# 1998–99 OHL season

The 1998–99 OHL season was the 19th season of the Ontario Hockey League. The Brampton Battalion and the Mississauga IceDogs were added as expansion teams. The league realigned from three divisions into two conferences and four divisions. Brampton were placed in the Midwest division of the Western conference, and Mississauga were placed in the Central division of the Eastern conference. The OHL inaugurated four new trophies this season. The Holody Trophy was created for the regular season champion of the Midwest division. Two conference playoffs champions were created; the Bobby Orr Trophy for the Eastern conference, and the Wayne Gretzky Trophy for the Western conference. The fourth new trophy was the Wayne Gretzky 99 Award, to be awarded to the MVP of the playoffs. Twenty teams each played sixty-eight games. The Belleville Bulls won the J. Ross Robertson Cup, defeating the London Knights.

## Expansion
### Brampton Battalion

On December 3, 1996, the Brampton Battalion was granted an expansion franchise owned by Scott Abbott. The team began play in the 1998–99 season, playing in the Midwest Division of the Western Conference. The Battalion's arena was the newly constructed Brampton Centre.
Brampton played in their first game on September 24, 1998, losing 5–1 to the Peterborough Petes on the road. Their first home game was on October 9, as the Battalion dropped a 5-1 decision to the Kitchener Rangers in front of a sold-out crowd of 4,800 at the Brampton Centre. After beginning the season with six losses, Brampton won their first game, defeating the Sudbury Wolves 5–4 on October 18.

### Mississauga IceDogs

On January 21, 1997, the Mississauga IceDogs was granted an expansion franchise which included former Boston Bruins head coach Don Cherry in their ownership group. The IceDogs began play in the 1998–99 season, playing in the Central Division of the Eastern Conference. The IceDogs arena was the newly constructed Hershey Centre.
The IceDogs played in their first game on September 25, 1998, losing a road game to the Kingston Frontenacs by a score of 10–0. Mississauga began the season with an 11-game road trip, as the club lost each game. In their home opener on October 30, Mississauga recorded their first win in franchise history, defeating the Toronto St. Michael's Majors 4–3 in front of a sold out of 6,000 fans at the Hershey Centre.

## Realignment

With the Brampton Battalion and Mississauga IceDogs joining the Ontario Hockey League for the 1998–99 season, the league underwent a massive realignment in which two new conferences, the Eastern Conference and Western Conference, were created. Within each conference was two five-team divisions. The playoff format changed that the top eight teams in each conference made the post-season.

### Eastern Conference
#### East Division

The East Division consisted of five teams that played in the division during the 1997-98 season. The teams were the Belleville Bulls, Kingston Frontenacs, Oshawa Generals, Ottawa 67's, and Peterborough Petes. The Toronto St. Michael's Majors left the division, joining the Central Division.

#### Central Division

The Central Division underwent some major changes following the 1997-98 division. The Barrie Colts, North Bay Centennials and Sudbury Wolves remained in the division, however, the Guelph Storm, Kitchener Rangers, and Owen Sound Platers all left the division, joining the newly formed Midwest Division in the Western Conference. Joining the Central were the Toronto St. Michael's Majors from the East Division, and the expansion Mississauga IceDogs.

### Western Conference
#### Midwest Division

The Midwest Division was a newly created division in the Western Conference. Joining the division were the Guelph Storm, Kitchener Rangers and Owen Sound Platers from the Central Division, while the Erie Otters joined from the West Division. The expansion Brampton Battalion also joined the division.

#### West Division

The West Division consisted of five teams that played in the division during the 1997-98 season. The teams were the London Knights, Plymouth Whalers, Sarnia Sting, Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds and Windsor Spitfires. The Erie Otters left the division, joining the newly formed Midwest Division.

## New Arena
### Sarnia Sports & Entertainment Centre

The Sarnia Sting moved from the Sarnia Arena to their new home, the Sarnia Sports & Entertainment Centre. The Sting defeated the Kitchener Rangers 5–2 in their first game at their new home on September 25, 1998, in front of a sold-out crowd of 4,635 fans.

