Greyhounds on a good path
Methinks they are right about where they should be.
It is just past the one-quarter mark of the 2014-2015 Ontario Hockey League season and the Soo Greyhounds have a tidy record of 13-5, which translates into a .722 winning percentage.
Simply stated, the Greyhounds record to date is not surprising. They have neither overachieved or underachieved.
Thus far, Brandon Halverson has handled the pressure and responsibilities of being a no. 1 goalie in the OHL rather well though there are whispers that Hounds management has been discussing adding another veteran to the net rotation.
On the blueline, Darnell Nurse has put up 10 points in 8 games since his return from the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League though the plus-minus rating of -1 that the fourth-year defenceman carries does not look good on a team that has scored 27 goals more than it has allowed.
With 85 goals in 18 games to date, scoring has not been a problem for the Greyhounds and it should not be moving forward.
The Hounds have firepower aplenty, not to mention forwards who frequent all areas of the ice surface, led by the likes of Jean Dupuy, Gabe Guertler and Bryan Moore.
An overager, Dupuy just may represent the best acquisition that graduated general manager Kyle Dubas made during his time here. The points Dupuy puts up are a bonus — and put them up he has with 4 goals, 11 assists in 14 games thus far this season.
At any rate, talking to the feverish fans who follow the Greyhounds in fanatic fashion comes a resulting response that indicates glowing satisfaction in a team that is living up to expectations that are rather lofty.
All in all — and in general — the Greyhounds are well-positioned to make a run deep into next spring, though the best team in the OHL at the moment, the Erie Otters, do reside in the same Western Conference that the Soo does.
PHOTO: Veteran forward Jean Dupuy represents a key acquisition by the Soo Greyhounds. (Photo by Ali Pearson.)