Outside interest in U18 Hounds
Soo Jr. Greyhounds of the Great North Under 18 Hockey League have kept three roster spots open ahead of the 2023-2024 season. And Darrin Thomsen, who is the new general manager of the U18 Jr. Greyhounds, has confirmed that a number of out of town players have recently inquired about playing for the Soo in ’23-24.
New head coach Sean Gagnon opted to sign 17 players and leave three spots open following the recent tryout camp of the U18 Jr. Greyhounds that attracted more than 50 hopefuls. And with fellow former Ontario Hockey League and National Hockey League player Ken Belanger on Gagnon’s staff as strength and conditioning coach, there have been players from Michigan and northeastern Ontario who have recently reached out about potentially playing in the Great North for the Jr. Greyhounds this coming season, according to Thomsen.
“Sean hopes to set up some ice time in the near future to take a look at the out of town kids,” Thomsen relayed to Hockey News North. “Sean and Kenny will take a look at them and make a determination.”
Thomsen noted that he and Gagnon “reached out to a number of local kids from last year’s team who were not at our tryout camp and who could play for us again this season but they either have commitments to play elsewhere or they have not returned our messages.”
The 17 players who the Jr. Greyhounds have signed for the ’23-24 are all local kids. Twelve of them are rookies and the other five all played in the Great North in 2022-2023 — two with the Jr. Greyhounds (forwards Griffen Albert and Lucas DiBerardino) two with the Sudbury U16 Nickel Capitals (forward Coulson Bell and goalie Nick Marson) and one with the Sudbury U18 Nickel Capitals (goalie A.J. Borrelli.)
Following is a full list of the 17 players who have commitments to play in the Great North for the U18 Jr. Greyhounds for the ’23-24 season.
GOALIES: A.J. Borrelli and Nick Marson.
SKATERS: Griffen Albert, Coulson Bell, Jacob Briffett, Sammy Caruso, Lucas DiBerardino, Sebastian dos Reis, Nathan Dupuis, Espen Escasa, Kadin Johnston, Cameron Kontulainen, Wyatt Leblanc, Danny Macdonald, Brady Real, Liam Watson and Cole Wreggitt.