The 2003–04 OHL season was the 24th season of the Ontario Hockey League. In November 2003, the OHL Board of Governors renamed the OHL Humanitarian of the Year Award to the Dan Snyder Memorial Trophy, in recognition of former Owen Sound Platers player, Dan Snyder, who died in a car accident in September 2003. Twenty teams each played 68 games. The J. Ross Robertson Cup was won by the Guelph Storm, who swept the Mississauga IceDogs in the league final.
Regular season
Final standings Note: DIV = Division; GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; OTL = Overtime losses; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; PTS = Points; x = clinched playoff berth; y = clinched division title; z = clinched conference title
Eastern conference Rank TeamDIV GP W L T OTL PTS GF GA 1 z-Toronto St. Michael's Majors Central 68 38 21 7 2 85 210 187 2 y-Ottawa 67's East 68 29 26 9 4 71 238 220 3 x-Mississauga IceDogs Central 68 36 21 7 4 83 217 199 4 x-Barrie Colts Central 68 31 21 12 4 78 196 171 5 x-Kingston Frontenacs East 68 30 28 7 3 70 210 221 6 x-Oshawa Generals East 68 30 29 8 1 69 188 206 7 x-Brampton Battalion Central 68 25 32 9 2 61 180 221 8 x-Sudbury Wolves Central 68 25 32 6 5 61 185 220 9 Peterborough Petes East 68 22 40 3 3 50 191 244 10 Belleville Bulls East 68 15 44 8 1 39 172 279
Western conference Rank TeamDIV GP W L T OTL PTS GF GA 1 z-London Knights Midwest 68 53 11 2 2 110 300 147 2 y-Sarnia Sting West 68 37 23 4 4 82 220 210 3 x-Guelph Storm Midwest 68 49 14 5 0 103 276 182 4 x-Kitchener Rangers Midwest 68 34 26 6 2 76 254 235 5 x-Plymouth Whalers West 68 32 24 9 3 76 220 204 6 x-Owen Sound Attack Midwest 68 30 27 7 4 71 202 210 7 x-Erie Otters Midwest 68 29 26 6 7 71 221 212 8 x-Windsor Spitfires West 68 27 30 3 8 65 201 219 9 Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds West 68 30 34 3 1 64 196 223 10 Saginaw Spirit West 68 16 45 3 4 39 161 228
Scoring leaders Player Team GP G A Pts PIM Corey Locke Ottawa 67's 65 51 67 118 82 Corey Perry London Knights 66 40 73 113 98 Martin St. Pierre Guelph Storm 68 45 65 110 95 Eric Himelfarb Kingston Frontenacs 67 37 70 107 80 Daniel Sisca Sarnia Sting 67 34 66 100 89 Rob Hisey Erie Otters 63 38 58 96 63 Mike Richards Kitchener Rangers 58 36 53 89 82 Scott Sheppard London Knights 68 29 59 88 75 Patrick O'Sullivan Mississauga IceDogs 53 43 39 82 32 John Mitchell Plymouth Whalers 65 28 54 82 45
Leading goaltenders
Player Team GP Mins W L T GA SO Sv% GAA Ryan MacDonald London Knights 38218528507520.9282.06 Gerald Coleman London Knights 33185124626850.9312.20 Paulo Colaiacovo Barrie Colts 5833562417413140.9242.34 Adam Dennis Guelph Storm 4626623310011130.9072.50 Justin Peters Toronto St. Michael's Majors 5331493014213940.9102.65
Playoffs
Conference quarterfinals
Eastern conference
(E1) Toronto St. Michael's Majors vs. (E8) Sudbury Wolves
(E2) Ottawa 67's vs. (E7) Brampton Battalion
(E4) Barrie Colts vs. (E5) Kingston Frontenacs
(E3) Mississauga IceDogs vs. (E6) Oshawa Generals
Western conference
(W1) London Knights vs. (W8) Windsor Spitfires
(W2) Sarnia Sting vs. (W7) Erie Otters
(W4) Kitchener Rangers vs. (E5) Erie Otters
(W3) Guelph Storm vs. (W6) Owen Sound Attack
Conference semifinals Eastern conference Toronto (1) vs. Brampton (7) Date Away Home April 2 Brampton 2 4 Toronto April 4 Toronto 3 2 Brampton April 6 Brampton 0 2 Toronto April 8 Toronto 3 5 Brampton April 9 Brampton 0 3 Toronto Toronto wins series 4–1 Mississauga (3) vs. Barrie (4) Date Away Home April 1 Mississauga 3 5 Barrie April 4 Barrie 1 2 Mississauga OT April 6 Barrie 3 2 Mississauga OT April 8 Mississauga 4 0 Barrie April 9 Barrie 2 0 Mississauga April 11 Mississauga 4 3 Barrie April 12 Barrie 1 Mississauga 4 Mississauga wins series 4–3
Western conference London (1) vs. Erie (7) Date Away Home March 31 Erie 2 6 London April 3 London 5 1 Erie April 5 Erie 3 6 London April 7 London 4 1 Erie London wins series 4–0 Guelph (3) vs. Plymouth (5) Date Away Home April 2 Plymouth 0 4 Guelph April 3 Guelph 4 1 Plymouth April 5 Plymouth 2 3 Guelph OT April 7 Guelph 5 1 Plymouth Guelph wins series 4–0
