By Chris Ackroyd
Photo by Aaron Bell/OHL Images

Greater Toronto Hockey League graduate Anthony Cirelli scored twice – including the game-winning goal at 1:28 of overtime – to cap a memorable season and give the Oshawa Generals their fifth Memorial Cup championship in franchise history. The 17-year-old became the ninth player in Memorial Cup history to score an overtime goal in the final and tied the record for fastest overtime goal in the championship game. 

Cirelli, an undrafted rookie in the Ontario Hockey League, cracked a spot on the Generals this year after spending 2013-14 with the Mississauga Reps.

The Woodbridge, Ont., native amassed 28 points (10-18–28) last year with the Midget AAA Reps before joining the Generals for his first OHL season. He accumulated 36 points (13-23–36) during the regular season to help the club win the League’s Eastern Conference by a 23-point margin, setting franchise marks in wins (51) and points (108).

Cirelli, who entered the Memorial Cup final with one assist over the tournament’s first three games, will likely be selected in the 2015 NHL Draft later this month. He is listed at No. 67 on NHL Central Scouting’s final rankings, up from No. 88 on the mid-season list. He will attend the NHL Combine on Saturday June 6 in Buffalo. 

Michael Dal Colle finished the tournament tied for sixth in scoring with five points (2-3–5) in four games. He also tied for second in OHL playoff scoring with 31 points (8-23–31) in 21 contests. The Vaughan Kings alumnus posted a career-high 1.66 points per game in the regular season, earning 42-51–93 in 56 appearances. Dal Colle was selected fifth overall by the New York Islanders in the 2014 NHL Draft and has earned 236 points (96-140–236) in 186 career regular season OHL games.

Two other GTHL alumni earned their first Memorial Cup championship. Ranked No. 145 by NHL Central Scouting, draft-eligible defenseman Stephen Desrocher tallied three points (2-1–3) in the tournament. Desrocher spent his Minor Midget and Midget seasons with the Mississauga Rebels and Vaughan Kings, respectively. Aidan Wallace, a 1995-born product of the Don Mills Flyers Minor Midget AAA team, was held off the scoresheet at the Memorial Cup, but recorded 24 points (12-12–24) over 65 games in his second full season with the Generals.