There were few things I enjoyed more as a kid than going to Guelph Storm games. And there a few cards I enjoy more than Guelph Storm cards.
As luck would have it, I recently picked up my first Storm team set. It's a team-issued set that appears to have been co-produced by the Guelph Police Department, as the back of each card has tips aimed that appear to be aimed at kids -- things like "Don't take to strangers when you are 'surfing' on the Internet" and "A home rink is safer than skating on a river or a pond."
The 2002-03 season was a turbulent one for the Storm. The team fired its coach midway through the season and finished just a hair over .500, though they did manage to win a round in the playoffs. But it was an important season, as much of the roster would return the next season and help the Storm to its second-ever OHL Championship.
G -- Andrew Penner: Penner was never drafted though he did earn a contract from the Columbus Blue Jackets. Doesn't appear to have made it higher than the AHL, though, and spent most of his career in the ECHL.
C -- Martin St. Pierre: St. Pierre was one of the team's biggest stars and has been named one of the top 25 players in franchise history. He was a monster during the team's 2004 OHL championship run, making the league's third all-star team. Undrafted, he signed as a free agent with the Chicago Blackhawks and wound up scoring three goals in 39 NHL games.
D -- Andrew Archer: The team captain in 2002-03, Archer was drafted in the seventh round of the 2001 draft by the Montreal Canadiens. He played six seasons in the AHL before heading overseas to play professionally in Italy.
RW -- Ryan Thompson: One of the team's alternate captains, Thompson was never drafted.
C -- Daniel Paille: Another one of the team's bigger stars. Paille was the second-leading scorer on the 2004 championship team (behind St. Pierre) and was a two-time member of Canada's World Junior Championship team, including the team captain in 2004. He would also go on to one of the more successful pro careers of anyone from the 2002-03 Storm. The former Buffalo Sabres 1st round pick (2002) has played 570 regular season NHL games, split between the Sabres and the Boston Bruins. He was just released from a tryout contract with the Blackhawks, though, so his NHL career may be coming to an end.
G -- Adam Dennis: An OHL rookie in 2002-03, Dennis would take over as the starter in 2003-04. He was also drafted by the Sabres, in the 6th round in 2005 though just missed the NHL, topping out in the AHL. HockeyDB.com says he most recently played in Austria.
RW -- Dustin Brown: Here's one of the two marquee names from the 2002-03 Storm. Brown lead the team in goals and points that year and then was drafted 13th overall by the Los Angeles Kings. He then surprisingly made the team in his first training camp (and thus missing Guelph's run the next year). He's now the team captain and one of the faces of the near-dynasty that Los Angeles has built (alongside another Storm alum, Drew Doughty). He's also a two-time Olympian, as a member of Team USA. Also: Nice Roots sweater in the stands!
Here's a look at the back of these cards. They're quite nicely done, in my opinion, especially for an off-brand issue.
D -- Eric Larochelle: I have no idea what prompted it, but Larchoelle apparently held out before the start of the next season and was subsequently traded to the Sudbury Wolves. He never played professionally.
D -- George Bradley: Another guy who would return for the 2004 championship team. Bradley was never drafted and played a few pro seasons in the Central Hockey League, which is a rung below the ECHL.
D -- Corey LeClair: Doesn't look like he was ever drafted although the card says he camped with the New York Islanders in 2002. Played a few years professional in the ECHL and, I think, England.
D -- Geoff Patton: Never drafted. An alumnus of the Fayetteville FireAntz of the SPHL, though!
C -- Lou Dickenson: According to Wikipedia, Lou was once seen as a very promising prospect although he never seemed to develop in the OHL and he bounced around a bunch of teams. Guelph, for instance, appears to have traded him to Ottawa midway through the 2002-03 season. He was a fourth-round pick of Edmonton's in the 2000 draft, although he peaked in the AHL. He's apparently currently playing for the Dundee Stars in the "Elite Ice Hockey League" in the UK.
C -- Matt Ryan: An OHL free agent whom the Storm signed out of Niagara University before the 2002-03 season, Ryan would become a big part of the team and the third-leading scorer on the following year's championship squad. He's also one of the team's NHL alumni; though he was never drafted, he was signed by the Los Angeles Kings and appeared in 12 games in the 2005-06 season, recording one assist. Looks like he's also playing now with the Dundee Stars.
