OHL scout likes what he sees from the three northern Ontario teams

An Ontario Hockey League (OHL) scout has nothing but praise for the three northern Ontario teams.

Being an OHL scout for 32 years, Mark Seidel is always at the rink tracking talented players, their skills and stats. Seidel is the chief scout at North American Central Scouting.

"Fans in the north have a lot to watch and support and then the playoffs start,” said Seidel.

Seidel said he expects a deep playoff run for the North Bay Battalion, highlighting star defenceman Ty Nelson, who he believes could be the difference for the Troops in pursuit of the OHL championship.

"He quarterbacks their power play and they certainly run everything through him,” said Seidel. “As the first overall pick in the draft a few years ago, he's gotten so much better this year than last. Adam Dennis has done a phenomenal job building that roster."

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As for the Sudbury Wolves, Seidel likes what he sees in the Pack's forward group citing their talent and ability to put the puck in the net. Recent struggles notwithstanding, he believes the team is strong enough to cause problems in the playoffs should they make it.

"Eventually it'll even out where they're outshooting teams by 10 or 20 shots and those shots will eventually go in,” he said.

“Derek McKenzie is a very good coach. I'll be shocked if they don't make the playoffs."

While the Greyhounds in Sault Ste. Marie are currently sitting in 9th in a very tough Western Conference, Seidel believes fans shouldn’t be worried.

"Really the Sault has been good for so long,” praised Seidel.

He expects a busy offseason for the club with re-tooling and adding a few extra players to the team.

"They went for it a few years in a row and then you end up with some of those assets you trade away to get good players and they move on and the younger guys are there so you have to re-tool,” he explained.

Seidel said with just over a month to go in the regular season, the Wolves, the Battalion and the Hounds will all be bearing down in their remaining games as North Bay is tries to solidify its spot in the post-season and Sudbury and the Sault scrambling to get in the playoffs.