2002–03 OHL season
The 2002–03 OHL season was the 23rd season of the Ontario Hockey League. The North Bay Centennials relocated to Saginaw, Michigan, becoming the Saginaw Spirit. Due to the move, several teams changed divisions; the Saginaw Spirit were placed in the west division, the London Knights moved to the midwest division, and the Brampton Battalion moved to the central division. The London Knights moved into the new John Labatt Centre, which replaced the London Ice House. The Tim Adams Memorial Trophy was inaugurated as the MVP of the OHL Cup. Twenty teams each played 68 games. The Mississauga Icedogs qualified for the playoffs for the first time in their existence. The Kitchener Rangers won the J. Ross Robertson Cup, defeating the Ottawa 67's in the final.
Regular season
Final standings
Note: DIV = Division; GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; OTL = Overtime Losses; GF = Goals For; GA = Goals Against; PTS = Points; x = clinched playoff berth; y = clinched division title; z = clinched conference title
Eastern conference
Rank | Team | DIV | GP | W | L | T | OTL | PTS | GF | GA |
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1 | z-Ottawa 67's | East | 68 | 44 | 14 | 7 | 3 | 98 | 318 | 210 |
2 | y-Brampton Battalion | Central | 68 | 34 | 24 | 6 | 4 | 78 | 239 | 202 |
3 | x-Peterborough Petes | East | 68 | 32 | 22 | 11 | 3 | 78 | 222 | 215 |
4 | x-Toronto St. Michael's Majors | Central | 68 | 32 | 24 | 7 | 5 | 76 | 207 | 214 |
5 | x-Belleville Bulls | East | 68 | 33 | 27 | 6 | 2 | 74 | 195 | 200 |
6 | x-Oshawa Generals | East | 68 | 34 | 30 | 2 | 2 | 72 | 243 | 225 |
7 | x-Barrie Colts | Central | 68 | 29 | 26 | 4 | 9 | 71 | 228 | 223 |
8 | x-Mississauga IceDogs | Central | 68 | 23 | 31 | 11 | 3 | 60 | 212 | 231 |
9 | Kingston Frontenacs | East | 68 | 25 | 37 | 2 | 4 | 56 | 222 | 287 |
10 | Sudbury Wolves | Central | 68 | 16 | 46 | 4 | 2 | 38 | 175 | 273 |
Western conference
Rank | Team | DIV | GP | W | L | T | OTL | PTS | GF | GA |
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1 | z-Kitchener Rangers | Midwest | 68 | 46 | 14 | 5 | 3 | 100 | 275 | 188 |
2 | y-Plymouth Whalers | West | 68 | 43 | 14 | 9 | 2 | 97 | 259 | 174 |
3 | x-Sarnia Sting | West | 68 | 41 | 19 | 7 | 1 | 90 | 251 | 193 |
4 | x-Windsor Spitfires | West | 68 | 37 | 25 | 5 | 1 | 80 | 259 | 221 |
5 | x-London Knights | Midwest | 68 | 31 | 27 | 7 | 3 | 72 | 220 | 205 |
6 | x-Guelph Storm | Midwest | 68 | 29 | 28 | 9 | 2 | 69 | 217 | 208 |
7 | x-Owen Sound Attack | Midwest | 68 | 27 | 30 | 7 | 4 | 65 | 206 | 243 |
8 | x-Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds | West | 68 | 26 | 33 | 6 | 3 | 61 | 232 | 284 |
9 | Erie Otters | Midwest | 68 | 24 | 35 | 6 | 3 | 57 | 181 | 248 |
10 | Saginaw Spirit | West | 68 | 11 | 45 | 5 | 7 | 34 | 158 | 275 |
Scoring leaders
Player | Team | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Corey Locke | Ottawa 67's | 66 | 63 | 88 | 151 | 83 |
Matt Foy | Ottawa 67's | 68 | 61 | 71 | 132 | 112 |
Chad LaRose | Plymouth Whalers | 67 | 61 | 56 | 117 | 52 |
Joey Tenute | Sarnia Sting | 68 | 41 | 71 | 112 | 75 |
Kyle Wellwood | Windsor Spitfires | 57 | 41 | 59 | 100 | 20 |
Jamie Johnson | Oshawa Generals | 68 | 24 | 76 | 100 | 34 |
Eric Staal | Peterborough Petes | 66 | 39 | 59 | 98 | 36 |
Matt Stajan | Belleville Bulls | 57 | 34 | 60 | 94 | 75 |
Kris Newbury | Sarnia Sting | 64 | 34 | 58 | 92 | 149 |
Brandon Nolan | Oshawa Generals | 68 | 36 | 52 | 88 | 57 |
Playoffs
Conference quarterfinals | Conference semifinals | Conference finals | Finals | ||||||||||||||||
E1 | Ottawa | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
E8 | Mississauga | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
E1 | Ottawa | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
E6 | Oshawa | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
E3 | Peterborough | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
E6 | Oshawa | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
E1 | Ottawa | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
E4 | Toronto | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
E4 | Toronto | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
