New Career OHL Scoring Leader - John Tavares

[doogie24 0]

John Tavares had a hat trick on sunday afternoon, scoring his 213th, 214th, and 215th career OHL goals. He now has 58, and London got a HUGE win against Windsor to avoid the season sweep.

Windsor and London are 1-2 in the West, which means us Canadians will be getting a heavy dose of the next two #1 overall picks (JT and Taylor Hall) on TV via Sportsnet. Ive been able to watch him alot since he was traded to London, I can't wait to see how he handles things in the show.

[interpathway 9]

Not to mention that Peter Lee played five seasons in the O, whereas John is only in his fourth (I believe) year in the OHL. Congrats.

[goodguy 7]

John Tavares had a hat trick on sunday afternoon, scoring his 213th, 214th, and 215th career OHL goals. He now has 58, and London got a HUGE win against Windsor to avoid the season sweep.

Windsor and London are 1-2 in the West, which means us Canadians will be getting a heavy dose of the next two #1 overall picks (JT and Taylor Hall) on TV via Sportsnet. Ive been able to watch him alot since he was traded to London, I can't wait to see how he handles things in the show.

Watched him play against Plymouth last year and I guess I was expecting more. He didn't stand out a huge amount but his stats certainly are great.

[RadioGaGa 162]

Standing "O" from Spits fans too...very classy showing by them, seeing as London is one of their biggest rivals.

[kosydar 0]

I can't wait to see him rot away on the Island. I really wish for his sake (and mine) that the Leafs win the lottery.

[doogie24 0]

Not to mention that Peter Lee played five seasons in the O, whereas John is only in his fourth (I believe) year in the OHL. Congrats.

Crazy... Averaging about 54 goals a year for 4 years. The OHL created an "exceptional player" rule so that he could be taken #1 a year early. The minor team he played for the year before cleaned up and won just about everything (Toronto Marlboros) he played with first rounders Sam Gagner, Brendan Smith, and Akim Aliu. Stat line since his rookie year in the OHL:

2005 - 45g 32a

2006 - 72g 62a (broke Gretzkys record of 71 goals)

2007 - 40g 78a

2008 - 58g 46a (so far)

Watched him play against Plymouth last year and I guess I was expecting more. He didn't stand out a huge amount but his stats certainly are great.

When you see him play, its hard to believe the stats he actually puts up. Not overly fast, does not backcheck that much, does not throw his weight around. But you look up at the box score after pretty much every game, and he has a few points.

[chippa13 1844]

I can't wait to see him rot away on the Island. I really wish for his sake (and mine) that the Leafs win the lottery.

Stars don't rot on the Isle, they get traded just before they hit their stride and become stars somewhere else.

[RiSeOnFiRe 0]

I can't wait to see him rot away on the Island. I really wish for his sake (and mine) that the Leafs win the lottery.

I doubt he'll rot away. The isles rebuild is well underway and Tavares is the crown jewel. Living on the Island ive seen A lot of progress in this team from the beginning of the season till now. Bailey and Okposo are becoming more comfortable and playing better. They just dominated the Devils and ripped the best goalie of all time a new one. With DP shut down for the year so he could be 100% next year, look for the isles to be the newest up and coming team. I think they look a lot like the Penguins a few years ago, on the verge of moving, and having that number 1 pick. Toronto has 2 or 3 years of being piss poor to get the young talent the Isles have.

"Wherever I'm selected, 100 percent I'm going to be going there. If it is the New York Islanders, of course I'm going to go. I think they've got a lot of good prospects and there's some good things happening there. Obviously, they're looking to get a new arena, which is always exciting. And it's a team with great tradition and history." - John Tavares

[guasto74 0]

I can't wait to see him rot away on the Island. I really wish for his sake (and mine) that the Leafs win the lottery.

I doubt he'll rot away. The isles rebuild is well underway and Tavares is the crown jewel. Living on the Island ive seen A lot of progress in this team from the beginning of the season till now. Bailey and Okposo are becoming more comfortable and playing better. They just dominated the Devils and ripped the best goalie of all time a new one. With DP shut down for the year so he could be 100% next year, look for the isles to be the newest up and coming team. I think they look a lot like the Penguins a few years ago, on the verge of moving, and having that number 1 pick. Toronto has 2 or 3 years of being piss poor to get the young talent the Isles have.

