Montreal Canadiens: Nick Suzuki with a two-point debut for the Oshawa Generals
By Omar L
The Oshawa Generals made a splash ahead of the OHL Trade Deadline acquiring Montreal Canadiens prospect Nick Suzuki who had a stellar debut against Niagara.
The 2019 OHL Trade Deadline has come and passed. Several deals took place over the last few days, but the trade between the Guelph Storm and Owen Sound was one of the standouts. The move happened on Wednesday seeing Guelph acquire Montreal Canadiens prospect Nick Suzuki along with Sean Durzi and Zachary Roberts in exchange for Barret Kirwin, Zach Poirier, Mark Wooley, a 2019 fourth, 2021 third, as well as, a second and conditional third-round pick in 2022. Major junior trades are fun, aren’t they?
The Storm made the objective of this season fairly clear: they’re here and ready to compete. Guelph was already in a playoff spot, but with an early exit in the playoffs last season, bulking up would be crucial to ensure longevity in the post-season and an opportunity to compete in a Memorial Cup.
It would be an adjustment for Suzuki who was part of the Owen Sound for the better part of four years. The 19-year-old put up 129 goals and 150 assists for 279 points in 222 games for the Attack. Saying the playmaking centre would have an impact on his new club was a fact, not an opinion, and luckily for the Guelph Storm, Suzuki didn’t waste much time getting the job done.
Suzuki started things off against the Niagara Ice Dogs centring the top line in between Issac Ratcliffe and Mackenzie Entwistle. The Storm opened the scoring, and it only took 22 seconds to do so.
Entwistle on the zone entry bumped the puck over to Suzuki who stopped by the left circle feeding Durzi who was alone in the slot. The defenceman’s shot was stopped by Stephen Dhillon (remember him from development camp?), but the rebound trickled out to Entwistle who batted the puck in making it 1-0.
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Not a bad start to a first game as Suzuki already has his first point under his belt. His second won the Storm the match.
The Ice Dogs aren’t a pushover team in the OHL, and they made that clear. They answered back with a tying goal on the powerplay and continuously responded no matter how many times the Storm got an edge. Niagara had a 5-4 lead in the final minutes of regulation looking like they’d get the win until Nath Schnarr’s 22nd of the season formed the game to overtime with seven seconds left on the clock.
It was nearly halfway through the extra frame, and Suzuki found himself with the puck in his own end. The magic began as he advanced the puck by passing two Niagara players, cutting around the net, waiting until he had a lane closer to the slot, and firing it past Dhillon for the game-winner.
The only con of his game was most likely his success in the faceoff circle going 8/22. Other than that, Suzuki added another layer of danger to the top line leading all forwards in shots taken with five and it’s only a sign of what’s to come as the season continues.
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Who knows what the future holds for Suzuki. Perhaps this is his last year of junior, and the Montreal Canadiens give him an opportunity to make the team next season. If so, he better make the most of it. But given the player he is, and what he displayed on the ice in his debut for Guelph, that shouldn’t be a problem.