Mississauga Steelheads begin process to rebuild, trade away 3 key players in a matter of hours

Just 24 hours after completing 3 franchise changing trades, James Richmond sat at his desk - exhaled - and explained the logic behind the deals. 

"It had to do with our inconsistent play and our record," said the Head Coach and General Manager of the Ontario Hockey League's Mississauga Steelheads. "Yesterday was a real, real tough day for me. Some people won't see it that way. It's not just a business for me. I develop relationships with my players." 

But by making these deals, the rebuild should accelerate quicker for the Steelheads, who sit a disappointing 16-16-4 on the season heading into Sunday (they beat the Sudbury Wolves 7-2 in the first game since the trades went down.)

"The guys we got are pretty high end," smiled Richmond. 

The Steelheads started Saturday (January 7, 2023) by trading a pair of key players who were in their final year of junior hockey eligibility to Sarnia. 

Captain Ethan Del Mastro (19th overall pick in the 2019 OHL draft) a Chicago Blackhawks pick and a defenceman who just logged big minutes for the gold medal winning Canada squad at the world junior hockey championship. In return, Mississauga acquired a 2nd round pick in 2023 and forward Porter Martone (the 5th overall pick in the 2022 OHL draft). 

"I love Del Mastro, absolutely love him," said Richmond.

Then the Steelheads dealt BlueJackets prospect Luca Del Bel Belluz (a 3rd round pick, 51st overall in the 2019 OHL draft, and 44th overall pick in 2022 NHL draft by Columbus) to the Sting for Angus MacDonell (he was drafted by the Sting in the first round (13th overall) in the 2021 OHL Draft) and 2 more draft picks.

"Del Bel Belluz has been training with me since he was 12 years old," noted Richmond. "I've known his dad for 30 years. It's a tough one." 

With the Steelheads struggling, it comes as no surprise that Del Mastro and Del Bel Belluz were dealt. 

But hours after those two deals were announced, Richmond wasn't done. Montreal Canadiens prospect forward Owen Beck (33rd pick in the 2022 NHL draft. Drafted by the Steelheads in the 2nd round, 29th overall of the 2020 OHL draft) was traded to Peterborough. Beck has one more year of OHL eligibility left. 

"I don't want to bet against Owen Beck, meaning, I think he's going to be in Montreal next year." 

In return for Beck, who just won gold for Canada at the world juniors (he came in late to replace Colton Dach who was injured) the Steelheads received Jack Van Volsen (C), Justin DeZoete (RW), two second-round picks in 2025 (PBO and ER), a 2025 third-round pick (PBO), and a 2026 fourth-round pick (PBO). 

DeZoete who was selected in the second round (#35 overall) in the 2020 OHL Draft, just six picks behind Beck. Van Volsen was Peterborough’s first-round pick (#6 overall) in the 2022 OHL Priority Selection draft. 

"I want to build a championship team and we had to go this route," said Richmond. "Over the last 6, 7 years we have learned from our mistakes and have seen other teams have success. This is jumping into the deep end in a big way." 

"If you talk to hockey people, Van Volsen and Martone are 2 of the best '06 born players in our league so we have added key pieces to building this up in a hurry." 

In the first game with the new additions to the lineup (and that includes Adam Zidlicky acquired a few days ago from Kitchener) the Steelheads beat Sudbury 7-2. MacDonell and Val Volsen had a goal and an assist each in the win. Martone had an assist, DeZoete scored an empty net goal and Zidlicky had an assist on a short handed goal. 

 "By no means am I waving the white flag (on this season)," continued Richmond.

Dzierkals: Looking to make the transition from Latvia to Toronto

TORONTO - Martins Dzierkals smiles at the recollection: June 27, 2015, the day  he was drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs.

 “It was amazing,” said Dzierkals, the 68^th player taken in the 2015 NHL draft. “I was watching it online and everyone was like a big boom in Latvia. Everyone was congratulating me from friends and family. It was a big thing. That was one of the happiest days of my life.”