"Wherever I'm selected, 100 percent I'm going to be going there. If it is the New York Islanders, of course I'm going to go. I think they've got a lot of good prospects and there's some good things happening there. Obviously, they're looking to get a new arena, which is always exciting. And it's a team with great tradition and history." - John Tavares

Good to see an objective and informed post about the Isles and the possibility of them getting Tavares. Also refreshing to hear Tavares make those comments re: his selection and if he winds up on the Island. Good to see a young player point to the tradition and history of the franchise which many in the Canadian media tend to try and sweep under the rug.

But don't worry about it Leafs fans, with the Isles luck, they'll probably lose the lottery and Tavares can bask in all of the success the Leafs have been having as of late.

[kosydar 0]

I really think you guys are overrating the young talent of the Islanders. Behind Okposo and Bailey (who I think was a bad pick), I feel the cupboard is pretty bare with high end talent. I don't claim to be someone who knows an awful lot about prospects but I would much rather have the Leafs prospects than the Isle's. The bottom line is that the Islanders have retards running their organization (like chippa alluded to), and at least the Leafs have a good management team in place.

[DEATHTRON 19]

The Islanders HAD a bad GM...he is gone. Snow has done alright, but it is still early to tell. All the leaf's fans seem to have hardon's for this kid, but there are 6 teams behind the leafs, making it impossible for them to get the pick if I remeber correctly. I think this guy might actually land in Tampa...and I could see Tampa doing something with the pick, or stamkos, to get Hedman.

Zach

[kosydar 0]

Truthfully I don't have a hard on for Tavares. I'd love to get him but I realize that unless a miracle happens we won't get him. I'd be perfectly happy with Duchene, Kane or Schenn. I think the Leafs fans want Tavares because he is a local boy and could be the future down the middle. Center is our glaring hole right now, and Tavares offers the perfect solution. Besides, there is absolutely no way the Leafs win the lottery, even if they're the 30th team in the league. I'm not sold on Snow yet but like you said its still too early to tell. I think they butchered the draft last year by trading away their first pick twice. If Tampa wins the lottery they really should move down in the draft and select Hedman or even a guy like MSP. Drafting Tavares and keeping Stamkos and Vinnie seems redundant.

[guasto74 0]

Truthfully I don't have a hard on for Tavares. I'd love to get him but I realize that unless a miracle happens we won't get him. I'd be perfectly happy with Duchene, Kane or Schenn. I think the Leafs fans want Tavares because he is a local boy and could be the future down the middle. Center is our glaring hole right now, and Tavares offers the perfect solution. Besides, there is absolutely no way the Leafs win the lottery, even if they're the 30th team in the league. I'm not sold on Snow yet but like you said its still too early to tell. I think they butchered the draft last year by trading away their first pick twice. If Tampa wins the lottery they really should move down in the draft and select Hedman or even a guy like MSP. Drafting Tavares and keeping Stamkos and Vinnie seems redundant.

Agreed. Unfortunately, it will take time for the Isles to undo everything that Milbury did so Snow has to be given another year or two before any subjective judgment can be made. I also agree that last year's draft was mishandled but Snow has also made some pretty good moves, the FA acquisition of Streit probably is the best move so far.

If Snow has the opportunity for Tavares or Hedman and trades down AGAIN then that's all we need to know about him.

[RiSeOnFiRe 0]

The islanders traded down because they wanted bailey all along. I respectfully disregard most peoples opinion of the Islanders because shitting on them is just the cool thing to do. Listening to NHL Live as i write this, they were talking about Montreal's schedule saying 'playing the Islanders tonight and they'll beat them of coarse!' umm... really? Ask the devils how they feel about the Islanders. If you haven't watched the islanders for a lot of this season, please don't bother commenting on the islanders prospects and young talent. The team is lightning fast and forechecks very hard. Play style they look a bit like Buffalo where speed is everything. You can look at numbers and where they were selected in the draft, but unless you actually watch them play, you really don't know a thing.