E5 | Belleville | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
E4 | Toronto | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
E2 | Brampton | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
E2 | Brampton | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
E7 | Barrie | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
E1 | Ottawa | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
W1 | Kitchener | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
W1 | Kitchener | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
W8 | S.S. Marie | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
W1 | Kitchener | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
W6 | Guelph | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
W3 | Sarnia | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
W6 | Guelph | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
W1 | Kitchener | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
W2 | Plymouth | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
W4 | Windsor | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
W5 | London | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
W5 | London | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
W2 | Plymouth | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
W2 | Plymouth | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
W7 | Owen Sound | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
Eastern conference
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Western conference
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Conference semifinals
Eastern conference | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Western conference | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Conference finals
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J. Ross Robertson Cup finals
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J. Ross Robertson Cup Champions Roster
2002-03 Kitchener Rangers[1] | ||||||
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Goaltenders |
Defencemen
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Wingers
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Centres
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All-Star teams
First team
- Corey Locke, Centre, Ottawa 67's
- Cody McCormick, Left Wing, Belleville Bulls
- Matt Foy, Right Wing, Ottawa 67's
- Brendan Bell, Defence, Ottawa 67's
- Lukas Krajicek, Defence, Peterborough Petes
- Andy Chiodo, Goaltender, Toronto St. Michael's Majors
- Brian Kilrea, Coach, Ottawa 67's
Second team
- Eric Staal, Centre, Peterborough Petes
- Brandon Nolan, Left Wing, Oshawa Generals
- Chad LaRose, Right Wing, Plymouth Whalers
- Steve Eminger, Defence, Kitchener Rangers
- Carlo Colaiacovo, Defence, Erie Otters
- Chris Houle, Goaltender, London Knights
- Jim Hulton, Coach, Belleville Bulls
Third team
- Matt Stajan, Centre, Belleville Bulls
- Kris Newbury, Left Wing, Sarnia Sting
- Dustin Brown, Right Wing, Guelph Storm
- Trevor Daley, Defence, Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds
- Tim Gleason, Defence, Windsor Spitfires
- Michael Mole, Goaltender, Belleville Bulls
- Peter DeBoer, Coach, Kitchener Rangers
Awards
2003 OHL Priority Selection
On May 3, 2003, the OHL conducted the 2003 Ontario Hockey League Priority Selection. The Saginaw Spirit held the first overall pick in the draft, and selected Patrick McNeill from the Strathroy Rockets. McNeill was awarded the Jack Ferguson Award, awarded to the top pick in the draft.
Below are the players who were selected in the first round of the 2003 Ontario Hockey League Priority Selection. [2]
# | Player | Nationality | OHL Team | Hometown | Minor Team |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Patrick McNeill (D) | Canada | Saginaw Spirit | Strathroy, Ontario | Strathroy Rockets |
2 | Marc Staal (D) | Canada | Sudbury Wolves | Thunder Bay, Ontario | Thunder Bay Kings |
3 | Tony Rizzi (RW) | Canada | Kingston Frontenacs | Kingston, Ontario | Wellington Dukes |
4 | Ryan O'Marra (C) | Canada | Erie Otters | Mississauga, Ontario | Mississauga Senators |