C -- Colin Power: He played two years in the ECHL, according to HockeyDB.com.
C -- Ryan Garlock: He was the Storm's first-round pick in the OHL draft at the start of this season, though he would be sent to the Windsor Spitfires the next year. The Chicago Blackhawks picked him in the 2nd round of the 2004 draft, but it looks like he never made it beyond the AHL.
RW -- Steve Zmudczynski: Good luck pronouncing that name. Looks like he went to university after his career with the Storm came to an end.
D -- Leonid Zhvachkin: Looks like the Storm traded him to Barrie midseason. He was drafted by the New York Rangers in the 8th round in 2001 but never signed.
RW -- Brett Trudell: Here's a guy who ended up becoming a big part of the next year's OHL championship team. Trudell tied for the team goal-scoring lead during the 2004 playoffs, with 13 goals in 22 games. Never played professionally.
D -- Michael Okrzesik: Appears to have been a regular on the Storm blue line for three consecutive years, but that's the extent of his hockey history.
RW -- Ryan Callahan: And here's the other big star from this particular Storm team. Callahan was just a 17-year-old OHL rookie at this point and managed just 14 goals in 59 games that year. But he became one of the team's top players the following year and was the other guy who managed 13 goals in 22 games during the Storm's run to the OHL championships. He was drafted in 2004 by the New York Rangers in the 2004 draft. He eventually became the Rangers' captain and was traded two years ago to the Tampa Bay Lightning for Martin St. Louis. Looks like he's going to start this season on a line with Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Drouin. Not bad work, if you can get it.
Here's a look at the back of Callahan's card. Funny that he played with a different Lightning as a 16-year-old: The Buffalo Lightning.
D -- Emil Bucic: Guelph's only pick in the OHL's 2002 Import Draft, Bucic had been a member of Slovenia's under-16, under-17 and under-18 teams. This was his only season with the Storm, though, and he doesn't look like he ever played professionally.
RW -- Aaron Lobb: Lobb was one of the Storm's leading scorers in 2002-03 though he was traded to the Oshawa Generals before the big 2003-04 season. Went to university after his OHL career ended.
C -- Tyler Haskins: A 5th-round pick by the Detroit Red Wings in 2004, he spent three years in the AHL before heading overseas to play in Germany's DEL with the Wolfsburg Grizzlys.
C -- Malcolm MacMillan: Wound up being traded to Barrie midseason. Managed 18 games over three years in the AHL, and a whole bunch more in the ECHL.
C -- Matt Puntureri: Never made the NHL or the AHL but appears to have played just about everywhere else, including something called the Federal Hockey League and in France.
Head Coach -- Jeff Jackson: Guelph hired Jackson away from the U.S. National Team in 2000. While he was initially successful, he ended up being fired midway through this particular season. He ssems to have done well for himself though: Wikipedia says he won two NCAA Championships as coach of Lake Superior State and he's currently the head coach at Notre Dame. He was also an assistant coach with the New York Islanders at some point.
Assistant Coach -- Shawn Camp: When the Storm fired Jackson they replaced him with Camp. And it seemed to work, as he was the guy who wound up leading the team to the OHL title the next year. He later coached the Sarnia Sting for a couple of years. I think he's now the head hockey coach at the University of Guelph.
Assistant Coach -- Jason Brooks: Nice ad in the background for the Guelph Mercury, the hometown newspaper.
Head Athletic Therapist -- Shane Mabey: This being a minor-league set, even the trainer gets a card.
Assistant Trainer -- Russ Hammond: As does the assistant trainer.
Mascot -- Spyke: And, of course, so does the mascot. I don't think "Spyke" was a thing when I was a kid in Guelph.
Thanks to the fine folks who apparently printed these cards.
I guess the Storm sponsored a team for kids?
The $21 million Guelph Sports and Entertainment Centre had just opened a year or two earlier. The Storm had previously played at the old Guelph Memorial Gardens, which is where I went to the games. Sleeman, a Guelph-based beer brewer, bought the naming rights in 2007 and it's now known as the Sleeman Centre.
And the final entry in the 36-card checklist is a plug for the local police, who produced (or co-produced). Per the card back, you're looking at Officer Don, Officer Attila and "Pee Cee Herman," who were apparently something akin to the Guelph PD's school-outreach officers. I'm not going to lie: When I saw this card, that's what finally prompted me to buy the set. It's the perfect minor-league card.
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