With the second post I thought it would be good to shout out to all the guys that I've gotten to know that are moving on from the OJ to play hockey at school next year. Literally, every one is an awesome kid.
I will start with the North York guys.
I will always remember Patty Piacentini as one of the classiest, most savvy defencemen I've seen in the league. I've literally watched every season of his junior career, from a rookie in Vaughan three years ago and then in North York the past two, and I have to say that working with him has never once not been a pleasure. He is heading to Mercyhurst University in the fall and I truly believe he'll be a plus for their club right away with his extremely high maturity level.
Brody Power is heading to Buffalo State--North York's D3 feeder school --apparently, with two real beauties in Taylor Pryce and Charles Lapierre having headed there last year. The Halifax native simply played with an insane amount of heart and I really am going to miss seeing him around the Herb. Not sure the guy ever played a game in the OJ without some sort of injury, but he was still as reliable as anybody that Coach Dean could have sent out there last year. Never made excuses, never a complainer, just a load of passion and intensity.
Adam Valadao was one of the real under rated players in the league the last two years and as he got healthier, he really exploded as a key offensive producer in the 2013-14 season. Always friendly, always encouraging me with the stuff I was doing around the club. His loss will be a tough spot for the Rangers to fill because he did so much. Curry College is one lucky school to nab this guy.
Much like Valadao, Alex Leader might have been one of the best kept secrets in the OJ last year. Brought over from Trenton in the off-season, Alex was certainly among the league's best skaters, and his game was very well rounded. Off the ice, I really did get to consider him a friend, which is really meaningful to a guy like me who is kind of on the outside of the 'team family' (not that the other guys I mentioned didn't). The Ryerson Rams are getting a player and a person of the highest calibre.
Corey Kalk is another guy that really treated me like family off the ice, and while his extremely high skill level could have turned him into a punk, he is simply an outstanding guy. It was a pleasure watching him the last two years. His ability to put the club on his back and to play so hungry really appeared to infuriate the opposition. I still think he is still in a process of finding out how good he can be. Nabbing him last off-season was a brilliant call by Dartmouth College.
Liam Kerins exploded into a taste of his potential this year and his one-timer occasionally made me wonder if I was watching a young Steven Stamkos. Didn't get to know Liam too well over the couple years. I watched him when he was a rookie in Vaughan, and was lucky enough to talk to him and learn a bit about him this past year. RIT is getting as pure a sniper as there was in the OJ last year.
There would have been no magical run to the conference final last year without Jason Pucciarelli. He gave some unbelievable performances in net the last two years and he is just loaded with potential. He's the kind of guy that cares a lot about his teammates and has a very strong desire to win. With those in tow, I know that he'll thrive at Salem State. He was another guy that was always very encouraging of the work that I was doing around the team.
Kyle Thacker is a punk. No, I'm not serious. Three years ago both Kyle and I were in Vaughan and because he had some injury issues, I got to get to know him quite well that year. Subsequently, I was very excited to hear it when North York acquired him from Orangeville this past year and he's another guy that I consider a friend off the ice. I'm also excited to see where Kyle's older brother Kevin will end up in the front offices of the hockey world (translation: hopefully he'll remember me and get me a job when he makes it to the show). Big and smooth is a tough combination for coaches to find, so SUNY Potsdam is extremely lucky to get Kyle.
I know I sound like a broken record, but I am going to say it again. John Carpino, yet another guy that always treated me with a ton of respect and as much as it was fun to watch his dominant hands on the ice, I'm really going to miss seeing him at the rink. It's seriously hard to think of a guy with better hands in the OJHL last year than the Western Michigan recruit, or even over the last two seasons. Confidence and creativity are the name of his game, and I'm convinced that NCAA defences are eventually going to have a tough time containing him. Just a pleasure watching him develop over his whole junior career.
I'll miss every one of these guys, as well as the guys about whom I don't know what the next step is, including Corey Helliwell, Brandon Gaudette, Tye Campbell, and Patrick Simmonds. You're all beauties.
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