Phil Caron a free-agent find


By
September 19, 2017

From the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League to the Ontario Hockey League. And as an un-drafted, under-sized defenseman no less.

Phil Caron, a 5-foot-7, 170-pounder who hails from the gritty northeastern Ontario town of Timmins, is one of eight defenseman on the roster of the Soo Greyhounds with the 2017-2018 OHL season set to get underway this week.

Caron, who has a 2000 birth date, is coming off a rousing rookie season in the NOJHL. Playing for the Iroquois Falls Eskis (now Hearst Lumberjacks) as a 16-year old in 2016-2017, Caron put up 7 goals, 34 assists, 41 points in 53 games from his defensive post.

Invited to training camp by the Greyhounds as a free-agent walk-on, Caron impressed Soo head coach Drew Bannister enough to earn a roster spot on a team that is expected to be an OHL title contender this season.

Caron told Postmedia that despite not being drafted into the OHL, he remained determined to play in Canada’s top major junior league.

“This has been a goal of mine for quite a while and I am just going to enjoy it. If you have a goal and you put your mind to it, you sacrifice and you push hard, you can really achieve it,” he relayed.

“We get some great support from the fans in Sault Ste. Marie and I think this is going to be a great place to play,” Caron added.

Despite being a long-shot to make the team, Caron said he had a good feeling about his chances of making the Greyhound roster even before he arrived in Sault Ste. Marie.

“I pictured myself with the team and I thought I was ready,” he said. “Then, on the final day of camp, when we had our Red and White game, I knew I belonged. I had a great camp the whole week and I was pretty confident.”

Caron said playing a season in the NOJHL prepared him well.

I don’t think I could have played anywhere else better. It really helped my confidence. I got an opportunity to get a lot of good ice time at the (NOJHL) level and I was surrounded by a lot of really great, positive people who really motivated me to push hard and develop my game as the year went on.”

Growing up in Timmins, Caron played all of his minor hockey in the city with the heart of gold before moving on to play his minor midget season with the Vaughan Kings of the Greater Toronto Hockey League.

While he overcame the odds to make the OHL Greyhounds as a walk-on, Caron realizes that his work is only beginning.

“I am really going to have to play consistent to prove I can play at this level. I am going to have to make sure I give it my all every time I am on the ice.

“I worked insanely hard to get here but now I am going to have to bump my game up another level and work even harder,” reasoned the young defenseman.

“The coaches want me to work on improving my defensive game so I can be stronger at both ends of the rink,” he added. “I think I can improve that part of my game.”


What you think about “Phil Caron a free-agent find”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *