Nolan Ling’s work ethic and drive to improve, along with his skillset, helped make him an ETA all-star this season and the OMHA Championships will give him a chance to test himself against the best U18 players in the province.
 
“We're hoping that this is a weekend that Nolan can showcase his development within our team structure and also give him … some notoriety to watch the work he's put in,” says Tyler Turcotte, head coach of Ling’s Oshawa Generals. “We're excited to see him play against these top teams.”
 
Ling was one of five players from the 17-5-4 Generals named to the all-star team, joining goalie John Paul Prochilo, fellow defenceman Charlie Vanhaverbeke and forwards Aidan Carolan and Carson Durnin. 

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In 25 games, Ling scored five goals with nine assists. 
 
“That was a huge thing for me,” said Ling. “I was super excited to be selected for that and it was even easier to go there with a bunch of my own teammates since we've had a pretty successful year so far. It was a fun experience.”
 
Helping him get there is his ability to carry the puck up out of the backend to generate offence for the rest of the team, combined with his elite skating. 

A reserved, hard-working person, Ling has put in the hours every day to get better and is asking the right questions of the coaching staff to find additional gains.
 
The Generals finished third in the regular season behind the Ajax-Pickering Raiders and the Quinte Red Devils. The Generals have had some difficulties with the Raiders – winners of 12 straight and also undefeated in the Series A Qualifier – losing all three of their regular-season matchups. 
 
Oshawa was missing players and had a bunch of call ups in the first two games but were mostly together for a 4-2 loss in their most recent encounter.

Catch Ling AND THE Generals in action - click here to watch the OMHA U18 AAA Championships presented by Egg Farmers of Ontario from March 25-27

The Generals have had better success against the York-Simcoe Express, who are advancing from the Series C Qualifier. The Generals won 6-4 and tied 3-3 in their regular-season games.  
 
Ling and the Generals will begin their OMHA championship Friday in Oakville after finishing the Series B Qualifier 6-0-0. They secured their spot early and used those final games before the tournament to their advantage. 
 
“We see it as a bonus for us and an opportunity to really keep our momentum going. You know, two weeks of practice is tough on anyone, specifically teenagers. So this is a little bit of a carrot for them,” said Turcotte. “You know one last opportunity to show the staff where they fit in and who was rolling heading into the OMHA’s.”