JR. CANADIENS’ COACH SINGS PRAISES OF OJHL’S 20-YEAR-OLDS’ SERIES WITH U SPORTS SCHOOLS

OSHAWA, ON - Ryan Cooper of Team OJHL keeps the puck from Antoine Desrochers of Ontario Tech at the Campus Ice Centre on January 5. The game was part of a new weekend series between teams of 20-year-olds from OJHL against U SPORTS schools. (Photo by Tim Bates / OJHL Images)

By Jim Mason/OJHL Communications

Dave DeMarinis called it “one of the better events the OJ has ever put on.”

The head coach and general manager of the nationally-ranked Toronto Jr. Canadiens was fresh from a full day at Ontario Tech University in Oshawa where he coached a team of 20-year-old selects from the Ontario Junior Hockey League against the school’s varsity Ridgebacks Sunday.

Another team of OJHL  20-year-olds played at Toronto Metropolitan University in downtown Toronto the previous day. 

As part of a first-year series with Ontario University Athletics/U SPORTS teams the OJHLers got the full student-athlete experience each day.

“From a coaching standpoint it was a ton of fun and I think the kids had a lot of fun competing against older, bigger boys. You see how detailed and structured these U SPORTS teams really are.” 

“The 20-year-olds got to compete against a level they want to be at,” said DeMarinis, who has coached in the OJHL since 2014. “It was a good eye-opener for everybody. From a coaching standpoint it was a ton of fun and I think the kids had a lot of fun competing against older, bigger boys. You see how detailed and structured these U SPORTS teams really are.” 

OSHAWA, ON – JANUARY 5: Coach Dave DeMarinis during the morning skate at Campus Ice Centre. (Photo by Tim Bates / OJHL Images)

The goal of the two-game series was to expose the OJHL’s top 20-year-olds to U SPORTS scouts, facilitate their advancement and give the players the student-athlete experience. Coaches from across the OUA were invited to attend both games.

The OJHLers proved they could play with the university teams on both days. 

At Ontario Tech, the OJHL squad fell 2-1, just missing on a chance to tie the score with their goalie pulled in the final minute.

Dillon Stiles (Collingwood Blues) scored for the OJHL off a sweet pass from Nathan Poole (Haliburton County Huskies) in the third period.

At TMU, the game was scoreless until midway through the third period. An empty-net goal with two seconds remaining made it 2-0.

Following a morning skate at the Campus Ice Centre Sunday, the OJHLers enjoyed a pre-game meal, took in a seminar and a facility tour.

Following the game, they attended a meet-and-greet.

The seminars, led by the coaches and athletic department staff members at both schools, showed the OJHL players what the life of a varsity athlete entails. Players were given information on scholarships and academic requirements.  

OSHAWA, ON – OJHL Players stretch during the morning skate at Campus Ice Centre at Ontario Tech University on January 5. (Photo by Tim Bates / OJHL Images)

“It was a really good experience,” DeMarinis told the OJHL. “From the seminar to the morning skate and pre-game meal, all of it was really, really good.”

“And for a group that was just put together, that only spent six or seven hours together, we had a chance near the end (to tie it.) (Ontario Tech) was obviously the better team, but I thought our guys stuck in there and defended very well. It was good to see.”

Both university teams are coached by OJHL grads.

TMU Head Coach Johnny Duco played for the Stouffville Spirit, North York Rangers, Wexford Raiders and Thornhill Major Islanders in the OJHL from 2000-04.

Ontario Tech Head Coach Curtis Hodgins coached in the OJ at Cobourg, Bowmanville and Whitby from 2000-15. Assistant Coach Rob Powers won OJHL championships playing with Stouffville and the Toronto Patriots. Austin Eastman, another assistant coach, played for Aurora and Lindsay in the OJHL. He played at Ontario Tech for three seasons.

Both OUA/U SPORTS teams feature OJHL grads.

The TMU roster includes: Mitch Lafay and Jaden Raad (Trenton Golden Hawks), Aleks Dimovski and Evan Tanos (Toronto Patriots), Jaden Condotta (Georgetown Raiders, North York Rangers), Ian Martin (Pickering Panthers), Ryan Dugas (Milton Menace), Sergei Litvinov (Toronto Jr. Canadiens) and Riley Pitt (Cobourg Cougars).

The Ontario Tech roster includes: James White (Wellington Dukes), Marko Jakovljevic (Trenton), Dustin Hutton (Pickering, Georgetown Raiders, Toronto Jr. Canadiens) and Andrew Suriyuth (Collingwood Blues, Trenton, Kingston Voyageurs).

About the OJHL – “League of Choice”

The Ontario Junior Hockey League is the largest Junior ‘A’ league operating under the auspices of the Canadian Junior Hockey League with 24 member clubs. The OJHL is the home of the 2024 Centennial Cup champion Collingwood Blues. A proud member of the CJHL and Ontario Hockey Association, the OJHL was originally named the Ontario Provincial Junior ‘A’ Hockey League and it was formed out of the Central Junior ‘B’ Hockey League in 1993-94. With a long and storied history of developing players for the next level, including U SPORTS, the NCAA, CHL, minor pro ranks and the NHL, the OJHL has had more than 75 commitments already this season.

Verified by MonsterInsights