Conference finals Eastern conference Western conference Toronto (1) vs. Mississauga (3) Date Away Home April 14 Mississauga 0 3 Toronto April 16 Toronto 0 2 Mississauga April 18 Mississauga 3 4 Toronto April 21 Toronto 0 3 Mississauga April 23 Mississauga 3 2 Toronto OT April 25 Toronto 2 4 Mississauga Mississauga wins series 4–2 London (1) vs. Guelph (3) Date Away Home April 13 Guelph 4 2 London April 15 London 3 2 Guelph OT April 16 Guelph 4 3 London April 18 London 2 5 Guelph April 22 Guelph 1 2 London OT April 23 London 5 2 Guelph April 26 Guelph 6 3 London Guelph wins series 4–3
J. Ross Robertson Cup finals Guelph (3) vs. Mississauga (3) Date Away Home April 28 Mississauga 1 4 Guelph April 29 Guelph 2 1 Mississauga May 3 Mississauga 4 6 Guelph May 5 Guelph 5 1 Mississauga Guelph wins series 4–0
J. Ross Robertson Cup Champions Roster 2003-04 Guelph Storm Goaltenders
Defencemen
– C Wingers
Centres
- C
Coach: Shawn Camp General Manager: Dave Barr
All-Star teams
First team Corey Locke, Centre, Ottawa 67's Wojtek Wolski, Left Wing, Brampton Battalion Corey Perry, Right Wing, London Knights James Wisniewski, Defence, Plymouth Whalers Dennis Wideman, Defence, London Knights Paulo Colaiacovo, Goaltender, Barrie Colts Dale Hunter, Coach, London Knights
Second team Jeff Carter, Centre, Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds Scott Dobben, Left Wing, Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds Stefan Ruzicka, Right Wing, Owen Sound Attack Andre Benoit, Defence, Kitchener Rangers Jeremy Swanson, Defence, Barrie Colts Patrick Ehelechner, Goaltender, Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds Greg Gilbert, Coach, Mississauga IceDogs
Third team Martin St. Pierre, Centre, Guelph Storm Dylan Hunter, Left Wing, London Knights Dave Bolland, Right Wing, London Knights Chris Campoli, Defence, Erie Otters Kevin Klein, Defence, Guelph Storm David Shantz, Goaltender, Mississauga IceDogs Shawn Camp, Coach, Guelph Storm
CHL Canada/Russia Series In the RE/MAX Canada-Russia Challenge, the OHL All-stars defeated the Russian Selects 7–1 at London, Ontario, on November 17, and the OHL All-stars defeated the Russian Selects 4–0 at Sarnia, Ontario, on November 19.
Awards J. Ross Robertson Cup: Guelph StormHamilton Spectator Trophy: London KnightsBobby Orr Trophy: Mississauga IceDogsWayne Gretzky Trophy: Guelph StormLeyden Trophy: Ottawa 67'sEmms Trophy: Toronto St. Michael's MajorsHolody Trophy: London KnightsBumbacco Trophy: Sarnia StingRed Tilson Trophy: Corey Locke, Ottawa 67'sEddie Powers Memorial Trophy: Corey Locke, Ottawa 67's Matt Leyden Trophy: Dale Hunter, London KnightsJim Mahon Memorial Trophy: Corey Perry, London KnightsMax Kaminsky Trophy: James Wisniewski, Plymouth WhalersOHL Goaltender of the Year: Paulo Colaiacovo, Barrie ColtsJack Ferguson Award: John Hughes, Belleville BullsDave Pinkney Trophy: Ryan MacDonald and Gerald Coleman, London Knights OHL Executive of the Year: Mark Hunter, London KnightsEmms Family Award: Bryan Little, Barrie ColtsF. W. "Dinty" Moore Trophy: Ryan MacDonald, London KnightsDan Snyder Memorial Trophy: Chris Campoli, Erie OttersWilliam Hanley Trophy: Andre Benoit, Kitchener Rangers Leo Lalonde Memorial Trophy: Martin St. Pierre, Guelph StormBobby Smith Trophy: Scott Lehman, Toronto St. Michael's MajorsTim Adams Memorial Trophy: Harrison Reed, York Simcoe ExpressWayne Gretzky 99 Award: Martin St. Pierre, Guelph Storm
2004 OHL Priority Selection On May 1, 2004, the OHL conducted the 2004 Ontario Hockey League Priority Selection. The Belleville Bulls held the first overall pick in the draft, and selected John Hughes from the Whitby Wildcats. Hughes was awarded the Jack Ferguson Award, awarded to the top pick in the draft.
Below are the players who were selected in the first round of the 2004 Ontario Hockey League Priority Selection.
