Ontario Hockey League
Soo Greyhounds at Kitchener Rangers
Friday, November 26
Solid home 5-4 win for the Rangers tonight. They pulled out a back and forth game, full of momentum changes with two goals in the third period. The bulk of the offense in this game came on special teams in this game. There were a number of draft eligible players in this game who performed well and are written up below.
Soo Greyhounds
| Kirill Kudryavtsev | Soo Greyhounds | OHL | L | D | 5’11” | 201 | Soo Greyhounds | 2021 | Yaroslavl | 2004 | 2021-2022: B- |
Kirill Kudryavtsev is a steady left shot defender who reads the game well, particularly on the offensive blueline. This young defender played good minutes for the Soo in this game and is already showing as a top 4 D potential at this level. He played in all situations for this Soo this evening and was effective on the powerplay, penalty kill, and 5 on 5. He is a steady defender who plays a simple game with some skill. He did not panic under the forecheck and moved pucks up the ice well in transition. He was a smart and capable defender in his zone. Kurdryavstev is not a big body or overly physical but is mobile and maintained good defensive position in his zone. He showed an excellent stick when defending and prefers the stick check. He broke up a number of plays with his smart body positioning and active stick around his net. He was excellent on the offensive blueline tonight with 3-4 well timed pinches and good reads to maintain offensive zone possession. Offensively, he gets pucks through and used his mobility to make adjustments at the blueline to find the correct lane. He had a an assist this game with a good offensive adjustment and a heavy shot through traffic. Kurdyavstev was the best of the young 2004 defenders on either team tonight and played a steady, mature game. Grade: B
| Tye Kartye | Soo Greyhounds | OHL | L | C | 6’1″ | 198 | Soo Greyhounds | 2017 | Kingston, ON | 2001 | Free Agent Watch |
This overage forward loves to score and is putting up great numbers early in the OHL season. Tye Kartye is in his last year of Jr eligibility but should get some notice with his offensive output so far this season. Kartye came into the game near the OHL goal scoring lead. He has been producing goals at nearly a goal per game pace through his first 19 games and he scored twice this evening. Both of Kartye’s goals this evening were deflections around the net. He was difficult to move in the scoring area and showed enough pace to get good body positioning in the scoring areas. He has a solid frame and a sturdy build and he gets to the net nearly every shift. Kartye was most effective on the powerplay where he established position in front of the net and competed hard for loose pucks to maintain offensive zone puck possession. He is a player we will check in on this season if he continues to score goals at the pace he has been on. Grade: B
| Bryce McConnell-Barker | Soo Greyhounds | OHL | L | C | 6’1″ | 187 | Soo Greyhounds | 2020 | London, ON | 2004 | 2021-2022: B- |
Bryce McConnell-Barker is off to a solid start in his OHL career and has been among the leaders in goals for rookies so far early in the 2021/22 season. Bryce McConnell-Barker entered the game with 8 goals in 20 games and had a handful of quality chances vs Kitchener in this game. He is a shooter with an excellent first step and can get to top speed quickly. Tonight he needed to hit the net, a few open looks that were either blocked or fired wide of the target. He also needs to continue to work on his puck handling game. McConnell-Barker missed a few opportunities in close where his first touch was not as clean as it could have been. He skates so well in open space and can create separation on the rush already as a young player in the OHL. He took a while to get his legs going in this game. After a quiet first half of the game Bryce showed he could generate off the rush, cycle and the powerplay. Bryce McConnell-Barker played a strong possession game this evening and supported pucks well in all 3 zones. Most of his shifts started with the puck as he won the majority of his face-offs and had a strong night on the draw. He was buzzing late in the game when the Soo was down a goal but most of his offense came from the perimeter in this game. Bryce has the potential to score in buckets in this league. He has good length and reach combined with blazing fast pace in open space. Grade: B-
| Owen Allard | Soo Greyhounds | OHL | L | C | 6’1″ | 181 | Soo Greyhounds | 2020 | Kanata, ON | 2004 | 2021-2022: C |
Owen Allard a responsible 200 foot centerman who showed a good motor as the game progressed this evening. Allard plays a mature game in his zone and at a young age is already a trusted defensive forward for the Soo. He played in key situations for the Soo and was particularly effective on the penalty kill with his attention to detail in his zone and his puck pressure all over the ice. He was strong in the faceoff circle in this game and competed hard for possession on the draw. He is not yet a two way threat and generated limited offense in this viewing. His mature two way game will give him the opportunity to play in key situations for the Soo. He needs to continue to work to generate space off the rush and separation on the cycle game. Grade: C
The Greyhounds have a number of other draft eligible players on their roster. Players not written up in this game were either out of the line up or did not show enough in this game to warrant write-up. We will review these players in future viewings and report on progress.
