Early Mid-West Opinions

[ILuvHackey]

So here we are 4-5 games into the season... 6 for Listowel and 3 for Brantford (who makes the schedule?). Any surprises? Thoughts?

Listowel: Holy smokes are they on fire. They lose Huber, but Lansink becomes Superman with 19 points (11 goals) in his first 6 games. Rookie '99 goalie Brock Baier has allowed 4 goals in 4 games thus far. Was a re-entry in the OHL draft back in April taken by Windsor, and looks to be worth the pick early on. They're real quick in the offensive zone. Could/should be a 1-3 team.

Kitchener: Not the start you'd expect. They've been good, but not really as dominant as they should considering the guys they got back. A couple people I talked to when they were in Cambridge the other night, thought the core three (Kawalec, Cole, Schmidt) seemed to be going through the motions early on. Should be a 1-3 team.

Waterloo: They're usually a good team (helps having a strong minor hockey system), and this year looks no different. Were the closes team to beating Listowel so far, took it to Stratford for their home opener, and dominated at the showcase. Quick young team with some firepower, and good goaltending to bail out the youthful mistakes it looks like. Expect them to be in the 3-6 range.

Guelph: Have only seem them the once, but not sure what to think. Looks like they'll score, but struggled to defend. Could be a very up and down year of hot streaks and cold streaks. I'd venture a guess on 6-8?

Cambridge: Very young and skilled. Unfortunately our back end has made a ton of youthful mistakes early on with two 16 year olds. Goaltending has been hot and cold from Wright. Still expect us to be in the 5-7 range.

Stratford: Were downright good at the showcase and really took it to Caledonia. Have been very similar to Kitchener since - going through the motions. Thought Waterloo outskated and out hustled them when I was at their home opener. With that talent, I can't see them not being in the 1-3 range, but they need a fire to be lit.

Elmira: Skinner back with Brown is huge, but the back end looks poor. Reinhart can bail them out a tad, but they don't move the puck effectively yet either. All in all, probably end the year in the 3-5 range.

Brampton: Not as bad as I thought. Hard working team. Won't out skill you, but if they compete, they'll stay in games. 7-8 team?

Brantford: Considering how many guys they got back, they are downright bad early on. Back end is slow and gets blown by. Walker looks to be a one-man show considering who he has to play with. They might be the worst team in the conference. But at least they're not as bad as Buffalo? Don't expect many teams to blow them out 12-0 or anything, but they're going to lose more than they win.