Young blood of the NOJHL
To be sure, the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League continues to be a prime training ground for young players on their way up the ladder. For instance, there are a good number of 2007 birth year players who are standing out this season as the young blood of the NOJHL.
The list includes forwards Hudson Chitaroni of the Sudbury Cubs, Reyth Smith of the Powassan Voodoos, Brant Romaniuk of the Timmins Rock, Brendan Cooke of the Blind River Beavers and defensemen Hudson Martin of Sudbury, Tyler Vorstadt of Blind River, Cole Ellis of the Kirkland Lake Gold Miners, Declan Gallivan and Candon O’Neill, both of the Soo Thunderbirds, Carter Carriere of the Elliot Lake Vikings and goalie Dryden Riley of Timmins. Standing out in particular thus far this season have been Chitaroni, Smith, Romaniuk and Martin.
All with the exception of Romaniuk and Carriere were drafted into the Ontario Hockey League at the 2023 priority selections draft.
The OHL drafted players from the above list are Chitaroni (Sudbury Wolves), Smith (North Bay Battalion), Cooke (Flint Firebirds), Martin (Sudbury Wolves), Vorstadt (Saginaw Spirit), Ellis (Kingston Frontenacs), Gallivan (North Bay), O’Neill (Saginaw) and Riley (Erie Otters.) O’Neill since has a future commitment to play at the Division 1, National Collegiate Athletic Association level with the Lake Superior State Lakers.