MIKE MASCIOLI of the Kitchener Rangers.

OHL Tough Guys would like to congratulate Mike on his outstanding rookie season. Thanks to all who voted.

Barring any major news developments during the summer, this will be the final update until September. On behalf of Aaron and Rob, I want to wish everyone a safe and healthy summer. A big thanks to all of the OAs who we’ve worked with during their career as well as those who can potentially graduate to bigger things. We couldn’t have done this without you!!

Enjoy the summer folks and we’ll see you in September. As always, if you want to get a hold of me - ohltg_dave@hotmail.com or on Facebook. Take care.

First, though, is the top 12 compilation I put together. Take note - due to technical problems, I couldn’t get all the videos I wanted on there. Thus, there are some repeats. It’s 11 minutes long, too - but worth the download.

TOP 12 Fight compilation -http://www.sendspace.com/file/c6uaxn

OVERALL Top 12

1. Justin Soryal – 6’2 200lbs Peterborough Petes – 59 games 17g 22a 39pts 140 PIMS – Soryal is the classic power forward. He came on as primarily a tough guy, but developed his game to be one of the best overall players in the league. A class act off the ice, his fists show he’s all business on the ice and he’s done damage against some of the best the league threw at him.

2. Anthony Peluso – 6’3 222lbs Erie Otters/SSM Greyhounds – 63 games 7g 14a 21pts 124PIMS – Peluso is similar to Peluso, only not quite as offensive. His fists have done the talking around the league and now he uses the fear factor to get it done on the ice. Not many will test him as he’s built a solid reputation.

3. Richard Greenop – 6’3 225lbs Windsor Spitfires – 60 games 2g 3a 5pts 194PIMS – “Sir Richard”, as he’s known in Windsor, has become one of the most recognized players in the league. While he’s not likely to put up great offensive numbers, he’s respected with the gloves off and has a heavyweight fight card that’s tough to beat.

4. Kyle Neuber – 6’2 215lbs Mississauga Majors – 54games 4g 4a 8pts 133PIMS – Neuber has surprised a lot of people with his fists this season. His ability to throw with power has shot him up in the rankings. Like Greenop, he won’t put up the points, but certainly will rack up the PIMS and fighting majors while defending teammates.

5. Luke Gazdic – 6’3 210lbs Erie Otters – 67games 17g 12a 29pts 144PIMS – Gazdic had a breakout season offensively for the Otters. Add in the fact he can go toe-to-toe with the best in the league makes him one valuable player. He’s not a guy to lead the league in PIMS, but he’ll certainly challenge for the league heavyweight title next season.

6. Scott Fletcher – 6’4 210lbs Niagara Ice Dogs – 44 games 0g 1a 1pt 153PIMS – Fletcher, a big nasty defenceman, isn’t going to put up the points, but will put fear into a lot of forwards. He showed a ton of willingness to drop the mitts this year, but not many takers. When he goes, though, he can really throw ‘em!

7. Devin Didiomete – 6’ 190lbs Sarnia Sting – 56 games 23g 33a 56pts 216PIMS – You want a guy who will go through the wall for a teammate, then come out the next period and score a couple points? Here’s the man known as Deeds. He can put up points in any situation and will drop the gloves for any reason. 88 majors in 5 seasons – enough said!

8. James DeLory – 6’5 225lbs Oshawa Generals – 54 games 2g 20a 22pts 154PIMS – This giant rearguard has proven time and time again that you don’t want to mess with his teammates. The only thing stopping him from moving up in the rankings is his fight card – there aren’t many names on there. He’s one of the best in the league, but given his value to the Gens, can’t show it often.

9. Brandon Mashinter – 6’3 225lbs Kitchener Rangers – 62 games 10g 10a 20pts 84PIMS – Here’s another guy who, if he went more often, could easily move up in the rankings. Mashinter has the size, has the chin, and has the ability. The only things missing are the names on the fight card. He’s fun to watch when he goes, though.

10. David Jarram – 6’3 216lbs Saginaw/Oshawa – 63 games 11g 7a 18pts 139PIMS – Jarram is one of the more under-rated power forwards in the league. He can put the points up and will step up against anyone in the league. He might not beat the top handful of guys every night, but he’ll show up and have some fun.

11. Pete Stevens – 6’3 223lbs Kingston Frontenacs – Here’s another entertaining, toe-to-toe blue-liner. Stevens has some very entertaining fights and will drop ‘em with the top dogs. He won’t win every fight, but certainly makes sure he lets his opponent know it’ll be a grudge-match.

