Paper King points producer
He is small in size but big when it comes to putting up points. At a mere 5-foot-6, 160 pounds, Lucas Signoretti has been an impact player for the Espanola Paper Kings since he signed with the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League team as a free agent in late October of this year.
An 18-year old forward, Signoretti leads the Paper Kings in scoring with 11 goals, 12 assists, 23 points despite having played in only 11 of Espanola’s 24 games this season. He became a free agent after being released by the Erie Otters, who took the pint-sized puck hound in the second round of the 2020 Ontario Hockey League priority selections draft.
Needless to say, Espanola’s president and head coach Jason Rapcewicz is thrilled to have Signoretti with the Paper Kings, no matter how long the duration may be.
“Lucas is a great kid,” Rapcewicz began. “He comes to play and competes every night for 60 minutes. Lucas is another player that we are hoping we can help get back to the OHL along with our (Sudbury) Wolves prospects.”
To be sure, Signoretti, who played in a total of 58 OHL games with Erie and had three goals, five assists, eight points, had other junior A options besides Espanola and the NOJHL.
“We were very fortunate to have Lucas select our league and program, especially when so many players from Ontario are jumping ship to head out to the British Columbia Hockey League or the Alberta Jr. Hockey League instead of staying in Ontario and playing in a quality league like the NOJHL,” Rapcewicz relayed to Hockey News North.
Signoretti and the youthful Paper Kings have been more than holding their own in the tough West Division of the NOJHL this season. Espanola heads into weekend play above the .500 mark with a record of 12-10-2.