Article Written By Ella Tsotsos

It’s a long journey from backyard rink to the NHL, and going from Jr. A to major junior is a key step along the way

When a young player makes the jump from Ontario Jr. A to the OHL, it’s a big step. Players tend to call the OHL ‘The O Show’ because the OHL is the big show, the highest level of hockey for teenage players. For many players it will be the highest level of hockey they will ever play in their entire life. And of course, it’s the first big step before the NHL. 

Andre Mondoux, a 17-year-old defenseman from North Bay, Ont., made his OHL debut with the Kingston Frontenacs on Dec. 20, 2024, in a 4-1 win over the Peterborough Petes.

OHL Highlights: Peterborough Petes @ Kingston Frontenacs Dec. 20, 2024Kingston bounces back with a dominant 4-1 win over Peterborough. Vann Williamson (1G, 2A) and Cedrick Guindon (1G, 2A) led the charge, while Jacob Battaglia ...

Mondoux continues to adjust to his transition from the Ontario Jr. A League as he signed an OHL Scholarship and Development Agreement. He says the opportunity to play in the OHL is a result of his lifelong dedication and love for the game. 

“Since I was a kid it was always my dream,” Mondoux said. 

Growing up in North Bay, Mondoux’s ambition for hockey was fuelled by watching the OHL’s North Bay Battalions. Ever since he was a child, his love for hockey grew.

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Make no mistake, the OHL is the league where young hopeful players strive to be. For generations of players, the OHL has been a pipeline to the NHL. Mondoux’s skill has afforded him the opportunity to play at this high level, furthering his development and the potential to be scouted by NHL teams. 

“The transition was very smooth,” Mondoux said. “It’s a bit of a change of pace and size, but once I got comfortable with the speed, the size, just the skill level, everything went well,” Mondoux said.

Every day, players train on and off the ice in order to ensure their skills and development are of their highest caliber. Transitioning from Ontario Jr. A to the OHL is a higher skill performance and can be a difficult jump for many players.

Currently, Mondoux bounces back from the Pickering Panthers Jr. A team to the OHL’s Frontenacs. This is a developmental process as players often go back and forth between the leagues to continue refining their skills and gain increased roles in the OHL. This is to ensure their preparedness for playing at a higher level. 

The OHL not only provides players with equipment, a full support staff, and health and dental insurance, but also prioritizes their education by covering tuition, books and other expenses.

OHL scholarships can be used at any university or college, subject to certain requirements. Committed to developing well-rounded individuals, the league prepares its players for both academic success and potential careers in the NHL.

“It’s the major Canadian pipeline,” said Rob Pearson, a former OHL and NHL player, and the head coach for the Pickering Jr. A team. “I believe it's the one spot if you can go and you're drafted in the higher rounds to the OHL and you're gonna play and get lots of ice time. Every single game there are NHL scouts and they're looking for the next guy.”

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From a coaching perspective, Pearson noted that Mondoux’s confidence has soared since signing with Kingston. He believes Mondoux has shown remarkable growth from his time playing in the OHL and Jr. A.

“For me, (the OHL) had a great impact.” Pearson said. “I wanted to go there, I wanted to play the highest level I could and to me it was just a great spot to excel and get to that next level.” 

To be able to play in the NHL is the goal for every dedicated young hockey player. If you’re fortunate like Mondoux or Pearson, NHL scouts are in the stands looking for potential big-league players. 

“I’m just taking one step at a time right now, just hopefully being able to play full-time with Kingston next year,” Mondoux said. “For sure, being able to play in the NHL would be awesome and just being in the OHL is one step closer to the NHL, but still very far.” 

Mondoux has ambitious goals but is focused on a strategic, day-by-day approach to his development. Hockey is one of the most competitive sports, demanding relentless dedication from players striving to advance their careers.

The OHL remains a vital platform for growth, both on the ice and academically. For Mondoux, it’s the next step in a journey that began years ago.

“My dad built me an (outdoor rink) when I was younger, maybe three or four years old and I started skating,” Mondoux said. “From there, I just always started playing hockey and just fell in love with it.”

OHL Announces Hefty Suspensions For Brawl Between Peterborough and ErieEarlier today, the OHL announced suspensions for members of the Erie Otters and Peterborough Petes following Sunday's brawl. 

The Buffalo Sabres made one of the notable moves leading up to last Friday's NHL trade deadline, shipping center Dylan Cozens to the Ottawa Senators for center Josh Norris. 

