Soo boys catch the Spirit
Defenseman Candon O’Neill and forward Callum McAuley from the Soo Jr. Greyhounds of the Great North Under 18 Hockey League were among the 20 prospects who attended the recent development camp of the Saginaw Spirit of the Ontario Hockey League.
O’Neill, who has a 2007 birth date, was Saginaw’s 12th round pick at the recent 2023 OHL priority selections draft. And McAuley, who has a 2006 birth date, attended the Spirit camp as a free agent invite.
Regular season and playoffs included for the U18 Jr. Greyhounds in 2022-2023, O’Neill (pictured above) had four goals, 30 assists, 34 points in 33 games as an under-rated defender who could end up being a steal of a draft pick by Saginaw. McAuley, meanwhile, came through with 11 goals, 24 assists, 35 points in 33 games as a dependable forward for the U18 Jr. Greyhounds.
Saginaw is already home to a pair of Sault Ste. Marie products in holdover forwards Calem Mangone and Lincoln Moore.
Mangone, who has a 2004 birth date, had 18 goals in 67 regular season games for the Spirit in 2022-2023 as a second year OHL’er. And Moore, who hails from Garden River First Nation, potted seven goals in 43 games as a 2005 birth year rookie in ’22-23. Both Mangone and Moore are products of the Jr. Greyhounds of the Great North league.