## Regular season
### Final standings

Note: DIV = Division; GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; OTL = Overtime losses; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; PTS = Points; x = clinched playoff berth; y = clinched division title; z = clinched conference title

### Eastern conference

| Rank | Team | DIV | GP | W | L | T | PTS | GF | GA |
| 1 | z-Barrie Colts | Central | 68 | 49 | 13 | 6 | 104 | 343 | 192 |
| 2 | y-Ottawa 67's | East | 68 | 48 | 13 | 7 | 103 | 305 | 164 |
| 3 | x-Belleville Bulls | East | 68 | 39 | 22 | 7 | 85 | 334 | 246 |
| 4 | x-Oshawa Generals | East | 68 | 39 | 24 | 5 | 83 | 280 | 217 |
| 5 | x-Peterborough Petes | East | 68 | 40 | 26 | 2 | 82 | 266 | 213 |
| 6 | x-Sudbury Wolves | Central | 68 | 25 | 35 | 8 | 58 | 261 | 288 |
| 7 | x-North Bay Centennials | Central | 68 | 22 | 40 | 6 | 50 | 215 | 248 |
| 8 | x-Kingston Frontenacs | East | 68 | 22 | 42 | 4 | 48 | 240 | 320 |
| 9 | Toronto St. Michael's Majors | Central | 68 | 20 | 42 | 6 | 46 | 214 | 316 |
| 10 | Mississauga IceDogs | Central | 68 | 4 | 61 | 3 | 11 | 145 | 426 |

### Western conference

| Rank | Team | DIV | GP | W | L | T | PTS | GF | GA |
| 1 | z-Plymouth Whalers | West | 68 | 51 | 13 | 4 | 106 | 313 | 162 |
| 2 | x-Guelph Storm | Midwest | 68 | 44 | 22 | 2 | 90 | 300 | 218 |
| 3 | x-Owen Sound Platers | Midwest | 68 | 39 | 24 | 5 | 83 | 312 | 293 |
| 4 | x-Sarnia Sting | West | 68 | 37 | 25 | 6 | 80 | 279 | 216 |
| 5 | x-London Knights | West | 68 | 34 | 30 | 4 | 72 | 260 | 217 |
| 6 | x-Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds | West | 68 | 31 | 29 | 8 | 70 | 244 | 242 |
| 7 | x-Erie Otters | Midwest | 68 | 31 | 33 | 4 | 66 | 271 | 297 |
| 8 | x-Windsor Spitfires | West | 68 | 23 | 39 | 6 | 52 | 203 | 294 |
| 9 | Kitchener Rangers | Midwest | 68 | 23 | 39 | 6 | 52 | 205 | 257 |
| 10 | Brampton Battalion | Midwest | 68 | 8 | 57 | 3 | 19 | 198 | 362 |

### Scoring leaders

Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes
| Player | Team | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| Peter Sarno | Sarnia Sting | 68 | 37 | 93 | 130 | 49 |
| Norm Milley | Sudbury Wolves | 68 | 52 | 68 | 120 | 47 |
| Sheldon Keefe | Toronto/Barrie | 66 | 51 | 65 | 116 | 140 |
| Adam Colagiacomo | Plymouth Whalers | 67 | 40 | 68 | 108 | 89 |
| Mike Fisher | Sudbury Wolves | 68 | 41 | 65 | 106 | 55 |
| Daniel Tkaczuk | Barrie Colts | 58 | 43 | 62 | 105 | 58 |
| Harold Druken | Plymouth Whalers | 60 | 58 | 45 | 103 | 34 |
| Kevin Colley | Oshawa Generals | 63 | 39 | 62 | 101 | 68 |
| Justin Papineau | Belleville Bulls | 68 | 52 | 47 | 99 | 28 |
| Ivan Novoseltsev | Sarnia Sting | 68 | 57 | 39 | 96 | 45 |

### Leading goaltenders

Note: GP = Games played; Mins = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses: OTL = Overtime losses; SL = Shootout losses; GA = Goals Allowed; SO = Shutouts; GAA = Goals against average
| Player | Team | GP | Mins | W | L | T | GA | SO | Sv% | GAA |
| Robert Holsinger | Plymouth Whalers | 40 | 2252 | 28 | 10 | 0 | 78 | 5 | 0.924 | 2.08 |
| Levente Szuper | Ottawa 67's | 32 | 1801 | 22 | 6 | 3 | 70 | 4 | 0.920 | 2.33 |
| Seamus Kotyk | Ottawa 67's | 41 | 2314 | 26 | 7 | 4 | 92 | 5 | 0.915 | 2.39 |
| Brian Finley | Barrie Colts | 52 | 3064 | 36 | 10 | 4 | 136 | 3 | 0.920 | 2.66 |
| Rob Zepp | Plymouth Whalers | 31 | 1663 | 19 | 3 | 4 | 76 | 3 | 0.907 | 2.74 |