Cozens, 23, had been a fixture in the rumor mill throughout this season. Sabres GM Kevyn Adams held firm for a “hockey trade,” getting a suitable established player in return. Cozens has three points in his first three games for Ottawa, while Norris has an assist in two games for Buffalo.

Time will tell whether this deal helps the Sabres one day end their league-record playoff drought that is poised to reach 14 years. What's clear is Sabres owner Terry Pegula still has confidence in Adams. 

Conjecture over Adams' future in Buffalo grew as the Sabres sank in the standings this season. Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News believes Pegula never would've allowed the Cozens-for-Norris swap to go down if he intended to replace Adams. 

Harrington believes Adams shouldn't get too comfortable. He suggests Pegula is giving his embattled GM one last chance to improve the struggling Sabres. 

Adams is expected to attempt to boost his roster through trades and free agency in the off-season. Last December, he admitted he tried to add to his lineup last summer but had little success finding free agents willing to sign with the Sabres or players with no-trade protection keen to accept a move to Buffalo. 

The Sabres did re-sign Jason Zucker at the trade deadline instead of trading the pending UFA. The 33-year-old has 44 points in 55 games this season and wanted to stay, so the youngest roster in the NHL kept a veteran presence. The Hockey News' Michael Augello mentioned Zucker can establish some roots in Buffalo, where he has a leadership role.

Zucker Re-Signed To Complete Unfinished Business With SabresThe Buffalo Sabres made some significant roster changes before the NHL trade deadline, including trading center Dylan Cozens to Ottawa. However, GM Kevyn Adams also accomplished one of his stated goals before 3 p.m. last Friday: signing veteran forwards Jordan Greenway and Jason Zucker to contract extensions.

Meanwhile, Adams denied a recent rumor linking left winger JJ Peterka to the New York Rangers. The 23-year-old Sabre is an RFA this summer. He's completing his entry-level contract and lacks arbitration rights, giving Adams leverage in contract negotiations. 

One thing Adams won't do is move his captain. On Tuesday, Rasmus Dahlin firmly dismissed a report by TNT hockey analyst Paul Bissonnette claiming he told the Sabres GM that he wanted out if the team didn't improve soon. 

“I don't know what he's talking about,” Dahlin told reporters.

How Much More Losing Can Rasmus Dahlin Take Before He Demands Out Of Buffalo Like Eichel and Reinhart?They say patience is a virtue. But even the most virtuous people have limits on how much they are willing to take.

The Sabres won't be the only team looking to add to their roster this summer. 

Following the trade deadline, Kevin Kurz of The Athletic speculated that the Philadelphia Flyers could take a big swing at acquiring a major name in the off-season. GM Daniel Briere could make that addition in the trade market, but he didn't rule out making a splash in this summer's free-agent pool. 

If the salary cap reaches the projected $95.5 million for 2025-26, the Flyers will have over $27.5 million in cap space. They have four notable players – Noah Cates, Tyson Foerster, Jakob Pelletier and Cam York – to re-sign. They're RFAs who should be affordable signings, leaving plenty of cap room to make a big move or two.

PuckPedia indicates the Flyers have seven picks in the first two rounds of this year's draft, including three first-rounders. Some of those picks could be used in a trade package before the opening round of the 2025 draft. 

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It was another night of missed opportunities. 

The Philadelphia Flyers played better than the scoreline suggests, but once again, their inability to finish chances came back to haunt them. 

They controlled stretches of the game, got some timely saves from Ivan Fedotov, and continued to see strong play from Jamie Drysdale.

But it wasn’t enough.

A few soft goals, a continued scoring slump from key players, and a lack of sharpness in critical moments allowed the Senators to walk away with a 5-2 win.

The frustrating part? It’s not that the Flyers are playing bad hockey. In fact, they’ve strung together some of their more structurally sound performances in recent games. But when the same issues—goal-scoring struggles, defensive lapses, inconsistent goaltending—keep costing them, it starts to wear on a team.

1. Finishing Issues Continue to Plague the Flyers

We’ve said it before, and we’re saying it again: the Flyers are generating enough chances. They’re just not burying them.

Against Ottawa, they controlled play for long stretches. They got in behind the defense, they had numbers on the rush, they created scrambles in front of the net. But when it came time to put the puck in the net—with the exception of goals from Drysdale and Rodrigo Abols—they either missed their opportunities, ran into solid goaltending, or simply couldn’t execute the final touch.