[kosydar 0]

I have watched the Islanders plenty of times this year and that certainly doesn't help your argument. Who are their young players who are going to be good? Quit bringing up the fact that they beat the Devils the other day. We get it, they won a game against a good team. Every team wins and every team loses, even the good ones and bad ones.

[RiSeOnFiRe 0]

well Okposo and Bailey are the obvious ones. I really like Blake Comeau. His numbers are poor, but his speed is great and seems to have a lot of untapped offensive potential. His shot is quite good and has just needed time. I dont think 30 to 40 points for him next season is out of the question. Another young player who has impressed me recently is Jesse Joensuu, a 6ft 4 winger whose got some hands. He will provide the islanders with some strength and size up front. And then theres Aaron Ness who has drawn a lot of comparisons to Brian Rafalski. Hes a small Dman, but hes got some wheels and plays great in his own end. Being that he plays in the NCAA gives him time to develop and bulk up before being tested at the pro level. So the islander do have some prospects, and they traded down twice last season to get the player they wanted to begin with plus picks to 'fill the cupboard.' And they also have 5 picks in the 1st two rounds this season.

Isles outworked the habs for a 3-2 OT win. Okposo with the game winner.

[doogie24 0]

I don't claim to be someone who knows an awful lot about prospects but I would much rather have the Leafs prospects than the Isle's.

interesting. Luke Schenn and... nobody vs Okposo and Bailey.

Josh Bailey really should have been playing in Windsor this year, but It seems as though the Isles needed him more than the Spits (they have been #1 in the CHL for most of the year)

some news from the Tavares front...

Some old dude from Ottawa is saying that he found records that show the previous scoring champion having 2 more undocumented goals, but im thinking it will just blow over and everyone will still remember JT as the career leader. Here's a good article from TSN... I can't wait to see how he plays in the post season, round 1 starts next week.

http://tsn.ca/chl/story/?id=270935&lid...os=secStory_chl

[Eazy_b97 1]

Schenn and Tlusty would be the 2 comparisons. Tlusty has had a very solid year in the AHL, he's putting up similar numbers to Bobby Ryan at the same age in the AHL. Some are saying he's the best player in that league at the moment, especially after some of his recent performances (5 goal night, 6 point night, 4 assist night, etc..) So I'm not sure who I'd take to be honest, I love Okposo, but am not that big on Bailey. Neither team has that much young talent considering their current situations.

Back to Tavares, obviously I like the kid, but it'll be interesting to see how he transitions to the NHL. He's just a kid who simply scores. Nothing really stands out, but his finish is incredible. It's nice to see him rebound this year after a few scouts crapped on him last year. I think his NHL career will be as a winger though, so not the center you may have been looking for Kosydar, but thats just my opinion on him.

[guasto74 0]

The Islanders aren't stocked with young talent. However, the rebuild is certainly underway. In addition to Okposo and Bailey and some of the others mentioned, Franz Nielsen is another player with a lot of upside. Great hockey sense, needs a liitle more bulk but can become a top two-line player.

Realistically, next year will also be tough for the Isles but if Snow does a good job with the upcoming draft and can target another free agent the way he did with Streit, the team should be competitive in the season after next.

I'm not big on droning on about systems, but ever since some of the older players (Comrie, Guerin, and Weight) have not been in the lineup, Gordon's system has been having success. That's a promising sign.

It certainly is the "in" thing to do to bash the Isles. I think a lot of it has to do with the team being in a state of flux, both on the ice and their arena/location issues. Hopefully, if things stabilize, a big if, then their image around the league will improve.

To get back to the thread, there are a lot of worse places that Tavares can wind up besides the Island.

[doogie24 0]

The playoffs start in a few days, here are the final stats since JT was traded to London

GP 24

G 32

A 18

P 50

pretty impressive, its been fun to be able to watch this guy play for the last little while. They had a small ceremony friday night to recognize his record, though the video only showed the goals that he had in a Knights jersey...