OHL Notebook: New faces in new places

The summer of 2015 has been a busy one around the Ontario Hockey League, specifically in the coaching ranks.

The latest coaching move has the Owen Sound Attack looking for a new coach as Greg Ireland resigned to take a coaching position with Adler Mannheim of the German Elite League.

The Attack now need to fill a full coaching staff after assistant coaches Drew Bannister and Daniel Tkaczuk both took positions with other OHL teams as well.

Bannister is the new coach of the Soo Greyhounds while Tkaczuk took an assistant coaching position with the Kitchener Rangers.

The change in Owen Sound means eight teams will have a new coach when the 2015-16 season opens.

The head coaching changes around the league include:

• Mike Van Ryn in Kitchener as he takes over for Troy Smith (Smith was hired by the Hamilton Bulldogs as an associate coach to work with George Burnett)
• John Gruden in Flint as he takes over for Don Elland, who coached the team last year in Plymouth
• Bob Jones takes over for D.J. Smith in Oshawa with the defending Memorial Cup champions
• Derian Hatcher takes over for Trevor Letowski with the Sarnia Sting (Letowski was subsequently hired by the Windsor Spitfires)
• Drew Bannister takes over for Sheldon Keefe with the Soo Greyhounds
• Rocky Thompson takes over for Bob Boughner in Windsor

The Erie Otters announced on Monday that Dave Brown is taking over for Sherry Bassin as general manager following the sale of the team earlier this month.

Brown is one of a number of new general managers in the league, including Dave Drinkell in Saginaw as he takes over for Jim Paliafito while Terry Christensen is the new general manager in Flint.

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Just three of the 22 players selected in the opening round of the 2015 OHL Priority Selection have not signed with their respective clubs.

Barrie Colts first-rounder Jacob Tortora hasn’t signed and is currently committed to Boston College.

The Flint Firebirds and Kitchener Rangers have also not signed their first round picks as training camps approach.

The Firebirds selected Ryan McLeod third overall while the Rangers used the 12th pick to select Greg Meireles.