A disappointing end to the 2023-24 season for the Generals. But Oshawa should look at this year as a huge success

Oshawa's season came to a heartbreaking end in the OHL Finals as the powerhouse London Knights swept them in four games. Despite the devastating loss, it shouldn't be overlooked how successful of a season the Generals had in 2023-24.

The Sudbury Wolves and the North Bay Battalion were the two teams considered the favourites to come out of the Eastern Conference at the start of the season. Both teams were loaded with offensive talent to go on a deep playoff run. 

The Battalion won the Central Division and made it to their third consecutive Eastern Conference Finals where they came back from a 3-0 series deficit to Oshawa before the Gens closed out the series in Game 7.

Sudbury although led the league in goals (328) and was a lethal team all season long. Their goaltending and defence faltered for them, as they averaged four goals-against per game by the end of the regular season.

The Eastern Conference was wide open this year and there for the taking. Oshawa heard that loud and clear and went on a tear during the second half of the season, finishing first in the East for the first time since the 2014-15 season. 

It wasn't a clear sunny start to the 2023-24 season for the Eastern Conference champs. They were 7-11-4 by the end of November and had a ton of inconsistencies in their game. But then a switch was flipped inside that locker room. Was it Goaltender of the Year Jacob Oster who turned things around? Head Coach of the Year Derek Laxdal? Or Colorado Avalanche first-rounder Calum Ritchie who put up 80 points in only 50 games this season. 

Hockey is the ultimate team sport, so while those three had amazing seasons to help Oshawa go on a 31-9-7 run after November 26, the entire team stepped up. And a trip to the OHL Finals should be celebrated.

A 4-0 series loss to London in the Finals, and the amount of goals they allowed in those games, will look bad on paper. Alas, it's important to recognize how young this Oshawa team was. They had two first-time OHLers in 2007-born Owen Griffin and Tristan Delisle playing critical third line minutes. And they had seven 2006-born players suit up for them in the finals, which included three defencemen.

On the positive side of things, this also means that the Generals will have a lot of motivated returning members to their squad for the 2024-25 season. 

Captain Stuart Rolofs, Connor Lockhart, and Dallas Stars prospect Connor Punnett finished their overage season and OHL careers in Game 4. Dylan Roobroeck has a contract with the New York Rangers and will turn pro next season. They will have two big question marks in Jacob Oster who through his performance this year may have earned him a pro contract. And first line centre Calum Ritchie, who could be an option for the Avalanche out of training camp as a cheap middle-six forward option. 

But the blueline looks incredibly strong and many will be returning. Luca D'Amato is a good bet to play his overage season for Oshawa next year. Ben Danford, Luca Marrelli, Zackary Sandhu, David Bedkowski, and Lucas Rodriquez should return to round out the defence core.

The Generals will need to add some forward depth, especially if Ritchie makes the jump to the NHL next season. Also, the Minnesota Wild and Rasmus Kumpulainen will have a decision on if he will return to junior for next year. And they will need big development jumps in players like Griffin, Delisle, and their 2006-borns.

Oshawa drafted right winger Brady Smith with their first-round selection in the 2024 OHL Priority Selection and has committed to them already. Generals scouts said that he is one of the purest goal scorers in this year's OHL Draft and is the kind of skater who can beat defenders wide when he turns on his jets. Smith ripped home a whopping 68 goals in 76 games this year according to eliteprospects.com and put up 10 snipes at the OHL Cup in March with the North York Rangers U16 AAA. 

It's a very tall task to make an immediate impact offensively as a 16-year-old in the OHL, but 2022 eighth-overall pick Beckett Sennecke did just that in his rookie year so Smith has a good mentor to learn from. 

Experience is a big factor for an OHL team to succeed, and the Generals' young squad has gathered that valuable experience from this past season.