Soo midgets to Thunder Bay Jr. A
Two players who starred for the Soo Thunderbirds of the Great North Midget Hockey League in 2014-2015 have signed with the Thunder Bay North Stars of the Superior International Jr. Hockey League, HockeyNewsNorth.com has confirmed.
Moving up from the reigning GNMHL champion Soo midgets to Thunder Bay Jr. A are 1997 birth-year defenceman Jared Fanti and 1998 birth-year forward Brendan Gillis.
A big defender, Fanti had 11 goals, 36 assists, 47 points in 45 games, regular season and playoffs included, for the Thunderbird midgets in 2014-2015.
Gillis, a compactly-built front-liner, produced 37 goals, 29 assists, 66 points in 45 games for the Thunderbird midgets last season.
The two become the latest players from the Soo midgets to sign with a Jr. A team.
Earlier, 1997 birth-year forward Brad Thrower signed with the reigning Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League champion Soo Thunderbirds.
Jim Capy, coach of the Soo midgets, said he is not surprised that Fanti, Gillis and Thrower have signed with Jr. A teams.
“All three kids were among the top players in the entire Great North league this past season,” Capy told HockeyNewsNorth.com.