# Player Nationality OHL Team Hometown Minor Team 1 John Hughes (RW) Canada Belleville Bulls Whitby, Ontario Whitby Wildcats 2 Matt Corrente (D) Canada Saginaw Spirit Mississauga, Ontario Vaughan Vipers 3 Jordan Staal (C) Canada Peterborough Petes Thunder Bay, Ontario Thunder Bay Kings 4 Ryan McInerney (C) Canada Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds Oakville, Ontario Milton IceHawks 5 Ryan McDonough (C) Canada Sudbury Wolves Toronto, Ontario North York Jr. Canadiens 6 John Degray (D) Canada Brampton Battalion Markham, Ontario Richmond Hill Stars 7 Cory McGillis (LW) Canada Windsor Spitfires Coniston, Ontario Sudbury Nickel Barons 8 James Delory (D) Canada Oshawa Generals Newmarket, Ontario York-Simcoe Express 9 Ben Shutron (D) Canada Kingston Frontenacs Ottawa, Ontario Richmond Hill Stars 10 Matt Lahey (RW) Canada Ottawa 67's Oshawa, Ontario Oshawa Kinsmen 11 Brett MacLean (LW) Canada Erie Otters Port Elgin, Ontario Grey-Bruce Highlanders 12 Payton Liske (LW) Canada Owen Sound Attack Fonthill, Ontario Welland Jr. Canadians 13 John Armstrong (C) Canada Plymouth Whalers Markham, Ontario North York Jr. Canadiens 14 Justin Azevedo (C) Canada Kitchener Rangers West Elgin, Ontario Chatham Maroons 15 Nathan Martine (D) Canada Barrie Colts Port Colborne, Ontario Port Colborne Pirates 16 Kody Musselman (RW) Canada Sarnia Sting Whitby, Ontario Oshawa Legionaires 17 Dustin Jeffrey (C) Canada Mississauga IceDogs Courtright, Ontario Lambton Jr. Sting 18 Justin DiBenedetto (LW) Canada Toronto St. Michael's Majors Maple, Ontario Toronto Marlboros 19 Michael Caruso (D) Canada Guelph Storm Mississauga, Ontario Mississauga Reps 20 Steven Ferry (D) Canada London Knights Richmond Hill, Ontario Richmond Hill Stars
2004 CHL Import Draft On June 30, 2004, the Canadian Hockey League conducted the 2004 CHL Import Draft, in which teams in all three CHL leagues participate in. The Owen Sound Attack held the first pick in the draft by a team in the OHL, and selected Andrej Sekera from Slovakia with their selection.
Below are the players who were selected in the first round by Ontario Hockey League teams in the 2004 CHL Import Draft.
# Player Nationality OHL Team Hometown Minor Team 2 Andrej Sekera (D) Slovakia Owen Sound Attack Prievidza, Slovakia Dukla Trenčín Jr. 5 Jakub Kindl (D) Czech Republic Kitchener Rangers Šumperk, Czech Republic HC Pardubice Jr. 8 Michal Birner (LW) Czech Republic Barrie Colts Litoměřice, Czech Republic Slavia Praha Jr. 11 Marek Kvapil (RW) Slovakia Saginaw Spirit Ilava, Slovakia Slavia Praha Jr. 14 Peter Olvecky (C/LW) Slovakia Sudbury Wolves Nové Zámky, Slovakia Dukla Trenčín Jr. 17 Tomas Stryncl (D) Czech Republic Brampton Battalion Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic HC Karlovy Vary Jr. 20 No selection made Windsor Spitfires 23 Jakub Petruzalek (C/RW) Czech Republic Ottawa 67's Litvínov, Czech Republic Verva Litvínov 26 Radek Smolenak (LW) Czech Republic Kingston Frontenacs Prague, Czech Republic HC Kladno Jr. 29 Lukas Kaspar (RW) Czech Republic Ottawa 67's Litvínov, Czech Republic Verva Litvínov 32 Vladimir Tyufyakov (LW) Russia Erie Otters Novosibirsk, Russia Sibir Novosibirsk U18 35 Lubomir Stach (D) Czech Republic Belleville Bulls Vsetín, Czech Republic HC Vsetín Jr. 38 Michal Kolarz (D) Czech Republic Plymouth Whalers Havířov, Czech Republic HC Vítkovice Ostrave Jr. 41 Philip Ogleznev (LW) Ukraine Sarnia Sting Kharkiv, Ukraine Elektrostal Elemash Junior 44 Niko Vainio (D) Finland Peterborough Petes Helsinki, Finland Jokerit Jr. 47 Andrey Plekhanov (D) Russia Sarnia Sting Nizhnekamsk, Russia Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk 50 Ville Peltosuo (D) Finland Mississauga IceDogs Helsinki, Finland Kiekko Vantaa B 52 Peter Regin (C) Denmark Toronto St. Michael's Majors Herning, Denmark Herning Blue Fox 54 Jaromir Florian (LW) Czech Republic Guelph Storm Brno, Czech Republic HC Kometa Brno Jr. 56 Mathis Olimb (C) Norway London Knights Oslo, Norway Manglerud Star
See also List of OHA Junior A standings List of OHL seasons 2004 Memorial Cup 2004 NHL entry draft 2003 in sports 2004 in sports
References
HockeyDB