12. Bobby Davey – 6’1 190lbs Peterborough Petes 53 games 1g 11a 12pts 200PIMS – Davey is the definition of “heart and soul.” He goes out there with a smile, does the damage, then shows his great character off the ice. He won’t put up the points, but has never shown anything but joy for dropping the gloves. 70 majors ranks 12^th all-time in the OHL.

West:

1. Anthony Peluso

2. Richard Greenop

3. Luke Gazdic

4. Devin Didiomete

5. Brandon Mashinter

6. David Jarram

7. Ryan Wilson

8. Michael Liambas

9. Jozef Sladok

10. Jordan Shine

11. Steve Miller

12. Matt Martin

East:

1. Justin Soryal

2. Kyle Neuber

3. Scott Fletcher

4. James DeLory

5. Pete Stevens

6. Bobby Davey

7. Ryan Baldwin

8. Matt Beleskey

9. Kody Musselman

10. Andrew Self

11. Andrew Clouthier

12. Matt Corrente

Rookies:

T - 1. Marco Maggio - Sudbury Wolves - 6′ 190 - 63 games 0g 6a 6pts 162PIMS

T - 1. Mike Mascioli - Kitchener Rangers -5′10 186 - 50 games 6g 14a 20pts 125 PIMS

3. Jake Carrick -SSM Greyhounds -5′11 176 - 51 games 2g 5a 7pts 97PIMS

4. Zac Rinaldo - Mississauga Majors - 5′10 175 - 63 games 7g 7a 14pts 191 PIMS

5. Tyler Sheldrake - Peterborough Petes/Sudbury Wolves - 6′ 205lbs - 52 games 1g 8a 9pts 82 PIMS

6. Kain Allicock - Saginaw Spirit - 6′3 195lbs - 41 games 1g 1a 2pts 75 PIMS

7. Zack Kassian - Peterborough Petes - 6′3 205lbs - 58 games 9g 12a 21pts 74 PIMS

8. Garett Hunter - London Knights - 6′ 179lbs - 62 games 1g 2a 3pts 42 PIMS

9. Kyle Clifford - Barrie Colts - 6′1 190lbs - 66 games 1g 14a 15pts 83PIMS

10. Kenzie Sheppard - Peterborough Petes - 6′ 204lbs - 58 games 20g 12a 32pts 118 PIMS

11. Chris De Sousa - Niagara Ice Dogs - 5′9 198lbs - 64 games 23g 13a 39pts 103 PIMS

12. Josh Domingues - Owen Sound Attack - 5′11 191lbs - 53 games 5g 7a 12pts 59PIMS

**NOW** - as you can see, we have a tie for first place amongst the rookies.

This is where YOU, the OHL Tough Guy fan/player comes into play.

We need YOUR vote for who should be crowned rookie champion. How do you do this? Simple!

Send your vote to ohltg_dave@hotmail.com, talk to me on MSN, or comment on Facebook (either on my wall, in a message, or on the OHLTG Group). Comments on here WILL NOT be taken into consideration - lots of other options. You’re voting for either Mike Mascioli OR Marco Maggio. EVERYONE can vote (excluding me).

The time on this one is 10 days from today…June 3. So, at 11:30 on June 13 (a Friday night), is when it stops. That’s when I start my weekend volunteer work in Windsor - once I leave the house, no further votes will be counted.

You can only vote ONCE - all votes will be recorded.

All that being said, I hope you guys enjoyed the rankings!! Thanks for reading and feedback is always appreciated.

Over-age Player of the Year:

Nominations –

Ryan Wilson – Sarnia

Bobby Davey – Peterborough

Justin Soryal – Peterborough

David Jarram – Saginaw

Aaron’s pick: Ryan Wilson – Sarnia

Dave’s pick – Ryan Wilson – Sarnia

Dave’s reason: This was a tough choice for me. I look at all areas of the game and Wilson took it slightly over Soryal for me. I thought Wilson taking on Soryal in Sarnia was a bold move, given Wilson hasn’t dropped them a lot over the last few seasons. The leadership factor there put him over the edge.

Most Improved Player:

Nominations –

Kyle Neuber – Mississauga

Luke Gazdic – Erie

Harry Young – Windsor

Matt Martin – Sarnia

Aaron’s pick – Matt Martin

Dave’s pick – Kyle Neuber

Dave’s reasoning: While I can completely understand Aaron’s pick, my heart says Neuber. The kid is scary with the gloves off and not many guys can go with the best in the league with a smile on their face. His fights with Greenop, Soryal, and Fletcher this season showed me he’s worthy of the award.