## Playoffs

| Conference quarterfinals | Conference quarterfinals | Conference quarterfinals | Conference semifinals | Conference semifinals | Conference semifinals | Conference finals | Conference finals | Conference finals | | Finals | Finals | Finals |
| E1 | Barrie | 4 | | | | | | | | | | |
| E8 | Kingston | 1 | | | | | | | | | | |
| E8 | Kingston | 1 | E1 | Barrie | 3 | | | | | | | |
| | | | E4 | Oshawa | 4 | | | | | | | |
| E4 | Oshawa | 4 | E4 | Oshawa | 4 | | | | | | | |
| E5 | Peterborough | 1 | | | | | | | | | | |
| E5 | Peterborough | 1 | | | | E4 | Oshawa | 1 | | | | |
| | | | | | | E3 | Belleville | 4 | | | | |
| E3 | Belleville | 4 | | | | | | | E3 | Belleville | 4 | | | | |
| E6 | Sudbury | 0 | | | | | | | | | | |
| E6 | Sudbury | 0 | E3 | Belleville | 4 | | | | | | | |
| | | | E2 | Ottawa | 1 | | | | | | | |
| E2 | Ottawa | 4 | E2 | Ottawa | 1 | | | | | | | |
| E7 | North Bay | 0 | | | | | | | | | | |
| E7 | North Bay | 0 | | | | | | | | E3 | Belleville | 4 |
| | | | | | | | | | | W5 | London | 3 |
| W1 | Plymouth | 4 | | | | | | | | | | | W5 | London | 3 |
| W8 | Windsor | 0 | | | | | | | | | | |
| W8 | Windsor | 0 | W1 | Plymouth | 3 | | | | | | | |
| | | | W5 | London | 4 | | | | | | | |
| W4 | Sarnia | 2 | W5 | London | 4 | | | | | | | |
| W5 | London | 4 | | | | | | | | | | |
| W5 | London | 4 | | | | W5 | London | 4 | | | | |
| | | | | | | W3 | Owen Sound | 1 | | | | |
| W3 | Owen Sound | 4 | | | | | | | W3 | Owen Sound | 1 | | | | |
| W6 | S.S. Marie | 1 | | | | | | | | | | |
| W6 | S.S. Marie | 1 | W3 | Owen Sound | 4 | | | | | | | |
| | | | W2 | Guelph | 2 | | | | | | | |
| W2 | Guelph | 4 | W2 | Guelph | 2 | | | | | | | |
| W7 | Erie | 1 | | | | | | | | | | |

