Forget the regular season and even the Memorial Cup, what we're really playing for in major junior is the chance to climb the professional sports ladder. As fans, we also like to test our own personal scouting skills and see where our favourite players get selected in the OHL. So, with the draft now just hours away, here's your preview. Plus, coaches climbing the pro sports ladder, the OHL develops another future front-office pro, and some big news out of the GOJHL.

The OHL Podcast is presented by Matt Smith Goaltending.

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He was a "too-small" forward who went in the 9th round to the Soo. But he impressed the Hounds enough at rookie camp that he was signed by the following Christmas before embarking on a 300-plus point OHL career. Rob Hisey would go on to play for the Erie Otters and the Barrie Colts en route to a 14-year pro career that included a championship in Austria. And Hisey's legend lives on, online. Just pop his name into YouTube and see unthinkable goals like this from the OHL's skills competition in 2005, or Hisey's personal favourite, this OT winner in Germany. Today, Hisey is coaching his kids, who might be in the OHL before long. Not long after that, Hisey might find his way behind an OHL bench...

The OHL Podcast is presented by Matt Smith Goaltending.

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Finally, some intelligence on this podcast! Dan and Mike has some fun with AI but not before talking about a slick coaching move for Saginaw, celebrating Stanley Cup winners, and listing our favourite NHL draft eligible prospects of this past season.

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An OHL captain who played for legends like Larry Mavety and Lou Crawford. A 2nd rounder to the LA Kings. And, most importantly, a member of the only championship team in Belleville Bulls history ... even though he was never supposed to play for the team. While his pro career didn't turn out the way he expected, Justin Papineau has no regrets. He's also got a hockey bag full of stories to share this week.

The OHL Podcast is presented by Matt Smith Goaltending.

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The OHL trade window opens and the first team to jump through should surprise no one. Plus, Dan and Mike discuss the pipeline to the pros that goes beyond players and coaches and also debate the goals of a major junior hockey team -- is it winning championships, or feeding the NHL and Hockey Canada with talent? Then, it's our four top performers of the season (forward, defence, goaltender, and rookie). We didn't really pick the same forward, did we?

The OHL Podcast is presented by Matt Smith Goaltending.

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Former radio executive. Family man. OHL owner. We get our first view from the owner's box on The OHL Podcast, as current Otters owner Jim Waters joins us for a chat. From his bloodied introduction to the team to his competitive streak and his philosophy on running a hockey team, we cover all the ground with Waters, including a look back on one of Canada's greatest broadcasting legacies. Anyone who knows the legendary 1050 CHUM will enjoy this for more than just the hockey talk.

The OHL Podcast is presented by Matt Smith Goaltending.

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The drought in The Dub continues, the captain of the Petes gives us the interview we've all been waiting for, Dan and Mike climb onto their soapboxes, and did things actually just get worse in Niagara? We've got you covered on this post-championship podcast.

The OHL Podcast is presented by Matt Smith Goaltending.

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From inside the league offices to on the road to create the film that captures a century of Memorial Cup, few have seen junior hockey from as many angles as Aaron Bell. He was a big part in getting the OHL's draft online, even staging his own apartment as the back-up connection in case things went sideways. He helped to establish OHL Images and, to this day, many photos from the game will still have Bell's watermark on them. Oh, and he's a Belleville native who can tell the hockey history of the Quinte region city in rich detail. It's hard to not miss Belleville being in the OHL, and it will be even harder after listening to Bell.

The OHL Podcast is presented by Matt Smith Goaltending.

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It's been a tough go for the Peterborough Petes so far at the Memorial Cup. The guys talk about that, plus a perceived Western bias that may make some think the WHL is a stronger league than it truly is, why the NHL Department of Player Safety has its nose in major junior hockey, and how close we came to nearly two dozen former OHL'ers in the Stanley Cup Final.

The OHL Podcast is presented by Matt Smith Goaltending.

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It's not often that you get such a candid conversation with someone so recently removed from the game. But that's what you get with Connor Crisp, who was forced due to injury to retire from hockey at 24 (just six years ago). We talk about that injury (a concussion), his still-unapologetic love for fighting, the challenge of moving to another country at just 16 years old, and the most infamous night of his hockey career -- when the power forward was called upon as an emergency back-up goalie. You'll also want to stick around for the stories about Robbie Ftorek, the stuffed wolf in Sudbury, and a spot-on Sherry Bassin impression. Crisp is running a hockey school today, and I hope he sticks around the game.

The OHL Podcast is presented by Matt Smith Goaltending.

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