Tonight, the 19-year-old forward will lead his underdog Latvia team against Canada at the World Junior Hockey Championship in Toronto.

Even though the Latvians have lost both games in the event having been been outscored 15-2, Dzierkals is soaking in his time at the Air Canada Centre.

“It’s an amazing experience,” said Dzierkals, who as an assist thus far. “I bet when we play against Canada the rink is going to be full and the crowd is going to be amazing. I hope this isn’t the only time I play here. It’s been fun.”

The native of Ogre, Latvia has played the last two years with Rouyn-Noranda of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. He has 27 points in 22 games this season and will be going head to head against a couple of his junior teammates tonight as Phillipe Myers and Jeremy Lauzon patrol the Canadian blueline.

Listed at 5-foot-11 and 173 pounds, Dzierkals grew up cheering for the handful of Latvians who made it to the NHL.

“For me it was (Sandis) Ozolinsh, Artus Irbe,” said Dzierkals. “That is a big inspiration for me. Now I am an example to the young kids because these players were an example to me.”

Dzierkals has attended rookie and main camps with the Maple Leafs and hopes to make a more permanent return to the Air Canada Centre in the future.

“They have a lot of young talent and are doing really good this year,” said Dzierkals. “They are going to keep building every year.”

“They are going to get a cup for sure in the next couple of years and I want to be a part of it.”

Jeremy Bracco: Prove People Wrong

By Tony Ambrogio

TORONTO – “Prove People Wrong.”

It’s written on Jeremy Bracco’s green bracelet he wears on his right wrist. It’s a motto the Toronto Maple Leafs draft pick has been living by his entire hockey career.

“It’s just something I go by,” said Bracco, from Freeport New York. “New York is not a hockey hotbed. It’s a motto a lot of us New York guys come by. It’s a lot of fun to have that in the back of your mind when you’re playing.”

Bracco scored a goal in Team U.S.A’s 6-1 opening night victory over Latvia at the World Junior Hockey Championship on Boxing Day. The Leafs second round pick in 2015 (61^st overall) played his first game at the Air Canada Centre, in what may be his future NHL home. The moment wasn’t lost on him.

“You realize the history and what it means to be a Toronto Maple Leaf and the people here. It is pretty special for me and hopefully I can be here in years to come. It’s pretty cool to get my first taste of it.”

Bracco is listed at 5-foot-10 and the comparisons to a player chosen by Toronto 57 picks earlier are inevitable. Mitch Marner, the fourth overall pick in 2015 is listed at 5-foot-11. He has burst onto the scene in his rookie campaign in the NHL. Bracco has taken notice.  

“Everybody is going to have their doubts about you. You got to prove you can play compared to a guy who is 6-foot-5 and has to prove he can’t play.”

“Great energy, great puck mover and he can shoot. He has the ability to play offence for us. We think he’s deadly on the power play,” said Team U.S.A. coach Bob Motzko. “He has the brains and he has the skills.”

For the 19 year-old Bracco, this is his first trip to this event. He was cut on Christmas Eve as a 17 year-old. Last year he wasn’t invited to the U.S. camp.

“To come out this year and to get one early was real nice. To have the coach have confidence in me and put me on the power play it’s a good feeling for sure.”

With the Ontario Hockey League’s Kitchener Rangers, Bracco had a 26 game point streak come to an end just before joining the American team. It is the second longest streak in franchise history. In the final game of the streak, he scored the overtime game winner against Kingston.

“(After I scored) the boys were yelling ‘streak’ so that was a lot of fun,” said Bracco who is in the fifth in OHL scoring with 17 goals and 34 assists in 27 games.

Still, it’s his size that some can’t overlook. Bracco will continue to do his best to prove people wrong.

“It’s not about motivation, anybody that wants to be a player can be motivated when you step on the ice. It’s what you do when people aren’t around, that’s what separates guys.”