### Conference quarterfinals
#### Eastern conference quarterfinals
##### (1) Barrie Colts vs. (8) Kingston Frontenacs

* Barrie wins series 4 – 1

##### (2) Ottawa 67's vs. (7) North Bay Centennials

* Ottawa wins series 4 – 0

##### (3) Belleville Bulls vs. (6) Sudbury Wolves

* Belleville wins series 4 – 0

##### (4) Oshawa Generals vs. (5) Peterborough Petes

* Oshawa wins series 4 – 1

#### Western conference quarterfinals
##### (1) Plymouth Whalers vs. (8) Windsor Spitfires

* Plymouth wins series 4 – 0

##### (2) Guelph Storm vs. (7) Erie Otters

* Guelph wins series 4 – 1

##### (3) Owen Sound Platers vs. (6) Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds

* Owen Sound wins series 4 – 1

##### (4) Sarnia Sting vs. (5) London Knights

* London wins series 4 – 2

### Conference semifinals
#### Eastern conference semifinals
##### (1) Barrie Colts vs. (4) Oshawa Generals

* Oshawa wins series 4 – 3

##### (2) Ottawa 67's vs. (3) Belleville Bulls

* Belleville wins series 4 – 1

#### Western conference semifinals
##### (1) Plymouth Whalers vs. (5) London Knights

* London wins series 4 – 3

##### (2) Guelph Storm vs. (3) Owen Sound Platers

* Owen Sound wins series 4 – 2

### Conference finals
#### Eastern conference finals
##### (3) Belleville Bulls vs. (4) Oshawa Generals

* Belleville wins series 4 – 1

#### Western conference finals
##### (3) Owen Sound Platers vs. (5) London Knights

* London wins series 4 – 1

### OHL finals
#### J. Ross Robertson cup finals
##### (E3) Belleville Bulls vs. (W5) London Knights

* Belleville wins series 4 – 3

### Playoff scoring leaders

Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes
| Player | Team | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| Justin Papineau | Belleville Bulls | 21 | 21 | 30 | 51 | 20 |
| Ryan Ready | Belleville Bulls | 21 | 10 | 28 | 38 | 22 |
| Tom Kostopoulos | London Knights | 25 | 19 | 16 | 35 | 32 |
| Richard Pitirri | London Knights | 25 | 12 | 22 | 34 | 24 |
| Jonathan Cheechoo | Belleville Bulls | 21 | 15 | 15 | 30 | 27 |
| Krys Barch | London Knights | 25 | 9 | 17 | 26 | 15 |
| Chris Kelly | London Knights | 25 | 9 | 17 | 26 | 22 |
| Jay Legault | London Knights | 25 | 8 | 18 | 26 | 40 |
| Mike Dombkiewicz | Owen Sound Platers | 16 | 3 | 22 | 25 | 22 |
| Glenn Crawford | Belleville Bulls | 21 | 13 | 11 | 24 | 22 |

### Playoff leading goaltenders

Note: GP = Games played; Mins = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses: OTL = Overtime losses; SL = Shootout losses; GA = Goals Allowed; SO = Shutouts; GAA = Goals against average
| Player | Team | GP | Mins | W | L | GA | SO | Sv% | GAA |
| Seamus Kotyk | Ottawa 67's | 5 | 338 | 3 | 2 | 13 | 0 | 0.912 | 2.31 |
| J. F. Perras | Erie Otters | 5 | 245 | 1 | 3 | 11 | 0 | 0.937 | 2.69 |
| Levente Szuper | Ottawa 67's | 4 | 241 | 2 | 2 | 11 | 1 | 0.924 | 2.73 |
| Brian Finley | Barrie Colts | 5 | 324 | 4 | 1 | 15 | 0 | 0.917 | 2.78 |
| Greg Hewitt | Sarnia Sting | 5 | 323 | 1 | 4 | 15 | 0 | 0.939 | 2.79 |

## All-Star teams
### First team

* Daniel Tkaczuk, Centre, Barrie Colts
* Ryan Ready, Left Wing, Belleville Bulls
* Ivan Novoseltsev, Right Wing, Sarnia Sting
* Brian Campbell, Defence, Ottawa 67's
* Bryan Allen, Defence, Oshawa Generals
* Brian Finley, Goaltender, Barrie Colts
* Peter DeBoer, Coach, Plymouth Whalers

### Second team

* Harold Druken, Centre, Plymouth Whalers
* Denis Shvidki, Left Wing, Barrie Colts
* Norm Milley, Right Wing, Sudbury Wolves
* Kevin Mitchell, Defence, Guelph Storm
* Martin Skoula, Defence, Barrie Colts
* Tyrone Garner, Goaltender, Oshawa Generals
* Lou Crawford, Coach, Belleville Bulls

### Third team

* Peter Sarno, Centre, Sarnia Sting
* Jay Legault, Left Wing, London Knights
* Sheldon Keefe, Right Wing, Barrie Colts
* Nick Boynton, Defence, Ottawa 67's
* Nikos Tselios, Defence, Plymouth Whalers
* Seamus Kotyk, Goaltender, Ottawa 67's
* Dave Siciliano, Coach, Owen Sound Platers

