FINISHING THE SEASON STRONG IN THE RANKINGS
MINOR
MIDGET AND MIDGET AAA TOP 5 RANKINGS POWERED BY UNDER ARMOUR
By Ontario Minor Hockey
Association, 01/29/19, 2:30PM EST
The
Ontario Minor Hockey Association has released the ninth and final edition of
the Minor Midget and Midget AAA Top 5 Rankings powered by Under Armour for the
2018-2019 regular season.
The Minor
Midget regular season has wrapped up and there are just a handful of games left
on the Midget calendar. Let's see where teams stand heading into playoffs.
MIDGET AAA RANKINGS
With just a few games remaining on the regular season it's clear that everything is up for grabs. It's been an up and down, back and forth battle all year long and it looks to be that way heading into the playoffs.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Jack Brand (Burlington Eagles) - Brand has been a solid goalie for the Eagles this season and played a large role in their recent success. Brand plays a very well-positioned game and takes away angles from his opposing shooters. He makes goaltending look effortless and has given the Eagles the late season spark they needed to make some noise in the SCTA playoffs.
Nicholas Kirby-Palliser (Quinte Red Devils) - Kirby-Palliser is the type of player that everyone loves to have on their team but hates to play against. A force every time he is on the ice, Kirby-Palliser has become one of the tougher players to play against. Mixing skill with a strong physical game and never taking a shift off, he not only leads his team in points, but is also on the ice in the last few minutes when his team is protecting a lead.
MINOR MIDGET AAA RANKINGS
The Wildcats finish the year in the number one spot as they've held it for the majority of the season. There are a number of strong teams ready to battle it out during the playoffs and who ends up earning the #RedHats is still very much up in the air.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Ethan Burroughs (Halton Hurricanes) - Opposing teams cannot give Burroughs any room in the offensive zone as he can strike quickly. A very smart player inside the blueline, he knows where to find soft areas which he routinely exploits. When Burroughs positions himself he is always prepared to shoot so when pucks come to him he can focus on his release which is extremely quick and very accurate. He is also a deceptive skater in full stride that can beat defenses wide, he also has some quick hands that allow him to buy time and space to generate offense which makes him so dangerous.
Wil Murphy (Kingston Jr. Frontenacs) - A leader from the backend as he is trusted in all situations. In the defensive zone, Murphy uses an active stick and his mobility to keep good gaps and to separate pucks from opposing players. When Murphy gets the puck, he makes his reads quickly to find an open man or he trusts his instincts to elude pressure and skate the puck up the ice. The most impressive part of his game is inside the offensive blueline. Murphy has great movements that open up quality shooting and passing lanes. He seems to generate a lot of his team's offence from this position as he has excellent passing abilities and a strong shot that seems to always find its way to the net.