OHL Kingston Frontenacs

How Winning the OHL Cup Helped Five Frontenacs Develop to Where They Are Today

Published on May 10, 2021 under Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Kingston Frontenacs News Release


Winning anything in hockey is a challenge, but for five Frontenacs players, it is something they got to experience as youngsters in minor hockey. In the last three iterations of the OHL Cup tournament, eventual Frontenacs have come away as champions.

Francesco Arcuri, Ryan Dugas, Lucas Rowe, Zayde Wisdom, and Shane Wright each struck gold with their respective teams in the OHL Cup, an experience that helped prepare them for the rigours of the Ontario Hockey League.

Rowe remembers the nerves he felt when he entered the Mattamy Athletic Centre for the 2017 OHL Cup final. Then a member of the Mississauga Reps, he walked through the former Maple Leaf Gardens doors' and got set to play under the same roof as hockey legends of past eras.

There was a crowd too, and not just any crowd, the largest one Rowe and any of his teammates had ever seen. This was not any standard game - this was the OHL Cup final, the pinnacle of minor hockey in Ontario.

"That was probably the biggest crowd I had ever seen in minor hockey; it was a bit nerve-wracking," Rowe said, recalling the spring of 2017. "It was unbelievable; it was a great experience, especially the crowd in the OHL Cup; we were just experiencing what the OHL would be like."

The OHL Cup has been contested in a showcase tournament since 2003, and for the last several years, the former Gardens has hosted the final. Past champions include NHL stars John Tavares, Steven Stamkos, and Connor McDavid, among others.

For many of the players who play in the tournament, let alone the final game, it is their first time showcasing their talents in front of thousands of people. In the final, players are not only dutifully watched by scouts, but keen-eyed hockey fans live and on television.

While it can be unnerving, for Shane Wright, it was something he cherished and is an invaluable memory that has helped guide him to the World U18s with Canada. "It was a fun atmosphere; we were really fortunate to be playing in it, said the 16-year-old, recalling 2019.

"To end up winning it as well with such a special group and team, it was such a great experience and something I'll never forget."

For many of the teams who go on to win the Cup, it is the cherry on top of a fantastic season, and for Wright and Arcuri, it was precisely that. Both members of the Don Mills Flyers, the team went perfect throughout their season, garnering national attention throughout their campaign, especially at the OHL Cup.

With a roster flush with talent, the Flyers went into the tournament with heavy expectations. Still, it did not matter for a group with their sights set on winning and nothing else.

"There was more added pressure. Every single game we played, they were going out to beat us, and we were going to get their best game no matter what," Wright said about the Flyers 2018-19 season." It was tough for us, but it was good to see our level of skill, compete, and fight every game."

At the OHL Cup, things started smoothly for the Flyers as they waltzed their way to the final. However, in the last game against the Toronto Red Wings, their fight had to reach another level.

Don Mills fell behind early in the game, eventually having to crawl back from a 4-1 deficit. However, it did not faze the soon-to-be Frontenacs duo and their teammates. "We weren't counting ourselves out; we knew we had the skills and the talent to come back and win the game," Wright said. "We were confident in our abilities and confident in each other that we knew we were going to score a few goals and come back to win the game."

Wright and Arcuri combined for five points in the Flyers' comeback, with the future first overall pick in the OHL Priority Selection assisting on the winning goal.

"I think our team knew that we were going to come back, but it's great that we had that mindset to accomplish that perfect season," said Arcuri, who had two assists in the final. "It wouldn't have been perfect without that dramatic comeback."

Francesco Arcuri and Shane Wright won the OHL Cup in 2019 with the Don Mills Flyers.Stress, nerves and late-game heroics are almost required in the OHL Cup Final, regardless of the year. When the best players in the GTHL get together, the battle is always going to be tantalizing.

For Rowe and Dugas with Mississauga in 2017, that was precisely the case. Unlike the 2019 Don Mills team, the 2017 Reps had minimal expectations heading into the OHL Cup.

Although they had finished the regular season second in the league standings, they were knocked out of the playoffs by the seventh seed and only reached the OHL Cup tournament on a wildcard.

"We went into the tournament, and everyone just looked us off," Dugas waxed. "Once we got in, we didn't really take in how big of a deal it was to minor hockey in North America."

Playing without expectations allowed the Reps to just focus on playing freely as they battled their way to the final. Dugas played five games and finished the tournament with a .952 save percentage, all while being a steady presence in goal for the Reps. In front of the large crowd, the Reps were deadlocked with the Toronto Nationals until Rowe

won a faceoff to another eventual Frontenac, Dennis Golovatchev, who gave the Reps the 3-2 lead with nine seconds remaining.

Dugas had not worried in the lead-up to the tournament or even the night before the final. The Hamilton native was at ease throughout the entire time, until those final nine seconds. "I was not nervous until we scored that goal, and there was a faceoff in our zone," he said.

When the goaltender embraced his father, who was a trainer with the team after the game, it brought him back to when they went to the final in 2012. Then, his dad told him that he could be playing in this game one day and one day, he could be drafted to the OHL. "Everyone was going ballistic, and having him celebrate with me was something I had never felt before."

Lucas Rowe and Ryan Dugas won the OHL Cup in 2017 with the Mississauga Reps.Looking back on their experiences with the short tournament, each of the Frontenacs knows how much it prepared them for their OHL debuts. "It was unbelievable; it was a great experience, especially the crowd; we were just experiencing what the OHL would be like," Rowe said before going on to make his debut with the London Knights.

With so many OHL Cup champions, the Frontenacs are in a unique position, and for the players, it is a shared experience that brings them closer together.

Now playing alongside fellow winners, Wright knows how rare a team a group like this is. "Not a lot of players get to experience winning an OHL cup, so to have a number of winners on our team is a pretty special accomplishment."

Zayde Wisodm won the OHL Cup in 2018 with the Toronto Jr. Canadiens.

Check out the Kingston Frontenacs Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Ontario Hockey League Stories from May 10, 2021


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central