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VI 1 PAGE 12 ♦ THE CANADIAN STATESMAN ♦ DECEMBER 28,2005 durhamregion.com Œf)C Canabifllt Statesman ♦ durhamregion.com success Young Gênerais bring optimism for team's future trip it What a long, strange -- and painful has been. After dragging Osliawa Generals fans down a bumpy path he considered absolutely necessary to get the team headed in the right direction, general manager Brad Selwood firmly believes this clunker of his finally has the parts to be transformed into a sleek luxury automobile. And, you know what? He just might be right. Since taking the wheel in May of 2004, shortly shortly after that year's draft, Selwood has made umpteen trades, fired a coach and presided over a team that has earned a woeful 55 points in 102 games. That's a winning percentage of .270 over exactly a season and a half. But, while he has said prior to the start of both seasons that playoffs were a realistic and attainable goal, the truth of the matter is this team has been looking much farther ahead. The ultimate goal is to have a Memorial Clip played out of the new downtown sport and entertainment entertainment complex in the spring of 2008. Thanks in large part to John Tavares, but also to a growing support cast of good young players, that might not be as far-fetched as the current 9-23-2-0 record would suggest, Simply put, Tavares is a gem. Barely 15 prior to stepping on the ice for his first OHL game, lie has exceeded anyone's wildest imagination, leading the team with 23. goals and second in points with 40 through 34 games. So, how good will he be a year from now? Two years? Try three years, when, barring a rule change or other options available to him, he will still be in the league. "lie's having a heck of a season by any 7 .jpjÿ r . 1-1 WcvV "y mu Brian McNair regard. You can take his age out of it and he's having a very good year in this league," says head coach Randy Ladouceur. "I'm most impressed with his ability to adapt. He got off to a great start, there was a little bit of a lull where I think teams were keying on him and somehow lie's found a way to adjust to that and now lie's back going again... What a great start when you're into the rebuilding process." Mind you, Tavares virtually fell into the team's lap when he was allowed into the 2005 draft a year ahead of schedule after being deemed an exceptional underage player by the OHL. So, any analysis of the job Selwood has done must go deeper. Let's start with two rounds deeper, when in his very first draft at this, level, Selwood plucked Dale Mitchell 41 si overall. Mitchell has been, arguably, an even bigger surprise than Tavares. He goes all-out every shift, is the second leading 16-year-okl scorer in the league, leads the team in plus/minus at +9 and looks every bit the future 40-plus goal scorer Selwood said he would be. "Johnny has been a catalyst for us and Mitch has just come along in leaps and bounds," Selwood says, "I think we've put ourselves in a position to get better, building it around John Tavares," The jury is still out on defenceman Brad Paw- lowski, who was selected between Tavares and Mitchell but lias missed much of the season with a shoulder injury. Even still, there's reason to believe the , future's bright on the back end'too, especially if Selwood can land 'a' power play stud with the first pick next season, as hé hopes to do. In James DeLory, Eric Regan and Chris Mif- flen (providing he can rebound from a badly broken leg), the team has three 17-year-old rearguards who will be key to any future success, success, while Pawlowski and fourth round pick Matt Seegmiller should be ready to step in and contribute next year. Speaking of Regan, lie will almost certainly be remembered as part of Selwood's most impressive trade. Although he dealt away his : best winger in Adam Berti and top defenceman in Bret Nasby, Selwood has done a world of good for the team's future with the acquisition of Regan, forward Brett MacLean, also 17, and a pair of second round draft picks. Regan has perhaps been the team's best defenceman since coming over from Erie, while MacLean, a first round pick in 2004, has the makings of a solid power forward. Considering Considering Berti and Nasby will likely be gone from the league next season, this was one was a beaut. Don't be surprised to see Selwood use one of his second round picks next year to grab a goalie, the one position that looks anything but bright in the long term. If he can pull that off successfully and also land the much coveted power-play quarterback, perhaps two straight losing seasons won't look so bad down the road, "Right from the get-go, it's been a painful yet necessary process to get where we want to be," Selwood says of all the tinkering, "I think the fans have been outstanding. 1 think they're starting to see what we're trying to do." Things arc definitely looking up. How far up remains to be seen. What does the future look like? John Tavares, 1990 The first overall pick in the draft is living up to the. expectations and then some. He is second in team scoring scoring with 23-17-40 totals so far in 34 games; Dale Mitchell, 1989 A 2005 third round pick, Mitchell is proving to be a pleasant surprise with his strong work ethic. He is fourth in team scoring with 11-15-26 numbers in 34 games. Eric Regan, 1988 Obtained in a trade from the Erie Otters, the young defenceman has logged a lot of minutes minutes since becoming an Oshawa General. He is a former third round (2004) choice. Brett Maclean, 1988 Also included in the package from ' the Erie Otters, the winger was selected in the first round (11th overall) in the 2004 OHL draft. Has 15 points in 22 games this season. Also watch out for Promising up-and-comers include former former first round (8th overall) pick James DeLory (1988), Matt Piva (1988) and Brad Pawlowski (1989).