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OHL draft eligible stars shine heading into playoffs, NCAA tourney kicks off, Jimmy Vesey, OHL Cup, college free-agent signings and Toronto Maple Leafs thoughts

Friday, March 27^th, 2015

The Canadian Hockey League regular seasons have been completed and the playoff matchups dictated. On Thursday, playoffs throughout the CHL began as teams vie for their respective league championships and hopefully earn a berth into the illustrious CHL Memorial Cup that will be held in Quebec City.

Austin touched on the incredible finish to the OHL scoring race down the stretch as Erie’s Dylan Strome posted a four goal, six point final game to overtake London’s Mitch Marner, who held the lead for quite some time. It was a remarkable season for 2"015 NHL Draft eligibles in the OHL.

There’s obviously Connor McDavid, the prized gem of the draft. Mitch Marner (126 points in 63 games) and Dylan Strome (129 points in 68 games) continue to be heavily debated as the next best prospect from the OHL. Both players own tantalizing upside but play two very different games. Dylan Strome is a visionary with the puck and has the size, strength and plays the center position that NHL teams covet. Mitch Marner is a slick creative winger (who can also play down the middle) that dictates pace of the game but doesn’t come packaged in the “ideal” 6-foot-plus frame that scouts look for. At this point in time, it’s a coin flip and no one can say for certain who the better NHL prospect is.

BONUS READ: “Otters scoring champ Strome a humble kid”"

“Strome-Marner-McDavid marks 1st time #OHL Top-3 scorers are 17-year-old NHLDraft prospects. 2010 Top-2 were Hall/Seguin ahead of OA Pither” (via Paul Krotz on Twitter)

Beyond Strome, Marner and McDavid who finished 1-2-3 in regular season OHL scoring, Lawson Crouse is a two-way forward that possesses the physical size and strength, solid offensive skills and astute defensive awareness that comes with a high NHL certainty level. Former Elgin-Middlesex line-mate, Travis Konecny, has regained his form and is creeping up the draft rankings. He’s a natural competitor who plays at a high pace and owns an outstanding shot off the rush.

Rasmus Andersson had an excellent first year in North America scoring at a near point-per-game pace (64 points in 67 games) excelling as a puck moving defenseman for the Barrie Colts. Oshawa’s Mitchell Vande Sompel was in and out of the lineup but still managed to rack up 63 points in 58 games making him one of the best offensive defensemen in the draft. Niagara defenseman Vince Dunn entered his draft season as one of my hidden gems and despite a slow start, he has hit his stride finishing with 18 goals and 56 points in 68 games.