Gens head into holiday break on top as speculation swirls around possible trades

By Joel Wittnebel/The Oshawa Express

The attitude in the Oshawa Generals’ dressing room is certainly buoyed by more than just holiday cheer as the club finishes out the first half of a surprising season that sees the young team on top of the OHL’s Eastern Conference.

The team’s 21-9-1-2 record was boosted this past weekend after they took five of a possible six points with victories over the Niagara IceDogs and Hamilton Bulldogs. The lone loss came on the road when the Gens fell 3-2 to the Kingston Frontenacs in overtime.

However, with the Jan. 10 trade deadline fast approaching, along with the significance of the 2018 season that sees Oshawa vying to host the Memorial Cup, things may be changing inside the Gens’ locker room.

It’s something the players have been trying to take their minds off of.

“We haven’t really thought about it much,” said goaltender Jeremy Brodeur. “We’ve just been trying to focus on getting a big lead in first place and just playing hard every day. Management will do their job and do what’s best for the team.”

And while the 20-year-old could possibly be on the trading table as well, speculation is also swirling around defenceman Mitch Vande Sompel, who would have strong purchasing power on the trade market to help Oshawa bulk up for the 2018 season. It was something Vande Sompel recognized after the club’s 4-1 victory at home over Hamilton on Dec. 18.

“I’ve been honoured to play here for three and a half years already and I’d love to finish my career out here, but I mean, hockey is a business and things happen,” he said. “We’re not going to think too hard about everything and the deadline…whatever happens here happens.”

Another potential bargaining chip could come in the form of captain Anthony Cirelli, currently away with the Canadian World Junior team, who has been a crucial factor in the club’s success so far this season. However, Cirelli will be protected from any trades until he returns from the World Juniors tournament, and currently a league-wide trade freeze is in effect over the holiday break.

To the dismay of Generals fans, January could see the exit of the team’s best players in Vande Sompel or Cirelli, who are both more than likely in their last seasons in the OHL and therefore have no value following the deadline.

“It doesn’t worry me,” says head coach Bob Jones of the potential changes to his roster. “Ownership and the general manager will make decisions at the deadline or before. I, as a coach, work with Nathan and Greg and the 20 guys that we dress every night. Regardless of who they are, we have to have a game plan in place.”

With the absence of their captain, the team has been seeing some contributions from all corners of the bench, including a pair of goals Sunday night from rookie Danil Antropov.

“There’s a lot of guys that had to step their game up,” Jone says, giving the club high praise for its weekend performance. “I didn’t see that coming, to be honest, but it’s a credit to those guys in the room.”

According to Jones, Antropov has really started to mature as a player and is starting to shake off his early season woes.

“I thought he had a bit of a slow start to our season as well and now it looks like he’s a step faster, he’s confident, he’s getting pucks to the net.”

The same was said by Antropov himself who, after the weekend, has five goals and seven assists so far on the season.

“These last two weeks I feel that I’ve been playing much better than the start of the year for sure,” he said.

Following the holiday break, the Oshawa Generals will start off the second half of the season on the road, first against the London Knights on Dec. 28 and the Ottawa 67s on Dec. 30. Ottawa will then return to Oshawa with the Gens on Jan. 1 for a 2:05 p.m. New Years Day game.