Good news from SMHA
After some rather anxious moments, the Sault Major Hockey Association will indeed operate AAA teams at the major midget, minor midget, major bantam and minor bantam levels for the 2018-2019 season, Hockey News North has confirmed.
A lack of player commitment at the major midget age level had threatened Sault Ste. Marie’s participation within the Great North Midget Hockey League for this season. But Toots Kovacs, who is Sault Major’s league director for the AAA midget and bantam teams, told Hockey News North earlier this morning that “all systems are go.
“I cannot say enough about all of the behind the scenes work that was done by the staff of the Soo Thunderbirds major midget team to go out there and recruit enough good players from here and there so we could ice a team for this coming season,” Kovacs began.
“I am happy to say that we will once again be represented by major midget and minor midget teams as members of the Great North Midget Hockey League,” Kovacs continued.
Kovacs added that he feels good about the major midget, minor midget, major bantam and minor bantam teams that will represent the Sault at the AAA level in 2018-2019.
“All four teams are well staffed with good coaches and good hockey people,” Kovacs said firmly. “We are in pretty good shape.”
In his first year at the helm, Alex Cruise will serve as head coach of the major midgets while Jamie Henderson returns for a second season as bench boss of the minor midgets.
Former Ontario Hockey League and National Hockey League left winger Jeff Toms is the head coach of the major bantams while long-time local volunteer coach Dominic Deluca Jr. will lead the way for the minor bantams.