting of the 2013 MasterCard Memorial Cup to Saskatoon was made by a majority vote of the WHL Board of Governors on Wednesday, October 12^th in Calgary.

The 2012 MasterCard Memorial Cup will be hosted by the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League and the Shawinigan Cataractes from May 18 to 27, 2012 in Shawinigan, Quebec. The Memorial Cup features a four team round robin format with the host club competing with the Champions from the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, Ontario Hockey League and the Western Hockey League.

- From CHL news release

The Erie Otters finally have another winning streak.

Rookie center Luke Cairns scored two goals and Shawn Szydlowski added three assists to lead the Otters to a 5-2 win against Guelph in front of 2,511 at Tullio Arena Wednesday night.

The Otters (7-12-1-0) have won two straight games, their first winning streak of any kind since winning two in a row in early October. Erie also won at Mississauga St. Michael’s on Sunday.

Cairns continued his impressive start to the season. Cairns, who subbed for injured center Mike Cazzola on a No. 1 line featuring wingers Greg McKegg and Szydlowski, scored 4:53 into the opening period to hand the Otters a 1-0 lead. Szydlowski and Tyler Hostetter assisted on the goal.

Guelph tied the score at 1 at the 6:31 mark of the second period on rookie winger Brock McGinn’s first Ontario Hockey League goal. But the Otters broke the game open by scoring four of the next five goals.

Late in the opening period, Anthony Luciani scored a power-play goal in his long-awaited return to the Otters’ lineup to snap the 1-1 tie. Luciani, who missed the past month with a broken right wrist, fired a rebound past Storm goaltender Matej Machovsky for his fourth goal of the season.

Linemate Phil Varone scored his third goal in seven games with the Otters to extend the lead to 3-1 just 1:16 into the third. Guelph’s Tyler Carroll responded with his fifth goal of the season 38 seconds later to move the Storm (9-6-1-1) within 3-2. But Cairns scored again at the 9:18 mark – the first two-goal game of his brief OHL career – to regain the Otters’ two-goal advantage at 4-2.

McKegg followed with his team-leading 11^th goal of the season, on assists from Hostetter and rookie defenseman Adam Pelech, for a 5-2 lead with 8:16 left in the game.

Luciani (goal, assist) joined Cairns and Szydlowski in recording multi-point efforts in the win. Machovsky made 31 saves in a losing effort for the Storm, which lost for the first time since losing No. 1 goaltender Brandon Foote to an arm injury three games ago.

* News and notes: Mike Cazzola’s wrist injury could be as serious as Luciani’s broken wrist, said Sherry Bassin, Otters managing partner and general manager. But club officials will learn more today about Cazzola’s injury, which he suffered in Saturday’s loss to Owen Sound. He played with the injury in Sunday’s win at Mississauga and also practiced earlier this week. … Former winger Scott Mitchell has cleared waivers, Bassin said, meaning the Otters maintain his rights. Mitchell could join a team in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, Bassin said.

- Victor Fernandes

SUMMARY

Otters 5, Storm 2

Guelph  0  1  1  —  2

Erie  1  1  3  —  5

1^st Period — 1. Erie, Luke Cairns 2 (Hostetter, Szydlowski), 4:53. Penalties — Van Laren (G) hooking, 1:07; Varone (E) interference, 7:53; Van Laren (G) holding, 18:56.

2^nd Period — 2. Guelph, Brock McGinn 1 (Kosmachuk, Tresham), 6:31. 3. Erie, Anthony Luciani 4 (Szydlowski, Holden), 18:57 (pp). Penalties — Erie, too many men (served by Paton), 11:01.

3^rd Period — 4. Erie, Phil Varone 4 (Luciani), 1:16. 5. Guelph, Tyler Carroll 5 (Menard), 1:54. 6. Erie, Cairns 3 (Szydlowski, Varone), 9:18. 7. Erie, Greg McKegg 11 (Hostetter, Pelech), 11:44. Penalties — Pedan (G) hooking, 11:03; Paton (E) diving, 11:03; Crisp (E) hooking, 14:23; Latta (G) 10-min. misconduct, 18:36; Beck (G) hooking, 18:54.

Shots on goal — Guelph, 7-10-7—24; Erie, 11-17-8—36.

Goaltenders — Guelph, Matej Machovsky 2-2-0-0 (36 shots, 31 saves); Erie, Ramis Sadikov 7-9-1-0 (24 shots, 22 saves).

Power plays — Guelph (0-3), Erie (1-4).

Referees — Mike Bolibruck, Mike Cairns. Linesmen — Jesse Wilmot, R.J. King.

Attendance — 2,511.

Three stars

* Luke Cairns, Otters (2 goals) ** Shawn Szydlowski, Otters (3 assists) *** Anthony Luciani, Otters (goal, assist)

ROUYN-NORANDA, Quebec (AP) — Atlanta Thrashers prospect Patrice Cormier won’t have a criminal record despite pleading guilty to an assault charge stemming from a junior hockey league game last season.

Cormier, who originally pleaded not guilty last month, entered the guilty plea when he appeared in court Tuesday. He will not have a criminal record, meaning he will be able to travel to the United States.

Cormier was playing for the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League last January when he elbowed Quebec Remparts defenseman Mikael Tam in the head. Tam spent a night in hospital after the blow and returned to the lineup shortly thereafter. Cormier was suspended for the season.

The judge granted the discharge after an agreement was reached among the parties

Toronto, ON – The Ontario Hockey League today announced the regular-season schedule of games for the 2010-11 season.