## Awards

| J. Ross Robertson Cup: | Belleville Bulls |
| Hamilton Spectator Trophy: | Plymouth Whalers |
| Bobby Orr Trophy: | Belleville Bulls |
| Wayne Gretzky Trophy: | London Knights |
| Leyden Trophy: | Ottawa 67's |
| Emms Trophy: | Barrie Colts |
| Holody Trophy: | Guelph Storm |
| Bumbacco Trophy: | Plymouth Whalers |
| Red Tilson Trophy: | Brian Campbell, Ottawa 67's |
| Eddie Powers Memorial Trophy: | Peter Sarno, Sarnia Sting |
| Matt Leyden Trophy: | Pete DeBoer, Plymouth Whalers |
| Jim Mahon Memorial Trophy: | Norm Milley, Sudbury Wolves |
| Max Kaminsky Trophy: | Brian Campbell, Ottawa 67's |
| OHL Goaltender of the Year: | Brian Finley, Barrie Colts |
| Jack Ferguson Award: | Jason Spezza, Mississauga IceDogs |
| Dave Pinkney Trophy: | Robert Holsinger and Rob Zepp, Plymouth Whalers |
| OHL Executive of the Year: | Jeff Hunt, Ottawa 67's |
| Emms Family Award: | Sheldon Keefe, Barrie Colts |
| F.W. 'Dinty' Moore Trophy: | Levente Szuper, Ottawa 67's |
| OHL Humanitarian of the Year: | Ryan McKie, Sudbury Wolves |
| William Hanley Trophy: | Brian Campbell, Ottawa 67's |
| Leo Lalonde Memorial Trophy: | Ryan Ready, Belleville Bulls |
| Bobby Smith Trophy: | Rob Zepp, Plymouth Whalers |
| Wayne Gretzky 99 Award: | Justin Papineau, Belleville Bulls |

## 1999 OHL Priority Selection

On June 5, 1999, the OHL conducted the 1999 Ontario Hockey League Priority Selection at the Brampton Centre for Sports & Entertainment in Brampton, Ontario. The Mississauga IceDogs held the first overall pick in the draft, and selected Jason Spezza from the Brampton Battalion. Spezza was awarded the Jack Ferguson Award, awarded to the top pick in the draft.
Below are the players who were selected in the first round of the 1999 Ontario Hockey League Priority Selection.
| # | Player | Nationality | OHL Team | Hometown | Minor Team |
| 1 | Jason Spezza (C) | Canada | Mississauga IceDogs | Brampton, Ontario | Brampton Battalion |
| 2 | Jay McClement (C) | Canada | Brampton Battalion | Kingston, Ontario | Kingston Voyageurs |
| 3 | Jeffrey Doyle (RW) | Canada | Toronto St. Michael's Majors | King City, Ontario | Vaughan Kings |
| 4 | Steve Eminger (D) | Canada | Kitchener Rangers | Woodbridge, Ontario | Bramalea Blues |
| 5 | Cory Stillman (C) | Canada | Kingston Frontenacs | Lindsay, Ontario | Lindsay Muskies |
| 6 | Chris Thorburn (RW) | Canada | North Bay Centennials | Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario | Elliot Lake Ice |
| 7 | Tim Gleason (D) | United States | Windsor Spitfires | Clawson, Michigan | Leamington Flyers |
| 8 | Miguel Beaudry (G) | Canada | Sudbury Wolves | Verner, Ontario | Collingwood Blackhawks |
| 9 | Scott Rozendal (LW) | Canada | Erie Otters | Listowel, Ontario | Collingwood Blackhawks |
| 10 | Trevor Daley (D) | Canada | Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds | Toronto, Ontario | Vaughan Vipers |
| 11 | Matthew Albiani (C) | Canada | London Knights | Sudbury, Ontario | Sudbury Wolves Bantam |
| 12 | Jason Penner (LW) | Canada | Sarnia Sting | Leamington, Ontario | Leamington Flyers |
| 13 | Ryan Ramsay (C) | Canada | Peterborough Petes | Ajax, Ontario | Ajax Attack |
| 14 | Greg Jacina (LW) | Canada | Owen Sound Platers | Guelph, Ontario | Orangeville Crushers |
| 15 | Nick Lees (C) | Canada | Oshawa Generals | Peterborough, Ontario | Peterborough Petes Bantam |
| 16 | Kyle Wellwood (C/RW) | Canada | Belleville Bulls | Windsor, Ontario | Tecumseh Chiefs |
| 17 | Colt King (LW) | Canada | Guelph Storm | Thunder Bay, Ontario | St. Thomas Stars |
| 18 | Brendan Bell (D) | Canada | Ottawa 67's | Ottawa, Ontario | Ottawa Jr. Senators |
| 19 | Erik Reitz (D) | United States | Barrie Colts | Plymouth, Michigan | Leamington Flyers |
| 20 | Stephen Weiss (C) | Canada | Plymouth Whalers | Markham, Ontario | North York Rangers |