5 | Cody Bass (C) | Canada | Mississauga IceDogs | Guelph, Ontario | Guelph Hurricanes |
6 | Chris Lawrence (RW) | Canada | Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds | Toronto, Ontario | Toronto Marlboros |
7 | Bobby Ryan (LW) | United States | Owen Sound Attack | Collingswood, New Jersey | Detroit Honeybaked |
8 | Ryan Parent (D) | Canada | Guelph Storm | Sioux Lookout, Ontario | Waterloo Siskins |
9 | Steve Spade (D) | United States | Barrie Colts | Rochester, New York | Georgetown Raiders |
10 | Tom Mannino (D) | United States | London Knights | Farmington Hills, Michigan | Leamington Flyers |
11 | Justin Wallingford (D) | Canada | Oshawa Generals | Hamilton, Ontario | Hamilton Jr. Bulldogs |
12 | Mike Roelofsen (C) | Canada | Belleville Bulls | Chatham, Ontario | Dresden Kings |
13 | Cal Clutterbuck (RW) | Canada | Toronto St. Michael's Majors | Welland, Ontario | Welland Jr. Canadians |
14 | Daniel Ryder (C) | Canada | Peterborough Petes | St. John's, Newfoundland | Tri-Pen Ospreys |
15 | Philip Oreskovic (D) | Canada | Brampton Battalion | Brampton, Ontario | Toronto Nationals |
16 | Steve Downie (RW) | Canada | Windsor Spitfires | Queensville, Ontario | Aurora Tigers |
17 | Trevor Solomon (D) | Canada | Sarnia Sting | Garden River, Ontario | Sault Ste. Marie North Stars |
18 | Michael Lombardi (LW) | Canada | Plymouth Whalers | Richmond Hill, Ontario | Vaughan Kings |
19 | Elgin Reid (D) | Canada | Ottawa 67's | Milton, Ontario | Leamington Flyers |
20 | Devereaux Heshmatpour (D) | Canada | Kitchener Rangers | North York, Ontario | Vaughan Vipers |
2003 CHL Import Draft
On June 26, 2003, the Canadian Hockey League conducted the 2003 CHL Import Draft, in which teams in all three CHL leagues participate in. The Owen Sound Attack held the first pick in the draft by a team in the OHL, and selected Stefan Ruzicka from Slovakia with their selection.
Below are the players who were selected in the first round by Ontario Hockey League teams in the 2003 CHL Import Draft. [3]
# | Player | Nationality | OHL Team | Hometown | Minor Team |
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3 | Stefan Ruzicka (LW) | Slovakia | Owen Sound Attack | Nitra, Slovakia | Nitra Jr. |
6 | Patrick Ehelechner (G) | Germany | Sudbury Wolves | Rosenheim, Germany | Hannover Scorpions |
9 | Vaclav Meidl (C) | Czech Republic | Plymouth Whalers | Havířov, Czech Republic | Havířov Jr. |
12 | Ilya Yakolev (C) | Russia | Erie Otters | Chelyabinsk, Russia | Chelyabinsk Traktor-2 |
15 | Ivan Khomutov (C/LW) | Russia | London Knights | Saratov, Russia | Moscow HC CSKA |
18 | Martin Tůma (D) | Czech Republic | Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds | Most, Czech Republic | Litvinov Chemopetrol Jr. |
21 | Michal Pesek (LW | Czech Republic | Toronto St. Michael's Majors | Prague, Czech Republic | Sparta Praha Jr. |
24 | Andy Reiss (D) | Germany | Oshawa Generals | Hannover, Germany | Hannover Scorpions |
27 | Lukas Bolf (D) | Czech Republic | Barrie Colts | Vrchlabí, Czech Republic | Sparta Praha Jr. |
30 | Vadim Karaga (LW) | Belarus | London Knights | Novopolotsk, Belarus | Novopolotsk Polimir |
33 | David Halasz (D) | Slovakia | Ottawa 67's | Kosice, Slovakia | Kosice Jr. |
36 | Milan Hluchy (C/LW) | Czech Republic | Belleville Bulls | Rakovnik, Czech Republic | Kladno Jr. |
39 | Igor Mirnov (RW) | Russia | Toronto St. Michael's Majors | Chita, Russia | Moscow Dynamo |
42 | Martin Lučka (D) | Czech Republic | Peterborough Petes | Zlin, Czech Republic | Zlin Jr. |
45 | Stefan Blaho (RW) | Slovakia | Sudbury Wolves | Trencin, Slovakia | Trencin Jr. |
48 | Vasili Sysa (D) | Russia | Windsor Spitfires | Chelyabinsk, Russia | Ufa Salavat Yulayev-2 |
50 | Boris Valabik (D) | Slovakia | Kitchener Rangers | Nitra, Slovakia | Nitra Jr. |
52 | Vojtech Kloz (D) | Czech Republic | Kingston Frontenacs | Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic | Chicago Steel |
54 | Milos Schejbal (LW) | Czech Republic | Kingston Frontenacs | Soběslav, Czech Republic | Sparta Praha Jr. |
56 | Jakub Cech (G) | Czech Republic | Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds | Olomouc, Czech Republic | Havirov |