Leafs win as Babcock coaches 1000 NHL game

TORONTO- Mike Babcock shrugged his shoulders and said he “lost his way” and that’s how he ended up as a coach.

Well, there’s more to it than that.

Babcock celebrated his 1,000 NHL game with a 3-2 shootout victory over the New Jersey Devils.

When asked if he has another 1,000 games in him he said, “I got this year and 7 more here and I am going to stay for two more because the team is going to be that good.”

“You always want to win on nights like that,” said Tyler Bozak who tied the game with 2:08 left in the 3^rd period.

Before the game, Babcock vividly recalled his first game behind an NHL bench against Joel Quenneville and the St Louis Blues back on October 10, 2002.

“We beat St. Louis. (Alexei) Smirnov, (Stanislav) Chistov, and Andy McDonald were stars,” said Babcock of the 4-3 win.

He was also presented with a silver puck by the players following the morning skate, to recognize the occasion.

“He obviously has done a heck of a job at what he does,” said Bozak. “He loves the game and loves to coach. I’m excited to see how many games he finishes with in his career.”

“I have been fortunate to coach lots of good teams. Every experience I’ve had with good players is they see the game different. I have learned a lot from a lot of good players.”

Babcock became the 25^th man in NHL history to coach 1,000 games. His record 546-307-19-128. Only Scotty Bowman (.632) and Al Arbour (.589) have a higher win percentage in the playoffs (Babcock is at .569).

Not bad for a guy who only got into coaching because “I wasn’t good enough to play” and was all set to be a professor at McGill University.  

In 1987, Babcock became a player coach for the Whitley Warriors in England.

The following year he applied for a job at Red Deer College and joked “I just wanted to go to the Calgary Stampede and applying for the job at Red Deer College gave me a free way to the Stampede. I had no interest in stopping playing at that time when I got the job.

“I lost my way and I’ve been doing it ever since.”

“Intense, detailed and really cares about winning,” said Leafs defenceman Frank Corrado of his head coach. “He doesn’t come in here and degrade his players. He gets the most of out of his players.”

“He’s personable, very smart and tough when he needs to be,” said Jake Gardiner. “He’s just a heck of a coach.”

“I want to be the best coach in my generation,” said Babcock, the second-fastest coach to 500 NHL wins (behind Bowman). “Guys are making it hard for you. Q (Joel Quennevile) is making it hard for you, Darryl Sutter is making it hard for you.”

Babcock has a Stanley Cup and a pair of Olympic gold medals yet he will say, “there’s lots of things I haven’t won” like a second Stanley Cup or a World Cup.

“He knows what he wants and he knows how to teach it,” said Corrado. “When he watches video and you and I watch video he sees the game different than us. He is very good at explaining how he sees it and what he wants out of it. It’s a free education in hockey to play for Mike Babcock. It’s pretty cool.”

Babcock received a nice ovation from the Air Canada Centre crowd during a stoppage in play when his milestone was recognized on the video board.

For Babcock the best part of coaching?

“It's growth and development of your people,” he said. “It's the interaction, it's being around the young people – the best in the world at what they do trying to get better.

“The reality is most coaches that I know love their players and are doing everything they can to make them better. My goal as I've gotten older is I want to make them better people first and better players second.”

**

While Babcock reached a milestone in the game against the Devils, so did a number of Maple Leafs. Nazem Kadri played in his 300 NHL game; Joffey Lupul his 700 and Dion Phaneuf his 800.

“Just shows how fast time really does go,” said Phaneuf. “We are very lucky to do what we do.”

“When I started I had a lot of older guys and the guys really helped me,” recalled Phaneuf from his time in Calgary. “My first partner, Roman Hamrlik helped me a lot. Bryan Marchment, Jarome Iginla – those guys were big keys in developing me as a player.”

Phaneuf has often been maligned during his tenure in Toronto. But under Babcock the spotlight and intensity has eased on the Captain, who is averaging 22 minutes of ice a game, the lowest during his 6 plus seasons in Toronto.

