Soo Eagles sign OHL pick
Sault Ste. Marie product Cole Wreggitt, a 2008 birth year defenseman who was a fourth round pick by the Sudbury Wolves from the U18 AAA Soo Jr. Greyhounds at the 2024 Ontario Hockey League priority selections draft, has signed with the Soo Eagles of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League, Hockey News North has confirmed.
“We are excited to have Cole join our program and look forward to him developing in our program under the guidance of head coach Jeremy Rebek and assistant coach Joe Miller,” Eagles general manager Bruno Bragagnolo relayed to Hockey News North.
Bragagnolo added that Rob Papineau, who is the general manager of the OHL Wolves, reached out to him to ask if the Eagles would be interested in signing Wreggitt.
“For sure, we are really excited to be part of Cole’s development as a draft pick of the Sudbury Wolves,” noted Bragagnolo.
The signing of Wreggitt — who was the first player from the Great North Under 18 Hockey League to be taken at the ’24 OHL priority selections draft — is a clear cut coup for the Eagles.
A physical, stay at home defender who has offensive abilities and good size at 6 foot 2, Wreggitt had three goals, 14 assists, 17 points in 41 games for the Jr. Greyhounds in 2023-2024, regular season and playoffs included.
Now Wreggitt will get to spend a valuable development season in the NOJHL while playing for the Eagles under the tutelage of the well respected Rebek as the head coach.
As for Rebek as the Eagles new bench boss, he was the first choice of aforementioned general manager Bruno Bragagnolo to take the helm. The 48 year old Rebek spent the past three seasons as a valuable assistant coach with the Soo Thunderbirds of the NOJHL. He also had a previous relationship with the Thunderbirds as a highly successful assistant several years ago.
Rebek takes over as the Eagles head coach following the off-season departure of Doug Laprade. Laprade, who had been the Eagles bench boss since 2018, has since joined the AAA Under 18 Soo Indians as head coach and part owner.
To be sure, Bragagnolo did his homework on Rebek before offering him the job as head coach of the Eagles.
“Jeremy is well respected … actually very well respected for his knowledge of the game and the way he relates to players,” Bragagnolo told Hockey News North. “He played the game at a high level for a long time and he has good contacts in the game. I like the way he sees the game as a coach. You can tell just by talking to him that he has a real mind for the game. Every one who I talked to about him can’t say enough about his hockey knowledge and him being such a smart coach. He had a lot to with the success that the Thunderbirds have had on two different stints that he had with them.”
All in all, Rebek was part of three NOJHL championship teams with the Thunderbirds as a chief strategist.