Photo Credits/ Terry Wilson OHL Images
The Mississauga Steelheads will end an era tonight at the Paramount Fine Foods Centre when they host the North Bay Battalion in their final regular-season game in Mississauga. The club will play in the 2024 OHL Playoffs before moving to Brampton next season.
OHL hockey has been a part of the city of Mississauga since the 1998-1999 season, which saw the inaugural season of the Mississauga IceDogs.
From 1998 to 2007, the IceDogs called Mississauga home before relocating to Niagara. The Toronto St. Michael’s Majors were moved to Mississauga from 2007-2012. The St. Michael’s Majors name rights were returned to Toronto. Mississauga’s team remained but needed a new name. Fans voted, and the name Steelheads was selected.
I have seen fantastic goal-scorers while watching OHL hockey in Mississauga. Today, I list my top five goal scorers from Mississauga’s OHL history.
5. Riley Brace – Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors/Mississauga Steelheads
Riley Brace was the heart and soul of the Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors/Mississauga Steelheads, playing for them from 2009 to 2013.
Brace led Mississauga in goals in 2011-2012 with 33 and 2012-2013 with 21.
Riley played a hard-nosed game, always in front of the net battling with other players and wasn’t afraid to bring the team into the fight.
To this day, Riley Brace still holds the record in Majors/Steelheads history in games played with 304. He is second in points with 234. Even though scoring wasn’t his priority, Brace is tied for third all-time in goals scored with 89.
4. DeVante Smith-Pelly – Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors
Devante Smith-Pelly was a fan favourite during his tenure with Mississauga. Following his rookie campaign in 2008-09, Smith Pelly became an offensive weapon for the Majors. Whenever he had the puck on his stick, you knew there was a chance he would score.
In his time with Mississauga, Smith Pelly played in 184 games, scoring 78 goals and collecting 75 assists for 153 points.
After leaving junior, Smith-Pelly played seven years in the NHL and would win a Stanley Cup with the Washington Capitals in 2018.
3. Owen Tippett – Mississauga Steelheads
In his four seasons with the Steelheads, Owen Tippett was a dominant force in the OHL.
Just like DeVante Smith-Pelly, you had a feeling he would score whenever Tippett was on the ice. In his first three OHL seasons, he had already led Mississauga in all-time goals with 95.
When Tippett’s time with the Steelheads ended, he had played in 182 games, scoring 114 goals and 89 assists. He is fourth all-time, tied with Casey Cizikas, with 203 points.
Tippett was drafted by the Florida Panthers 10th overall in 2017. He was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers, where he has been a key contributor, scoring goals just like he did with the Steelheads.
2. James Hardie – Mississauga Steelheads
James Hardie was a great player for the Steelheads. He always gave 100% whenever he played.
Hardie is the all-time leader in Steelhead’s history regarding goals and points. He scored 128 goals in his four years with Mississauga and finished his OHL career with 244 points.
He will go down as a fan favourite in Mississauga; going to games today, you still see fans wearing his jersey.
1. Patrick O’Sullivan – Mississauga IceDogs
If there was a definition for a heartbeat of any Mississauga team and a great goal scorer, it would be Patrick O’Sullivan.
Patrick O’Sullivan was my favourite player growing up for Mississauga. He was a dominant force in the OHL. In his rookie season with the IceDogs, he scored 34 goals and 92 points.
As the years went on, O’Sullivan continued to dominate the league. In his next two seasons, he scored 83 goals.
In his final year in Mississauga, his goal-scoring dropped slightly. He scored 31 goals but had 90 points. At the end of his OHL career, his final stats were 234 games played, 148 goals, 197 assists, and 345 points.
O’Sullivan would play six seasons in the NHL, playing for five teams. In 334 games, O’Sullivan scored 58 goals and 103 assists for 161 points.
I wanted to add many more players to this list, but it would be long. Although the book of OHL hockey will close tonight, the Steelheads will still be around, and fans will still witness the next generation of great Steelhead goal scorers in Porter Martone, Luke Misa, and the other great players the Steelheads will produce in their system.
