Spirit and 67’s Swap Defensemen
The Saginaw Spirit continued their activity this afternoon by sending sophomore defender Ryan Orban to the Ottawa 67’s in exchange for a fellow ’97 born defenseman in Troy Henley. The 67’s have been continually looking to upgrade their defense core this season, and with the once highly sought after Henley struggling to find consistent ice time in Ottawa the move makes a ton of sense for both clubs.
The Ottawa, Ontario native Ryan Orban, was originally selected in the 2nd round, 23rd overall in 2013 by the Saginaw Spirit, out of the Ottawa Valley Titans minor midget AAA program. Orban recorded 9 goals & 8 assists for 17 points in 30 games with the Titans during the OEMHL regular season, and then recorded 1 assist in 4 games during the 2013-2014 OHL Cup. The 6’2, 218 pound Orban made the Saginaw Spirit as a freshmen last season, but saw just 42 games of action. In those 42 appearances, Orban was able to rack up 4 assists, 21 penalty minutes and a plus 1 rating. Orban squeezed into 3 games of playoff action last season with the Spirit, although he was a minus 2 an recorded zero points. To date this season with the Spirit, Orban had appeared in 23 games, recording 3 assists, 40 penalty minutes and a minus 4 rating.
Troy Henley was originally selected by the Ottawa 67’s, with the 20th overall pick in the 2013 OHL draft. Henley suited up for the OHL Cup winning Oakville Rangers during his minor midget AAA season, after moving to Ontario from Philadelphia to better improve his OHL draft position. In 70 games with the Oakville Rangers, Henley produced 40 points, on 12 goals and 28 assists. In 7 games during the Rangers OHL Cup run Henley racked up 1 goal and 4 assists. Henley cracked the Ottawa 67’s lineup as a 16 year old rookie last season, appearing in 56 games, and tallying 2 goals & 6 assists for 8 points, to go along with 26 penalty minutes and a minus 15 rating. Henley also was one of only a select few CHLer’s who where selected to compete on the U.S’s Under 17 team. Henley was named an assistant captain with Team USA’s Under 17 team and registered 2 assists in 4 games, on route to a gold medal performance for Team USA at the Five Nations Tournament. To date this season Henley has appeared in 20 games, however is yet to record a point. He has recorded 13 penalty minutes and a minus 6 rating.
With Orban a Ottawa native and Henley a native of Philadelphia the move gets both players closer to home. Both players where highly regarded second round picks in their OHL draft year, and one could argue a change of scenario is exactly what they both need to get their careers back on track. With the Spirit looking like they are in full out rebuild mode, Henley should be afforded much more ice time in Saginaw, and that will likely see his confidence an overall play improve. While Orban should thrive playing for his hometown 67’s. The 67’s have improved their d-core throughout the season, and while Orban may play a limited role on a nightly bases, expect him to play a large role for the 67’s in next few seasons.
Written By: Mike Mackley
@macker61