Marco Caprara Award:

Nominations –

Mike Duco – Kitchener

Kaine Geldart – Plymouth

Michael Liambas – Erie

Chris De Sousa – Niagara

Aaron’s pick – Mike Duco

Dave’s pick – Michael Liambas

Dave’s reason: This is another one I was back-and-forth on. Duco is a solid choice, but Liambas’ fight card stands out. Caprara was a guy who went anytime, anywhere, and that’s Liambas’ game. Plus, his fight card is loaded with heavyweights and he has a KO punch.

Rookie Fight of the Year:

Nominations –

Kaine Geldart v. Mike Mascioli

Jake Carrick v. Mike Mascioli Round 1

Kaine Geldart v. Jake Carrick

Thomas Nesbitt v. Zac Rinaldo

Aaron’s pick – Carrick v. Mascioli Rd 1

Dave’s pick – Geldart v. Mascioli

Dave’s reason: This was a tough, tough pick. All four fights were extremely good, but something about the Geldart/Mascioli fight that did it for me - off the draw, bombs thrown, no real defence. I couldn’t turn it down.

Fight of the Year:

Nominations –

Richard Greenop v. James Delory

Pete Stevens v. Luke Van Moerkerke

Shea Kewin v. Pete Stevens

Ryan Wilson v. Justin Soryal

Aaron’s pick: Kewin v. Stevens

Dave’s pick: Wilson v. Soryal

Dave’s reason: Another very tough choice. I could easily give it to any of the four, but the Wilson/Soryal fight was toe-to-toe, two over-age heavyweights throwing down. It’s tough to get better than this.

Most Underated Fighter

Nominations:

Dalton Prout

Brian Shaw

Julien Demers

Stefan Della Rovere

Aaron’s pick: Brian Shaw

Dave’s pick: Julien Demers

Dave’s reason: I’m looking at fight cards here and Demers has gone some of the bigger names in the league. In his fight with Greenop, he handled himself very well. He’s not a house-hold name, but certainly has top 12 potential if he went more often.

There you have ‘em, folks! Your 2007/2008 OHLTG Awards! Stay tuned…rankings are coming. I’m finishing them up as we speak.

I know what you’re thinking…”these guys haven’t updated in a long time.” I sincerely apologize for that.

Don’t worry, though…a big update is coming! As we speak, I’m finishing up the rankings, plus I’ll have something brand new that we’ve never done before. Hopefully you guys like it. Here’s a hint - it has to do with the rankings. It doesn’t affect them, but it’s a part. You’ll see what I mean.

Plus, we’ll have our ANNUAL OHL TOUGH GUYS AWARDS and a video or three.

Stay tuned…either Wednesday or Thursday the update will be here. It’ll be worth it!!

Thanks for reading and talk to you guys soon!!

The Western Hockey League champs Spokane Chiefs, the Gatineau Olympiques of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, the runners-up in the Ontario Hockey League, the Belleville Bulls, and the hosts/OHL Champs, the Kitchener Rangers.

Below, you’ll find a bit about each teams toughness. It should prove to be a great tournament, one worth watching. Every team has some willing pugilists and no doubt guys will want their moment to shine on national television. I know I’m looking forward to it!!

WHL:

Spokane Chiefs – Similar to the OHL’s Kitchener Rangers, the Chiefs were in the middle of the pack when it came to fights. They hit about one-per-game, but didn’t have one person to do their damage. Instead, they had a few that could chuck the knucks if need be.

Curtis Kelner is their big guy up front. Standing 6’2 215, he’s a veteran who had 89 PIM in 53 games and was tied for the team lead with 10 fighting majors. Mike Reddington is a youngster who’s stepped up his game this season. He tied Kelner with 10 majors and had 102 PIM in 71 games. He hasn’t had many PIM in the playoffs, but you never know. Ryan Letts is their third guy on the major charts and is the type that would rather take a fighting major than sit in the box for two minutes trying to do something. Over half of his PIM were for fighting. Standing 6’2 207, he’s never shown the PIM, but he’s certainly showed a willingness to go with nine majors this season. Fourth is Judd Blackwater, a scrappy overage forward who has shown a willingness to do it all. He’s not a huge guy at 6’ 196, but look for him to make his presence known if need be.

QMJHL:

The strange thing about the Q was there were three levels of teams in terms of fighting: often, occasionally, and not a chance. Gatineau was at the top end of the occasionally level, just about classified as “often.” Want an even stranger fact? Only one guy on the team had more than 10 fights. The rest had fewer than 6.

Who is this feared fighter? Travis Stacey. The 6’2 220lb youngster was third in the CHL in fighting majors with 30. Add in his minors and he had 210 PIMS this season in 66 games.

