Hound picks in NOJHL
Recently assigned 2007 birth year goalie Reid Thomas and 2008 birth year forward James Elliott are two Ontario Hockey League draft picks of the Soo Greyhounds who are developing with rival teams in the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League.
The 6 foot 2, 185 pound Thomas recently made his NOJHL debut with the Blind River Beavers and it was an impressive one. The lanky puck stopper turned aside 33 of 35 shots as Blind River upended the French River Rapids by an 8-2 score.
Thomas is one of three goalies currently on the Blind River roster. The others are 2005 birth year net minder Connor Dunham-Fox and 2006 birth year puck stopper Bronx Bodnar.
Beavers head coach and general manager Kyle Brick noted that he is “excited” to have Thomas in Blind River.
“Reid is actually a goalie who we were looking at back in the summer,” Brick relayed to Hockey News North. “He got his first junior win in his first start for us and we were happy with his performance. The plan is to keep him in a rotation (with Dunham-Fox and Bodnar.)
“Obviously, Reid’s first priority is with the Hounds if they come calling for him but for the time being he is a Beaver. As far as I am concerned you can never have too much good goaltending and that is our situation right now. We are hoping that the three of them can push each other to be even better,” added Brick, whose Beavers are one of the top four teams among the 12 members of the NOJHL.
Thomas, who was originally selected in the 15th and final round — 285th overall — by the Greyhounds at the 2023 OHL priority selections draft, signed a league contract with the Red and White at the conclusion of this year’s training camp. He had remained with the Greyhounds through the first few months of the ’24-25 OHL regular season as the third goalie behind holdover veterans Charlie Schenkel and Reid Thomas.
Greyhounds general manager Kyle Raftis noted the improvement that Thomas has made since the Soo squad drafted the lanky goalie from the Clarington Toros Under 16 AAA program in 2023 and then oversaw his development with the Ajax Pickering Raiders Under 18 AAA team in ’23-24.
“Reid showed great improvement during our practice sessions, working closely with goaltending coach Mark Visentin. Nevertheless, it became crucial to get him back into game action. Fortunately, Blind River provided an ideal opportunity for Reid to gain valuable game experience at this stage,” Raftis relayed to Hockey News North.
“Over the past year, Reid has made significant strides in his development, both on the ice and in his personal growth. Our goal is to deepen our goaltending talent, and we are enthusiastic about the continued evolution of Reid’s skills,” Raftis added, in further explanation of the advancement that Thomas has shown.
Meanwhile, Raftis and the Hounds are keeping a close eye on aforementioned 2008 birth year forward James Elliott, who is honing his skills in the NOJHL with the Soo Thunderbirds. Through his first 21 games with the Thunderbirds, Elliott has six goals, 10 assists, 16 points. He has also shown some power play efficiency with three goals, two assists, five points.
A Sault Ste. Marie product, Elliott left home in the fall of 2023 to play for the Barrie Colts Under 16 AAA squad. It was from Barrie that the Greyhounds took Elliott in the seventh round of the 2024 OHL priority selections draft.