It’s becoming a recurring theme—games where they look good but fail to capitalize on their best looks. It’s not for lack of trying, but the end result is the same. This team is built on hard work, structure, and a willingness to outcompete opponents, but that only gets you so far when the goals aren’t coming.

John Tortorella has stressed the need for certain players to "get going," particularly Travis Konecny, who remains in a frustrating scoring drought.

"We have guys that can score goals," he said postgame. "Those are the guys who have to step up."

John Tortorella highlights guys like Owen Tippett, Travis Konecny, and Matvei Michkov as needing to get going. Pointed out that Konecny’s scoring slump has been a “big hole” in the #LetsGoFlyers offense as of late.

— Siobhan Nolan (@SGNolan) March 12, 2025

"A big hole for us is TK," Tortorella continued. "He does a lot of the work as far as carrying us when we're struggling scoring goals."

He’s still making plays, still getting to the right areas, but the puck isn’t going in. And when your leading scorer is struggling, it creates a ripple effect throughout the lineup. Owen Tippett and Matvei Michkov were also singled out by Tortorella as players who need to produce more.

This isn’t a team that lacks offensive talent. They have players capable of turning things around. But time is running out, and if they want to stay in the playoff race, the finishing needs to improve—fast.

2. Ivan Fedotov Had Some Strong Moments—But Gave Up a Few Soft Ones

Fedotov made some big stops in this game, continuing his really solid, if limited, starts in net. He showed flashes of why the organization still has a ton of belief in him—his size, positioning, and calm demeanor in net give the Flyers a solid foundation to build from.

But there were also a few goals he’d probably want back. The Senators had stretches where they overwhelmed the Flyers offensively, and they took advantage of the moments where Fedotov was just a little off his angle or where he let in a goal that looked stoppable.

It’s not fair to pin the loss on him, but in a game where the Flyers needed to be airtight to compensate for their scoring issues, those moments made a difference.

Fedotov continues to show how good he can be, and he’s had games where he’s been excellent. But there is no doubt extra pressure on him when the offense isn’t scoring a ton—every goal allowed carries a little extra weight. 

3. Jamie Drysdale’s Confidence is Growing

Amidst the rampant negativity that has engulfed the Flyers' sphere, Jamie Drysdale has been a true bright spot as of late.

The young defenseman has been on a roll lately, and he continued that with another strong performance, capped off by a goal. He’s looking more and more comfortable jumping into the play, making confident decisions with the puck, and showing off his skating ability.

"He's been obviously playing really well," Drysdale's defensive partner Nick Seeler said postgame. "I think his confidence has been a lot better. You can just see it in his skating ability—he's getting up the ice and his first instinct is usually the right one, and he's acting on that now. It's fun to see."

When the Flyers traded for Drysdale, they did so with the belief that he could continue developing into a top offensive defenseman—a "rover" position, as Tortorella puts it. And while there have been ups and downs in his Flyers career, it’s becoming clear that he’s trending in the right direction.

What’s most encouraging is that Drysdale isn’t just playing safe hockey—he’s actively looking to make things happen. He’s carrying the puck with authority, driving offense from the back end, and stepping into the play at the right moments. If the Flyers’ forwards can start finishing with more consistency, Drysdale could be a major factor in turning their offensive struggles around.

It’s easy to focus on the negatives after a loss, but Drysdale’s emergence is a real positive. He’s playing with confidence, and that’s exactly what the Flyers need from him.

Final Thoughts

This loss felt like a microcosm of the Flyers’ recent struggles. The effort was there. The structure was there. They had moments where they controlled the game. But the same issues—finishing problems, defensive lapses, inconsistent goaltending—kept them from getting the result they wanted.

It’s frustrating, especially because they’re not playing bad hockey. They’re just missing that extra level of sharpness that turns close games into wins.

The key now is finding a way to snap out of this pattern before it’s too late. The playoffs are still within reach, but if the Flyers can’t start finishing their chances and getting more consistent performances across the board, they might run out of time.

Nikita Grebenkin Talks Readiness For Flyers Future In New InterviewNikita Grebenkin knew a trade was possible.  'I'm Not Gonna Give You That Information': Flyers' John Tortorella Explains Matvei Michkov BenchingJohn Tortorella doesn’t care what you think. Flyers’ Rasmus Ristolainen Is Focused On The Present, Unbothered by the NoisePhiladelphia Flyers defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen (55). (Megan DeRuchie-The Hockey News)