Trio of troops to play in the Connor McDavid OHL Top Prospects Game

Forty-two OHL players on the NHL’s scouting radar will hit the ice in Brantford Wednesday night for an exciting, first-of-its-kind event for the Ontario Hockey League.

This event will feature a trio of North Bay Battalion players, including forwards Shamar Moses, Lirim Amidovski and defenseman Jacob LeBlanc.

Amidovski has scored 10 goals and six assists for 16 points in 37 games this season.

Moses, who came over in the Dalyn Wakely trade with the Barrie Colts, has nine goals and 23 assists for 32 points in his 31 games with the Battalion this season.

Overage guard Jacob LeBlanc has had a great season offensively, recording six goals and 33 assists for 39 points.

Ryan Oulahen, the Battalion’s head coach, says the team will meet and watch the game, and he is excited about the Battalion’s trio.

“For those three players, I want them to play with confidence,” Oulahen said Wednesday afternoon.

“I think all three of them have that kind of quiet confidence where I think they’re going to do really well tonight. You know, I’m really excited to see them play. All three of them for different reasons , why I say that confidence , but I really think it’s a it’s something we can showcase.”

The inaugural Connor McDavid OHL Top Prospects Game pits the league’s top prospects from the Eastern Conference against those from the Western Conference, and NHL scouts will be out in full force at the Brantford Civic Center to witness this highly anticipated event.

The roster was selected by a committee that included representatives from NHL Central Scouting with input from NHL General Managers along with OHL general managers Matt Turek (Brantford Bulldogs/Eastern Conference) and Dave Drinkill (Saginaw Spirit/Western Conference). Each team has 19 skaters and two goaltenders, with a few roster spots on each team filled by unsigned overage players at the request of NHL Central Scouting.

The Eastern Conference will serve as the home team and is led by three ‘A’ grades on NHL Central Scouting’s preliminary watch list of players including forwards Porter Martone (Brampton Steelheads) and local star Jake O’Brien (Brantford Bulldogs) while Kashawn Aitcheson (Barrie Colts) brings physicality on the blue line. Three-time Canadian gold medalist in the finish line Jack Ivankovic (Brampton Steelheads) joins another local talent David Egorov (Brantford Bulldogs). Sophomore forward Joshua Avery giving the host Brantford Bulldogs three players competing in the game.

The Eastern Conference will be staffed by representatives from the Brantford Bulldogs, including Head Coach Jay McKee and assistants Vince Laise, Ryan Kuwabara and Laura Fortino. The support staff includes athletic therapist JP Laciak and equipment manager Chris Cook.

Across the ice, the Western Conference offers A-rated talent in a quartet of former high-end OHL Priority Selection picks in forwards Michael Misa (Saginaw Spirit), Malcolm Spence (Erie Otters) and Brady Martin (Soo Greyhounds) with Matthew Schaefer (Erie Otters) on the back end.

The Western Conference is staffed by representatives from the reigning Memorial Cup champion Saginaw Spirit, including head coach Chris Lazary along with assistants Jake Grimes and Garrett Rutledge. The support staff includes athletic trainer Andrew Plate and equipment manager Lester Tiu.

The Saginaw Spirit lead all clubs with four players selected for the game, followed by the Barrie Colts, Brampton Steelheads, Brantford Bulldogs, Erie Otters, Kitchener Rangers and Owen Sound Attack with three each.