The Ottawa 67s Season Comes To An End, CHL’s Draft Decision, Brandon Sutter’s Covid Battle and More

The regular season’s end is right around the corner and now we turn our attention to the draft, play-off match-ups and off-season rumours:

• After a tough battle, the Ottawa 67s were defeated 4-0 in their first round match-up against the North Bay Battalion. With their “No Quit” mentality, the 67s had a chance to win in every game and battled hard until the very end. A heartbreaking loss but there’s good reason to believe that they will come back stronger next season. All eyes will be on Sens prospect Tyler Boucher who has played extremely well towards the end of the season and in the short playoff stint. Does he join the Belleville Senators playoff run now?/

Handshakes in Ottawa 🤝

The @Ottawa67sHockey played em' tough with three straight one-goal games to close out the series. The @OHLBattalion are into the second round for the first time since 2016. #NBvsOTT pic.twitter.com/zZ3v86zVvl

— OntarioHockeyLeague (@OHLHockey) April 28, 2022

• The CHL announced yesterday that any players from Russia and Belarus will be ineligible for selection at the upcoming CHL import draft. They also ended their statement saying they’re continuing to support development of players regardless of their place of origin, except if that place is Russia or Belarus of course./

A statement from the Canadian Hockey League / Une déclaration de la Ligue canadienne de hockey pic.twitter.com/Fo1E8IkTpr

— Canadian Hockey League (@CHLHockey) April 27, 2022

• While it seems COVID-19 isn’t scaring people as much as it did a few months ago, Brandon Sutter shares his very painful journey with the virus. Sutter first contracted the virus in March 2021 and more than a year later, he is still struggling with the long COVID symptoms. At this point, he is unsure if he’ll be able to return to the ice anytime soon but the 33-year old will have all summer to hopefully recover and be able to make a return to the ice in October.
• Over 500 players were polled on their opinion of their fellow hockey players and even after all these years, Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin are on top of the list for best overall player and best shooter. 60 goal scorer Auston Matthews and Connor McDavid also received some honours for the great seasons they’re having. Personally, the most shocking result was the responses to the question of which goalie you would choose to win a game. Carey Price at number 2 is a bit bizarre considering he has barely played this season but I can see people judging that based on his heroic performance in last year’s playoffs. Surprisingly, Montreal Canadiens’ Brendan Gallagher was not voted top player for “best role model”, he wasn’t even any where near that list. Shocking./

The full results of the poll can be found here.

• The moment many of us have waited for, with their win against the Arizona Coyotes last night, the Dallas Stars have secured their spot in the playoffs meaning the Las Vegas Golden Knights are officially eliminated. The Golden Knights have been blessed with good fortune from the moment they entered the league and it’s nice to see them experience some heartbreak like the rest of us. Welcome to the club!/