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OHL reporter Ryan Pyette is taking questions from fans and colleagues about what’s happening on the ice, in the general managers’ suites and in the league office throughout the season. Have a question? Put it in the comment section below or email us at lfpnewsletters@postmedia.com
Q: There was a recent meeting of 57 Canadian Hockey League teams, Sportsnet reports, amid the possible changes to NCAA eligibility for junior players. Where do you see this all heading?
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A: I think what the CHL wants is to be able to get the 16- and 17-year-old who were thinking about college to come here for at least a couple of years. Macklin Celebrini did one year in the NCAA then went No. 1 overall in the NHL draft – so that’s an option now for players with pro dreams. And there are not many American players left in the OHL at all. Six, seven years ago teams were winning with American guys. Now, you can clearly get to the NHL from the NCAAs. Before it was not considered as easy to do.
Q: On a positive note – highly rated Czechia defenceman Adam Jiricek (David’s brother) has arrived in Brantford to join the Bulldogs. That’s got to be a sign of the OHL’s continued appeal, correct?
A: It’s good for sure but that’s the thing: The junior leagues used to get 80 per cent of those kinds of players, now you’re not sure if they’ll play here. All the leagues across Canada, the commissioners have moved on in recent years, so you have new leadership and this is their biggest battle right now – getting the top-level players. A lot of teams are saying they need new workout rooms, things like that, to attract big-time talent. The facilities are an issue. Do you really want to play in a 90-year-old arena when you can play for Arizona State?
Q: How shocked are you to see Kitchener at No. 1, with a 12-2-1-1 record?
A: I thought they were in a rebuild. They traded Carson Rehkopf, their best player, for a pile of draft picks in August. But they’re getting goaltending from Jackson Parsons and good coaching from Jussi Ahokas. They took down a pretty good Saginaw team on Sunday, 4-2, which was impressive. They’re working really hard, good on the penalty kill and they’re getting scoring from a bunch of guys. Is it sustainable? I don’t know. But all credit to them. Kitchener is an awesome market.
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Q: Patrick Dovigi is a former OHL goalie who became a billionaire businessman but his firm now appears to be facing some troubling incidents. He was a hockey player, he was from the Soo – did you two cross paths growing up?
A: My sister hung out with him growing up but I knew his sister better. Once his playing career was done, and he had a solid run as a junior goalie, he obviously made some good business decisions. He was a savvy businessman with GFL and good for him. But growing up there was nothing that would suggest he’d become a billionaire magnate.
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