I was able to take in my first OHL Pre-Season game on Friday, and finally feel like hockey is truly back. I can't describe how amazing the feeling is to hear skates hit the ice, and to be in a rink. I'm blessed to be able to go to 60+ OHL Games a year, and have readers who actually care and will converse with me on my opinions of future NHL'ers.
To say Friday was the worst experience I've had as far as games go is an understatement. Let me start by saying I absolutely love Guelph and the Storm Organization. They are a first class team with a great building and good people too. This was just one of those nights where nothing went my way.
I left from my Office Job at 4:30 on Friday, with a suit on and everything. For some reason or another, I had the shakes and decided to stop by my home for a water bottle, figuring it might be due to the heat and not being hydrated enough. En route to Guelph (which is 45 minutes from my work) I also stopped in at the Pita Factory, grabbed a Chicken Caesar wrap and water and chowed down. Lucky enough the water and food hit the spot and the shakes were gone.
I got into Guelph by about 5:50 after my re-route home and my supper. I've never actually driven to Guelph for a game by myself, so I checked in with twitter the night before and was advised parking around the arena was a mere toonie. So a toonie I brought. Boy, were they wrong.
I pulled into the parking garage, only to be informed it was now five dollars. I didn't have cash, and they weren't able to supply debit to do a transaction so I put myself in reverse and went looking for a bank. Sure enough, I couldn't find one. Next best stop? I figured some sort of fast food stop would be able to do a mere five dollar cash back transaction for me? Wrong again. For the better part of an hour I drove around to roughly eleven fast food stops all to be turned away. I'm looking at you McDonald's, Wendy's, KFC, Subway, A&W and of course that lovely corner store lady.
By this point, I was irate. I quickly found the first parking lot without 'PRIVATE PROPERTY' or something similar posted all over it. Thank you Hakim Optical; you saved my night. Unfortunately my dress shoes were brand new and the twenty minute walk to the Sleeman Center was quite painful. When I got into the building it took me about ten minutes to get a ticket from Lindsay Pink (Storm's Media Lady-- Thanks Lindsay!) and quickly enter the arena.
This is where things got even crazier.
My ticket was for Section 200 (the Season Ticket Holders Area) in the upper bowl. I was given some blue bracelet and quickly found a seat in my designated section. I was being seated there, as many scouts end up there as well. The pressbox was full, and the seat was completely fine by me, not to mention you see the game better from the corners (quick tip). That's when I realized that not only had I forgot my recorder to do interviews, but I was without a game sheet. You have to realize that OHL Pre-Season usually means a lot of draft-eligible players and recently drafted into the O players. The Ryan Stromes and Gabriel Landeskogs of the world are off to their respective drafted team's camps.
So I quickly got up and asked for help to find the media room, to which I was pointed the other side of the building. After a good jog there, I was unable to find someone to let me in, but found a nice lady who pointed me towards the entrance of the arena. Unfortunately when I got there, there was no sheet. I made my way back to my seat right after and enjoyed the game anyways.
If you're ever in Guelph, I do recommend taking in a game at the Sleeman Center. It's a gorgeous arena with an attachment to the mall. Just remember parking money.
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Now for some thoughts on the game...
Eric Locke (2012 Eligible), Barrie Colts: Hard to not see why Locke could sneak into the first round. The 5'9 forward knows where to be on the ice, and is able to sneak around the offensive zone with relative ease. For being so small, he was also one of the more tenacious Colts on the night, and was making his presence known in the hits column. On the PP he played beside the net and would move in front as the play developed. He just seemed to understand the play. I also really liked his acceleration and ability to separate himself quick from defenders. But the most impressive part of his game... that release. Boy can that kid shoot.
Brandon Devlin (2012 Eligible), Barrie Colts: Not exactly a big name for draft junkies, I'm coining him as someone to watch this year. He's not the biggest kid, but boy is he nasty. He makes a habit of throwing his weight around, and even got himself in a short fight which cost him the rest of the night. His feet seem a bit heavy at times, and his defensive coverage is average, but I like the offensive upside that could be molded. He really shows a big booming shot and was jumping into the play every chance he got. I definitely enjoyed watching him.
Aaron Ekblad (2013 Eligible), Barrie Colts: We all know Ekblad. He's the second player to be give an exception and brought into the OHL at age 15 (the first was John Tavares), and a kid who looks to be a top three pick in 2014. Our resident Red Wings Blogger, Mark Spizzirri, noted to me that Ekblad models his game after Lidstrom, but I left the game wanting a bit more from Ekblad. Of course he is only 15, and he's playing the hardest position in hockey, so it'll come to him, but this wasn't a good showing for him. He seemed to aggressively attack the puck when defending off the rush, and got turned inside out a few times which led to some chances against. I can't remember him finishing a check all night either.
Tanner Richard (Undrafted 2011 Eligible), Guelph Storm: Recently taken 28th in the CHL Import Draft, Richard is a guy to watch this year as he could end up drafted in his second go. I've heard all about his hockey IQ, his playmaking abilities and how risky of a forward he is, but what surprised me was how intense he played. He really got in Barrie's face all night, finished every check presented and was a hound on the forecheck. He finished the night with an assist on the first and only Guelph goal
All in all it was a fairly uneventful game that concluded in a 1-1 final score. Goals to Eric Locke and Cody McNaughton.
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