He has become a mentor to Morgan Rielly and Jake Gardiner.

“Way better person than I could have ever dreamed,” said his head coach. “His ability to get to get on young guys, supportively yet being demanding is fantastic. He’s been unreal.”

**

The Leafs before the game honoured Darryl Sitter’s 10-point performance against the Bruins nearly 40 years ago (February 7, 1976) with an on-ice ceremony.

“I watched it. Pretty cool. Unbelievable,” said Babcock of that night nearly 40 years ago. “You can’t score 10 points in minor hockey.”

“What a classy, classy guy he is. People like him I can never get enough of. It’s great for our players to be around him and get a chance to talk to him. He’s a proud Leaf who wants the franchise restored to its rightful place.”

A number of Leafs who played in that game were on hand as was former Bruins goalie Dave Reece, who was in net in the 11-4 Toronto win.

“Dave Reece was phenomenal, he was cherishing the moment,” Sittler said after the ceremonial puck drop.

Reece suggested the jerseys the pair wore for the ceremony be autographed and auctioned off for charity.

“He’s got a big heart. I’m so happy he was here to share in this evening.”

Sittler always thought Bobby Orr, Wayne Gretzky or Mario Lemieux would break the record.

“I don’t know why it happened to me?” said Sitter. “People say is it ever going to be broken? I honestly hope not.”

“I didn’t really understand the magnitude of the record back then, but each year that goes by …..it’s nice to hold it and it’s nice to do it in a Leaf uniform also.”

“How does that happen?” asked Leafs defenceman Frank Corrado. “We got the game sheet in the dressing room today, so we all took a peak at it. It’s crazy to think that someone would get 10 points in an NHL game; doesn’t matter what era it’s in, it’s obviously incredible.”

“It’s pretty cool to wear the same jersey a Darryl Sitter wore.”

McDavid comes up big in last OHL game in GTA

MISSISSAUGA – Connor McDavid knew the question was coming. Still, he couldn’t help but smile at the thought of the potential – no matter how long the odds – at being drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs.

“You day dream a little bit,” said McDavid following Erie’s 4-0 win over Mississauga Monday. “I try not to do too much of that, of course.”

The Newmarket, Ontario native grew up a Maple Leafs fan. During the world hockey championships he fondly recalled for the media attending his first game at the Air Canada Centre with his dad – a 4-1 win over the New York Rangers.

He follows the standings and knows the Leafs struggles on the ice have given the team an 8.5% chance at winning the draft lottery.

“The Leafs are not playing very well right now and if I was fortunate enough to go there it would be a tremendous honour, said McDavid, who had a goal and a pair of assists and was named the first star in the Otters victory.

McDavid’s appearance in Mississauga – his last Ontario Hockey League game in the GTA – drew a sellout holiday Monday Family Day crowd of 5,610 at the Hershey Centre.

Since Christmas the Steelheads have been averaging 3,300 a game. McDavid’s presence helped to boost that number to a crowd not seen in Mississauga before, even passing attendance figures from the 2011 Memorial Cup.

His goal helped him set a franchise record for consecutive games with a point at 19 first set by Tim Connolly in 1997-98.

“It’s nice, or course, and it’s important to me but by the end of the day it really doesn’t matter,” said McDavid, who has 44 points during the streak. “The main success here today is that we won.”

The goal had the crowd buzzing. Remi Ellie made a cross ice pass to McDavid, who took it off his right skate, put it on his stick in a blink of an eye, before skating past defenceman Stefan Leblanc then stickhandling by goalie Jake Brennan for the goal.  

“I think the league record is 25 so I’m sure it’ll be around there pretty soon,” said teammate and potential first round pick Dylan Strome.

It was a chaotic homecoming of sorts for McDavid who was named the game’s first star. When the Otters bus arrived a few hours ahead of game time, countless autograph seekers were on hand.

