Premiere performance

Whalers start 20th season with an across-the-border showdown with 'Spits

  One of the most effective methods of forecasting how an Ontario Hockey League team will fare during the upcoming season is to count how many of its key players are absent on opening night.
  With the league's stars away battling for roster spots with their respective NHL franchises, a depleted early-season roster translates into a talented roster -- in a Catch-22 kind of way.
  Which is why Plymouth Whalers president, general manager and head coach Mike Vellucci isn't necessarily lamenting the fact that his team will take the ice in the season opener at Windsor tonight (7:05 p.m. opening face-off) minus five or six regulars.
  Vellucci is upbeat because one of his team's most explosive talents -- 17-year-old Tyler Seguin -- will be flying up and down the Windsor Family Credit Union Centre ice, needing just a puck's-width opening to wreak havoc on the Spitfires' defense.
  "Tyler is going to be our key this season," said Vellucci. "How Tyler goes is how our team will go. The 'Red Line Report' (a highly respected scouting service) has Tyler as the No. 3 guy in next year's draft, so he's highly thought of."
  Seguin's value to the Whalers' offense is comparable to goalie Matt Hackett's importance on the opposite end of the ice. The Minnesota Wild draftee went 34-15-3 last season after establishing himself as the team's No. 1 net-minder.
  "Our goal-tending is obviously one of the things that excites me," said Vellucci. "We're expecting Matt Hackett to have another big year and his back-up, Scott Wedgewood, played very well in the exhibition season. Our goal-tending is very solid with those two guys."
  Vellucci likes his team's potential on the offensive end, especially if the Whalers can come to terms with European Draft pick Tomas Tatar, a Detroit Red Wings draftee.
  "If we can solidify Tatar and get him back, I think we're going to be able to score goals," said Vellucci. "I know everyone is saying that they don't think we will score much -- with Ryan Hayes out six weeks with an injured shoulder -- but once we get Seguin, Hayes, Jenks and the European pick out there, and young Austin Mattson, I think we're going to be able to score some goals. I think we'll surprise some people with our offense."
  Among the standouts holding fort in front of Hackett and Wedgewood will be Beau Schmitz, a native of Howell; Leo Jenner and Josh Bemis, who hails from Clarskston.
  "Schmitz and Jordan are both guys who should put up a lot of points this season," added Vellucci. "And I think Jenner is someone who will surprise some people and score more points this year.
  "Austin Levi has a cannon, too. With those four guys returning, they'll help pick up the pace in the back end."
  Several players emerged during the exhibition season, Vellucci revealed.
  "Myles McCauley will have a good year offensively, he elaborated. "He's still working on a few thinks defensively. And Austin Mattson, the Livonia kid who we signed as a free agent from the USHL, is going to be a great player for us -- and we get him for three years.
  "Another player who stepped up during the exhibition season was Wedgewood. He proved he's a very good goalie. He's only 17, but he plays a lot more mature than that."
  The battle for the OHL's Western Conference title should be a dogfight in Vellucci's estimation.
  "Everybody's picking Windsor," he said, "but I think London has the firepower. I don't know if London as the defense, but they'll be good. Guelph is another good team."
  The Whalers' home opener is Saturday at 7:05 p.m. at Compuware Arena against Oshawa.
 

Ed Wright can be reached at info@plymouthcantonsports.com or (734) 453-1980.