Recap of what I got to see on Day 1:
Here's a few general thoughts:
The Titans are a complete power house. They can roll Delic, Melee, Simpson and Moldenhauer between 3 lines...Scary.
Jr Canadians are again super strong. All of Nelson, Buchinger, and Sirman are very good powerplay QBs...Playing on the same team
I was impressed with the quality of the SCTA teams. Hamilton and Burlington both got trampled, but they both had a nice depth of skilled players-Halton and Oakville too. Southern Tier and Guelph are quality, but I didn't know the league was this deep.
Only saw one bad team on the day. Nice depth, in general, to this class.
Individual players who impressed:
Kocha Delic, Titans: He was snakebit...could have had a barrel of points. When he's on(he's enigmatic), he's just as dynamic of a player as Fantilli. His passing, in particular, today was wonderful.
Matthew Morden, Titans: Keep getting better and better...Looks like Owen Power out there(not quite as commanding of a skater). Love how competitive he is.
Ty Nelson, Jr Canadiens: Part of a new wave of defensemen. Doesn't need size because of how mobile and elusive he is. Highly intelligent, had the puck on a string, was looking to make plays all night. Terrific player.
Adrien Rebelo, Hamilton Bulldogs: Tough to stand out when you play a powerhouse team...Even still, Rebelo had some high end moments. Skill and size, but also very clever.
Ryan McGuire, Burlington Eagles: Tons of heart, laid it all out there. Speedy as hell too.
Fantilli: Not much more that needs to be said, crazy good player. Two things that stood out tonight: He's surprisingly unselfish and his compete is terrific.
Jake Sederoff: Impossible not to love how he plays. Serious speed and zero fear(he's small). Highly competitive.
Hayden Simpson: Had a hell of a game. Very, very poised with the puck despite a small frame. Skill/IQ. The puck just finds him. Had a beautiful hail mary pass that resulted in a goal. Plays with a real maturity.