After spending time talking to the media after the game, it took McDavid nearly an hour to wade through the crowd of fans to meet up with his family. He signed countless autographs and took photographs along the way.

To help ease the McDavid mania, the Otters have hired a retired police officer to help with security on the road.

“You kind of get used to it,” the 18 year-old McDavid said of all the hype and attention that he is encountering these days. “A game in Mississauga is nowhere as crazy as winning a gold medal in Toronto. After that world juniors, it’s not too bad. It’s fun.”

Example of some of my work

1. Here is a story on David Clarkson returning from his 10 game suspension:

http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/clarkson-ready-to-return-to-ice/

2. A story on Phil Kessel and the incident with John Scott:

http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/kessel-fires-back-at-stick-swing-criticism/

3. An interview with Jose Bautista following a game against the Orioles:

http://www.sportsnet.ca/baseball/mlb/bautista-gets-better-of-oday-in-8th-inning/

4. An interview on the eve of the hockey tournament starting at the 2014 Sochi Olympics:

https://ca.screen.yahoo.com/editor-s-picks/team-canada-immediate-chemistry-174124828.html

5. An interview with Dara Howell, an Olympic gold medalist from the 2014 Sochi Olympics:

https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/video/dara-howell-her-gold-medal-180809517.html

William Nylander impressing Maple Leafs fans

William Nylander heard the “Go Leafs Go” chant at the Air Canada Centre after he scored the game-winning goal in Sweden’s 5-2 victory over Czech Republic on Boxing Day.

He also noticed the round of applause he received when his name was announced a few moments later.

“That was amazing,” said Nylander following Sweden’s opening game at the World Junior Hockey Championship. “It’s a great feeling when you are sitting there on the bench.”

Welcome to Toronto, William.

As the Toronto Maple Leafs first round pick (8^th overall in the 2014 NHL draft) he will be the focus for Leafs fans as the tournament opens with Group B (Denmark, Sweden, Russia, Switzerland and Czech Republic) playing games in Toronto.

The 5-foot-11, 170 pound forward scored a goal and created many other chances for Sweden throughout the game, giving Leafs fans a glimpse of what the future could hold.

“It felt good,” said Nylander. “First of all, our team played well after the 2 pre- tournament games. We got a good start to the tournament.”

He comes into this event having been a key offensive performer with MODO in the Swedish elite league, where – as one of the youngest players on a struggling team - he is second in scoring with 19 points in 19 games (8 G, 11 A).

“We have been getting better now,” said the 18 year-old. “We are starting to win games so it’s been a slow start, but getting going now.”

Nylander has excelled on the international stage before. He has represented Sweden on U-17 and U-18 teams.

At the 2013 World U-17 Hockey Challenge, Sweden took gold as Nylander had 2 goals and 8 assists.

If the first game here at the Air Canada Centre is an indication, Nylander will again be an offensive catalyst for Sweden.

The message from Leafs management to Nylander has more to do with off the ice, than work on it.

“Just growing and getting bigger. Working out in the gym and focusing on that stuff.”

His slight frame took a punishing blow early in the 3^rd period when the Czech Republic’s David Nemecek hit him hard into the boards. Nemecek got a 2 minute checking to the head penalty, and a 10 minute misconduct. Nylander returned to the game and said he felt fine afterward.

Wearing number 21 (Borje Salming wore that number with the Leafs) wasn’t lost on Nylander who said he didn’t pick the number – it was assigned to him – but he wasn’t going to say no.

“Of course not,” smiled Nylander.

“He has enough talent and hockey sense to play as a first-line centre in the NHL,” said a scout taking in the game, impressed with Nylander’s “pace of play.”

“You come here you want to play your best, and obviously show you are one of the top players,” noted Nylander.

“Playing in the world championships, you are pretty excited. Being in Toronto makes you even happier and more pumped.

Playing at the Air Canada Centre isn’t lost on him, either.

“I think it’s a great place, a really cool place to be.”