Is UNH recruit headed to Hounds?
Corson Green is a big defenseman with a future Division 1, National Collegiate Athletic Association commitment — but the youngster seemingly still has some interest in playing for the Soo Greyhounds, who selected him in the fifth round of the 2015 Ontario Hockey League draft.
Green, a 6-foot-3, 210-pound, 1999 birth-year defender who hails from Potsdam, N.Y., is coming off a 2015-2016 season in which he played well enough for the Northern Cyclones of the Eastern Hockey League to earn a commitment to play for the University of New Hampshire Wildcats effective the 2018-2019 season.
But since committing to prestigious UNH earlier this year, Green was nonetheless slated to attend the recent Greyhound development camp, only to opt out because of a reported back injury.
Sources are saying the Greyhounds would like to take an up-close look at Green at their late summer main camp to determine if he would be able to earn a spot on their 2016-2017 roster. Green would be able to attend the Greyhound camp for a few days without endangering his NCAA eligibility.
What is intriguing is that UNH’s commitment to Green is still two years down the road, the 2018-2019 campaign. As such, an offer from the Greyhounds to play in the OHL in 2016-2017 might be enough to sway the youngster away from UNH.
Green is described as a mobile, puck-moving, hard-shooting defender with a pro-style upside whose game is well-suited to the OHL.
But that doesn’t necessarily mean the hulking defenseman will give up UNH for the Greyhounds. That is something that will likely only be determined if Green decides to attend the Hounds main camp, which generally begins in late August or early September.
On paper, the Greyhounds stand to return six of eight defensemen from their 2015-2016 team in 2016-2017, including four who played as rookies.
Tyler Hore, a 1995 birth-year blueliner who played as an overage last season, has used up his OHL eligibility. And the Hounds are not expected to use one of their three overage spots on 1996 birth-year defender Medric Mercier.
I’m from Sault and don’t take this wrong , but not like old days . Any kid with knowledge and hockey talent to get offer to main hockey college ,gotta be nuts to go OHL route . The scouts find kids all over now , at least the good ones and for a kid to give up a top notch opportunity to a degree and play at top notch level and some say better hockey . For the OHL level ant tutors . Their scout would not be my choice . Just my view .
Rick: Keep in mind the OHL has excellent education packages to offer their players when their junior hockey days end.