He had some help, though. Youngsters Steven Delisle (6’5 209) and Hubert Labrie (5’10 158) had a handful of majors each, as did veteran Jonathan Carrier (6’4 206).

OHL:

Belleville is one of those teams that doesn’t need to drop the gloves, but can easily do so if needed.

They’re lead by tough guy Matt Beleskey (6’ 200), who has proven many times he can go with the best in the league. When you’re one of the best on a team that had less than 30 majors all season, though, you’re not going often. He’s helped out by lanky veteran Andrew Self (6’3 200). Self went more often earlier in this career but has the chin and willingness to go when necessary.

The host Kitchener Rangers are another team that can drop the gloves often if they want, but they choose not to – usually. Again, they’re about mid-pack in the league for majors.

Leading the team in majors this year was feisty rookie Mike Mascioli. The 5’11 195lb forward was a willing combatant with anyone who would take him on. Playing at home in his first Memorial Cup, it wouldn’t surprise anyone to see him drop the mitts once or twice to get some momentum going. Mike Duco was second on the team with 9 majors and the best way to describe him is a pit-bull with a mean streak. Listed at 5’9 196, he goes out and hits everything he can, stirring things up. Given his value to the team, he won’t drop the gloves unless needed. When he goes, though, he can do damage. Then you have the big guy, Brandon Mashinter. He’s not the most willing guy, but at 6’4 225, he can more than handle himself against the best in the league in any situation. It’s just a matter of getting the desire out of him.

It’s no secret that in this prestigious tournament, emotions run high, but the penalty minutes do not. However, we’ve seen time and time again that strange things happen and the gloves can go flying. Just take a look at the Brandon Prust fight when London hosted the Memorial Cup or the Janssen/King fight (they’re team-mates now, strangely enough). It should make for a great tournament to watch, regardless.

4-5-2008 Shea Kewin Vs Matt Corrente

4-8-2008 Andrew Campbell Vs Matt Kennedy

4-8-2008 Brett Parnham Vs Stefan Legein

4-9-2008 Robert Bortuzzo Vs Devin DiDiomete

4-11-2008 Stefan Legein Vs Corey Cowick

They say defence wins games. We’re about to find out if it wins Conference Championships, too.

The Belleville Bulls are known for their stellar defence and solid offence. Only two teams allowed fewer goals than the Bulls and they’re playing each other in the other conference final. With their defence-first approach, the Bulls play a simple, disciplined game. That means very few fighting majors, which could prove interesting against this rough and tumble Oshawa team.

The Generals are a high octane squad that will beat you if you try to get into a wild-west shootout. They scored the most goals in the league this year but have also allowed the most of any playoff team. They’re also a team that will defend their teammates no matter what the price.

That’s what makes this series interesting. It’s essentially a disciplined, defensive club (who can score, mind you) against an all-out offensive team that will drop the mitts. It’s anyones guess as to who takes it or what happens.

If you’re looking for fisticuffs, keep an eye on Belleville’s Matt Beleskey and Andrew Self. While not regular fighters, they can certainly throw down when need be. Oshawa counters with guys like James DeLory, Shea Kewin, Ryan Baldwin, and the list goes on. This will be a fun series to watch.

Kitchener v. Sault Ste Marie:

Take a coin. Now, flip it. You’ve got a 50/50 chance at picking the winner, right? Welcome to the Western Conference Final.

There’s not much to say that hasn’t been said about these two teams. They’re offensive, they’re defensive, and they can drop the mitts. It’s two of the best in the nation battling it out to see who wins four first.

Let’s, then, concentrate on the pugilists. Afterall, we are OHL Tough Guys. Kitchener doesn’t have one “main” guy, if you will. They’ve got three or four secondary guys, all of whom can go very easily. Brandon Mashinter, Mike Mascioli, and Mike Duco are the bigger names you’ll run into. All of which could shed the gloves for any reason at all. The Hounds have one of the toughest in the West in Anthony Peluso, but they also have Brandon Biggers, a legit threat, and Jake Carrick, a very tough rookie.

These teams do not like each other and it’s probably the most anticipated series of the season. This one is definitely worth watching, folks!!

1. Devin Didiomete - SAR - 40 PIMS - 9 games

2. Matt Corrente - NIAG - 33 PIMS - 10 games

3. Michael Del Zotto - OSH - 32 PIMS - 11 games

4. Stefan Legein - NIAG - 28 PIMS - 10 games

5. Matt Kennedy - GUE - 25 PIMS - 10 games

Again, if you ever have any questions, comments, or concerns, please let us know. You can contact me directly at ohltg_dave@hotmail.com OR on our group on Facebook (OHL Tough Guys). Thanks again for reading and keep watch…an update is coming soon!!