Beavers of the area ponds
As Blind River Beavers head coach and general manager Kyle Brick goes coast to coast in search of players he continues to pay close attention to area talent as he constantly strives to keep the small market Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League franchise combative and competitive.
The 37-year old Brick, who hails from the nearby Highway 17 town of Thessalon, has been the main hockey man in Blind River since 2016. He has never had a losing season at the helm of the Beavers and has the most wins and the best winning percentage of any coach and GM in a Blind River NOJHL history that dates back to 2000.
At any rate, as he puts together the roster for the 2023-2024 edition of the Beavers, Brick has stayed true to having area products playing in Blind River. For example, set to return for another season are goalie Gavin Disano, forward Jacob Kovacs and defenseman Matthew Kallo. Disano and Kovacs, who both have 2003 birth dates, are from Sault Ste. Marie while Kallo, who is from Espanola, was born in 2005. Disano had a 24-8-1 record with a 2.14 goals against average and .920 save percentage for Blind River in 2022-2023. Kovacs, meanwhile, had 18 goals in 55 games and Kallo had eight points in 46 outings from his blue line post.
All three will be counted on to be “key players” for Blind River again this season, said Brick. “They represent a big part of the foundation of the Blind River Beavers.”
Meanwhile, three area newcomers who have been signed by Brick to play in Blind River in ’23-24 are forwards Jacob Beemer, Piper Post and Brendan Cooke.
Beemer, who is a local Blind River product, skated for the Great North Under 18 Hockey League champion North Bay Trappers in ’22-23. Beemer, who has a 2005 birth date, netted eight goals, 13 assists, 21 points in 32 games for North Bay in ’22-23, regular season and playoffs included.
Lesser known is Post, who hails from Bruce Mines. Post, who has a 2006 birth date, played in the unsanctioned Greater Metro Hockey League last season. Before that, he played in the Great North U18 HL for the Soo Jr. Greyhounds.
Then there is Brendan Cooke, a 2007 birth year stalwart who is from Thessalon, which is located between Bruce Mines and Blind River along Highway 17. Regular season and playoffs included for the Soo Jr. Greyhounds of the Great North U18 HL in ’22-23, Cooke connected for 28 goals, 24 assists, 52 points in 33 games. He was subsequently picked by the Flint Firebirds in the eighth round of this year’s Ontario Hockey League priority selections draft.
To be sure, Brick is looking forward to having Beemer, Post and Cooke skating on the Beaver pond this coming season as quality players from the area.
“They are all up and coming players of varying degrees of skill and ability. And as players from the area, they will help us as we continue to identify the Blind River Beavers as being Algoma’s junior hockey team,” Brick summed up to Hockey News North.