ICEDOGS 2020-2021 ROSTER

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Danil Gushchin pulls off the lacrosse-style goal...

https://twitter.com/USHL/status/1353162181043478529

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Future Watch: Steven Ellis - SI The Hockey News

Pano Fimis is a physical forward who likes to get in the heads of opponents and follow it up with a dazzling play. Amoung his peers, Fimis' name came up as the one guy they most hated to see 1-on-1. Fimis is unselfish, a strong skater and does a great job of creating space while handling the puck. He's got true first-line potential.

Prior to the draft, scouts were split on where Alec Leonard would land, some said top 10, others said mid-second round. In Leonard, the IceDogs drafted a strong puck-mover, who engages offensively when it's safe to do so and one who is determined to never lose any battle in his own zone.

Ryan Struthers is a big, speedy center, Struthers always has his head moving in order to find a teammate on the rush, and while he isn’t a big-time goal scorer, his speed and ability to get creative with the puck will catch your eye.

[modaymorninggm]

Looks like the Dogs have some real strong young players from the draft. A look at the top 52 players rated by NHL Central Scouting shows that Niagara is dead last with only 1 player listed. They along with Guelph and Kingston are at the bottom. London and Ottawa lead the way with 5 each followed by Sarnia, Erie and Hamilton with 4 each. The question is .. are the players drafted over the past few years not as good as originally thought or are we falling down in terms of developing them. With the last draft being highly touted it will be interesting to see where they are in their NHL draft year

[Blacksox]

Originally Posted by modaymorninggm

Looks like the Dogs have some real strong young players from the draft. A look at the top 52 players rated by NHL Central Scouting shows that Niagara is dead last with only 1 player listed. They along with Guelph and Kingston are at the bottom. London and Ottawa lead the way with 5 each followed by Sarnia, Erie and Hamilton with 4 each. The question is .. are the players drafted over the past few years not as good as originally thought or are we falling down in terms of developing them. With the last draft being highly touted it will be interesting to see where they are in their NHL draft year

The next few seasons are important for the IceDogs franchise. These players, who will be on the roster for the next few years, have the greater upside to develop into star OHL players - will be the ones to track closely.

02 T.TYNAN
02 D.GUSHCHIN
02 J.UBERTI
02 C.BUTLER
02 C.PETERS

03 I.ENRIGHT
02 *G.CHANTON - expect him to be added to the CS list before the NHL draft.
03 A.AGOSTINELLI
03 L.CATO

04 P.FIMIS
04 A.LEONARD
04 B.COOKE
04 D.ROOBROECK
04 M.STRUTHERS
04 Z.WISDOM


However, equally important will be how well the IceDogs use these high picks to draft the next generation of players.

2021 DRAFT (05s): (2nd), (2nd), (3rd), (3rd), (4th), (4th)

2022 DRAFT (06s): (1st), (2nd), (2nd), (3rd), (4th), (4th)


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[Blacksox]

Two IceDog players looking to take the next step in their second OHL season…

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Future Watch:
The IceDogs have developed a strong relationship with both the Muskegon Lumberjacks and player agent Mark Gandler - and that could play a huge role in the future success of the Niagara IceDogs.

Gandler is the player agent of some the top Russian players such as Andrei Svechnichov, Danil Gushchin and 04 Ivan Miroshichenko. With Gandler agreeing to Gushchin signing in Niagara, Miroshnichenko is a player the IceDogs’ fan base should keep a close eye on.

Miroshnichenko is drawing attention as one of the top prospects eligible for the 2022 NHL draft. “Miroshnichenko is a phenomenal talent, elite skater, hits like a truck, and has an unbelievable shot.”

Prior to his visa problems, that prohibited Miroshnickhenko from joining Muskegon, he publicly stated his desire to follow in the footsteps of Svechnikov (and Gushchin) as his path to the NHL.


Miroshnichenko HIGHLIGHTS: The next Russian-born player to take aim at stardom in NA.

You Tube

[Blacksox]

Interesting. Amoungst elite company…

International Silver Stick - 2019 All Star Award Winners (January 21, 2019)

BANTAM AAA DIVISION
Cameron Korpi (G) - Detroit Honeybaked

Chase Pietila (D) - Detroit Little Caesars
Lane Hutson (D) - Detroit Honeybaked

Frank Nazar (F) - Detroit Little Caesars
Ryan Conmy (F) - Buffalo Jr. Sabres (2020 OHL Priority Drafted RD 8 #142 by Niagara IceDogs)
Rutger McGroarty (F) - Detroit Honeybaked

Bantam AAA MVP: Rutger McGroarty

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IceDogs’ Draftee Alec Leonard Strengthens Talented Defence Core
FEBRUARY 5, 2021
https://niagaraicedogs.net/article/i...d-defence-core


Here are highlights of Alec Leonard playing in the 2019 GTHL Prospects game (14 months ago). Leonard is #5 Black – right side, right hand shot, paired defensively with #6 DeAngelis – both had a strong game.

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A couple of Leonard’s prospect’s game scouting reports:

hockeyprospects.com Displayed some of the qualities that make him a high end defensive prospect by using his great skating and passing ability successfully. He drew call wheeling around the net with his speed and showcased a good hard slap shot from the point.

thescout.ca Alec is an excellent defender who keeps a tight gap. This was on display tonight as he stepped up a number of times in the neutral zone with at least one big open ice hit. Alec is a good skater and rushes the puck often and is able to get successful zone entries as a result. He plays a bit of a rugged game but is also highly skilled. His error ratio to puck possession tonight was excellent. He drew a penalty and played well on the PP. He is consistently able to get pucks through defenders. A number of times he fired perfect shot passes in between the hash marks and the top of the crease for excellent deflection opportunities.

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[Blacksox]

Here are highlights of Pano Fimis playing in the 2019 GTHL Prospects game (14 months ago). He is #8 Black playing centre (right-hand shot). Fimis was the Black Team's game MVP.

You Tube

A couple of Fimis’ prospect’s game scouting reports:

hockeyprospects.com Scouts Notes: Played with great speed utilizing strong mechanics to be active all night. Picked the left corner with a hard shot after gathering a loose puck in the offensive zone and created other chances throughout the game. Can slow the game down or play at a high pace making plays in the centre of the ice both offensively and defensively.

thescout.ca: #8 Pano Fimis – F Pano played a well-rounded game tonight absolutely dominating the face-off circle. He likely went 75-80% in the dot and I don’t think he lost a draw till the 3rd period. A strong player who has an impact with and without the puck. He scored one of his team’s two goals on the night. Curling out of the corner with the puck Fimis worked his way out till he got a clean look and ripped a beautiful shot top left corner.