The regular season opens on September 23, with two games including the defending Robertson Cup and Memorial Cup Champion Windsor Spitfires in action, as they host the Plymouth Whalers at the WFCU Centre with a 7:05 pm puck drop.  Opening night also includes a clash between East Division rivals when the Oshawa Generals visit the Peterborough Petes at 7 pm.

The defending Eastern Conference Champions and Bobby Orr Trophy winners the Barrie Colts open their season on September 25, when they visit the Plymouth Whalers at 7:05 pm.  The Colts will renew their rivalry with the Spitfires in a rematch of the 2010 OHL Championship Series one day later, when they visit Windsor on September 26 at 2:00.

The 680 game regular season wraps up on March 20, 2011, before the league’s top 16 teams will battle for the Robertson Cup in the 2011 OHL Playoffs. The league champion will join the Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors at the 2011 MasterCard Memorial Cup at the Hershey Centre in Mississauga, Ontario, on May 20-29, where they will compete against the champions from the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League and the Western Hockey League in the 93^rd edition of the prestigious national championship.

The OHL continues the tradition of being primarily a weekend league in order to accommodate the student athlete with 86.7% (603) of games scheduled between Thursday and Sunday. Friday continues to be the busiest night during the season with 214 games scheduled, followed by 170 on Saturday.

Day – No. of Games (Percentage)

Monday – 13 (1.9%)
Tuesday – 12 (1.8%)
Wednesday – 52 (7.6%)
Thursday – 99 (14.6%)
Friday – 214 (31.5%)
Saturday – 170 (25.0%)
Sunday – 120 (17.6%)

Total – 680

The entire 2010-11 OHL Regular Season Schedule is listed below but can also be found in the attached document or online at www.ontariohockeyleague.com

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Erie Otters forward David Broll was one of 43 players invited to attend Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team selection camp, which runs from July 31-August 3 at in Calgary, Alberta.

The camp, which includes 15 Ontario Hockey League players, will be used to determine the players for Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team that will play in the 2010 Memorial of Ivan Hlinka tournament, scheduled for August 10-14 in Slovakia and the Czech Republic.

Former Otters center Ryan O’Reilly represented Canada in the 2008 Hlinka tournament, helping the team to a gold medal. Current Otters right wing Shawn Szydlowski played for the United States in 2007, when the squad finished in fifth place.

Broll, the Otters first round draft pick in 2009, finished his rookie year with nine goals and nine assists in 64 games. He has experience in international play with Team Ontario in the 2009 World Under-17 Ice Hockey Challenge.

CHL Players:

Defencemen:

Myles Bell, Regina Pats

Cody Ceci, Ottawa 67’s

Dillon Donnelly, Shawinigan Cataractes

Dougie Hamilton, Niagara IceDogs

Scott Harrington, London Knights

Ryan Murphy, Kitchener Rangers

Ryan Murray, Everett Silvertips

Jimmy Oligny, PEI Rocket

Xavier Ouellet, Montreal Juniors

Stuart Percy, Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors

Jonathan Racine, Shawinigan Cataractes

Reece Scarlett, Swift Current Broncos

Duncan Siemens, Saskatoon Blades

Stephen Woodworth, Lewiston MAINEiacs

Forwards:

Brent Andrews, Halifax Mooseheads

Olivier Archambault, Val d’Or Foreurs

Austen Brassard, Belleville Bulls

David Broll, Erie Otters

Raphael Bussieres, Baie-Comeau Drakkar

Daniel Catenacci, Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds

Michael Curtis, Belleville Bulls

Phillip Danault, Victoriaville Tigres

Jonathan Huberdeau, Saint John Sea Dogs

Boone Jenner, Oshawa Generals

Jean-Francois Leblanc, Val d’Or Foreurs

Adam Lowry, Swift Current Broncos

Mark McNeill, Prince Albert Raiders

Garrett Meurs, Plymouth Whalers

Bryce Milson, Acadie-Bathurst Titan

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Red Deer Rebels

Matt Puempel, Peterborough Petes

Alan Quine, Kingston Frontenacs

Ty Rattie, Portland Winterhawks

Brett Ritchie, Sarnia Sting

Carter Sandlak, Guelph Storm

Colin Smith, Kamloops Blazers

Michael St. Croix, Edmonton Oil Kings

The players, born in 1993, were selected by Hockey Canada head scout Al Murray, in consultation with head coach George Burnett (Port Perry, Ont./Belleville Bulls, OHL) and assistant coaches Ron Choules (Montreal, Que./Acadie-Bathurst Titan, QMJHL) and Jim Hiller (Nelson, B.C./Tri-City Americans, WHL). Murray evaluated these players over the course of the 2009-10 season, following them along with numerous other candidates for the program during league play, as well as during the 2010 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge held from December 29-January 4 in Timmins, Ont.

“The upcoming National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team selection camp will be competitive and exciting,” Murray said. “These players represent the future of Canadian hockey and are a testament to the strength of the Canadian Hockey League and the skill development taking place in minor hockey across the country.”

The camp roster includes 12 skaters from the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, 15 from the Ontario Hockey League, 10 from the Western Hockey League and one from the Central Canadian Hockey League (Junior A). In total, 36 of those 38 skaters (14 defencemen and 22 forwards) competed at the 2010 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge.

Of the 43 players who have been identified for the selection camp, 22 skaters and two goaltenders will be selected for Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team that will play in the 2010 Memorial of Ivan Hlinka tournament, scheduled for August 10-14 in Slovakia and the Czech Republic.

- From Erie Otters, Hockey Canada/CHL news releases