With over 25 years behind us we believe that the ETA has firmly established itself
as a
premiere minor hockey league in the country. The ETA strives to lead the way
in innovation to enhance the experience for our players, coaching staff,
parents and administrators.
The following is a summary of some of our accomplishments during the past season.
ETA Hospitality
Many thanks to Kim Ross, Stephen Gaunce and Brenda Bonis for organizing yet another successful ETA hospitality suite at the OMHA AGM in June.
Scheduling Meeting
Another well-organized event thanks to our convenor Rick Lefort and our Oshawa hosts. The larger venue was well received and we will be making some additional enhancements to assist the team representatives this August.
Electronic Game Sheets
We adopted the use of an electronic game sheet for all divisions this past season. The initial training sessions worked well as we had minimal issues at start-up. The Gamesheet Inc. staff were very responsive in addressing items as they occurred. We experienced a few “growing pains” regarding the player stats. These have been resolved and further software enhancements are scheduled for the off season.
The use of the electronic game sheet is a boon to team staff and administrators, as well as junior team’s scouts as we were able to automate the player statistics for our Minor Midget and Midget teams.
Overall we utilized the electronic game sheet for a total of 2369 games. Only 2 games were unable to be completed electronically.
ETA Showcase
This past season’s ETA Minor Midget Showcase and Midget All Star game was hosted by the York Simcoe Express at the twin pad Aurora Community Centre. The event was attended by what we believe to be a record number of OHL and OUA scouts and general managers. Many thanks to the Express and the ETA Showcase committee for their efforts in providing another successful event.
Midget All Stars
In the ETA Midget All Star game team East prevailed 4 -3 over team West. In the OMHA Midget All Star game in January it took overtime and a shoot-out to determine a winner. The ETA Midget All Stars fell 2 - 1 to their SCTA counterparts. This series now stands at 11 - 6 in favour of the ETA.
OMHA Championships
Once again ETA teams had a strong showing at the OMHA AAA Championships by capturing 6 of the 9 championships and 6 of 9 silver medals. Overall 9 of the 13 ETA centres garnered an OMHA medal.
2016-2017 ETA Championship Teams
OMHA AAA Championships ETA Playoffs
Division Gold Silver Bronze ETA Champion ETA Finalist
Novice Central Ontario Whitby Peterborough Oshawa Ajax-Pickering
Minor Atom York Simcoe Clarington Barrie Quinte
Atom Markham Quinte Clarington Barrie
Minor Pee Wee Barrie Kingston Markham
Pee Wee Ajax-Pickering Whitby Kingston Markham
Minor Bantam Central Ontario Richmond Hill Quinte
Bantam York Simcoe Kingston North Central
Minor Midget Whitby Quinte Markham Kingston
Midget Clarington Markham Kingston North Central
OHF Championships
The York Simcoe Express captured the silver medal at the OHF Bantam AAA Championships in Sudbury.
The Express dropped a close 2 -1 decision to the Toronto Marlboros in the final. The Ajax-Pickering Raider Pee Wees and the Markham Waxer Atoms also ably represented their centres and the ETA at their respective OHFs.
OHL Priority Selection
ETA players had another strong showing at the 2017 OHL Priority Selection. A total of 48 ETA players were selected with 4 being selected in the 1st round. Leading the way being selected 7th overall was Blake Murray of the Whitby Wildcats chosen by the Sudbury Wolves. Connor McMichael (Ajax-Pickering Raiders), Hayden Fowler (Kingston Jr Frontenacs) and Mitchell Russell (Barrie Jr Colts) were also first round selections.
Once again the OMHA had more players selected than any other league or group with a total of 83 players being chosen among all 20 OHL teams.
Web Site
Upgrades and enhancements to the ETA web site are in preparation. As part of the changes we will be adding a list of past OMHA champions and OHF medalists, ETA alumni with NHL experience and past ETA executive officers. We are targeting to have this completed in June.
ETA Alumni
ETA alumnus Ty Dellandrea (Central Ontario Wolves) was selected to the Team Canada U-18 roster. The team competed in the 2017 IIHF U-18 World Championships in Slovakia.
Ty is representing our country as a 17 year old so he will be eligible to compete on Team Canada U-18 again next year. Last year Ty was selected 5th overall in the 2016 OHL Priority Selection by the Flint Firebirds.
Miscellaneous
Several ETA teams demonstrated excellent initiative by hosting special events to support people battling medical issues and the associated charitable organizations.
Another season with very close completion in all divisions with several having the final standings not determined until the last league game was completed.
Very special “thank yous” to Rick, Kim and Brenda and all of you who were active on our various committees as well as those who presented medallions to the ETA championship and finalist teams.
Also “thank you to Sue and Brad for their efforts and support throughout the season.
The ETA success is a testament to the efforts and commitment of all of our centre representatives. They all bring a very professional approach to their participation in the ETA executive committee. They all have my appreciation and thanks for making it an honour to be part of this organization.
Bill Schlitt
ETA Chair