Kitchener Rangers
| Matthew Sop | Kitchener Rangers | OHL | L | LW | 6’0″ | 174 | Kitchener Rangers | 2020 | Mississa, ON | 2003 | 2021-2022: C |
Matthew Sop had an excellent motor in this game and was effective on the cycle game for the Rangers. He closed on defenders quickly and created pressure on the forecheck. Sop was buzzing, especially early in the game and had two assists including an excellent back door pass to Roman Schmidt on the powerplay to set up their second goal. Early in his career he is playing a responsible 200 foot game for the Rangers. This second year draft eligible player was not drafted after his shortened 2020/2021 season but he will have ample opportunity to show this season if he continues to play with the energy level he showed tonight. Grade: B-
| Jacob Leblanc | Kitchener Rangers | OHL | R | D | 6’0″ | 174 | Kitchener Rangers | 2020 | Port Colborne, ON | 2004 | 2021-2022: C+ |
Jacob Leblanc is a steady right shot defender who continues to show improvement in his first season in the OHL. Leblanc played a simple game and minimized mistakes. He showed good vision and mobility on the offensive blueline and was able to adjust his shooting lanes effectively to get pucks through to the net. He is handling pucks cleanly and is making the right passes on the offensive side of the puck. Defensively, his gap through the neutral zone continues to improve and he was able to break up the rush effectively. His body positioning was sound and he was more physical in this game through the neutral zone. Leblanc’s confidence is growing as he plays more for the Rangers. He is not a cycle buster yet like he was in his U16 career where he was able to use his strength to overpower smaller forwards. Grade: C+
| Mitchell Martin | Kitchener Rangers | OHL | L | LW | 6’4″ | 209 | Kitchener Rangers | 2019 | Sudbury, ON | 2003 | Long Term Player Watch |
This lanky left shot forward played with energy tonight and had a number of quality chances in good scoring areas. Martin had 6 shots on net and a number of in close chances and used his reach and body positioning effectively to get to the net. He is a 6’3 winger who competed to get into the good scoring areas and was rewarded tonight. He scored the game winning goal late in the third. This second year draft eligible player was not drafted after his shortened 2020/2021 season. If he continues to play with this energy level and compete in the offensive zone he will put up good numbers in the second half of the season. Grade: C+
| Andrew Leblanc | Kitchener Rangers | OHL | L | C | 5’11” | 170 | Kitchener Rangers | 2020 | Port Colborne, ON | 2004 | 2021-2022: C |
Andrew Leblanc is a left shot center is off to a slow start in his OHL career with only 3 points in his first 17 games. Leblanc played more in this game than in previous viewings and had two assists in the game. He showed good puck management on the second unit powerplay tonight and was a factor in the Rangers two powerplay goals in the third period. No panic with the extra man with the extra time and space although we did not see much from Leblanc 5 on 5. His footspeed and pace need to continue to develop if he wants to become a more dominant center at the OHL level. He has not found the pace he played with at the U16 level where he was noticeable every game with his high energy level. Grade: C
The Rangers have a number of other draft eligible players on their roster. Players not written up in this game were either out of the line up or did not show enough in this game to warrant write-up. We will review these players in future viewings and report on progress.