The 2016 Dudley Hewitt Cup, or the "Central Canada Region Junior 'A' Championship" as it is officially termed, begins this afternoon in the northeastern Ontario community of Kirkland Lake.
Kirkland Lake, a town with a population just under 9,000, is home to the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League powerhouse Gold Miners. While they are the hosts, they also were the finalists in their league, losing out to the other NOJHL team in the event, the Sault Ste. Marie Thunderbirds, who represented the region at the RBC Cup after winning the Dudley last year.
I don't mean any disrespect to anyone, I really don't. The Thunderbirds, the Gold Miners, and the Fort Frances Lakers (the team that will represent the Superior International Junior Hockey League for the third year in a row), are all legitimate champions in their own leagues, and do well to compete year in and year out. That being said, the Trenton Golden Hawks, the champions of the Ontario Junior Hockey League, are a different animal to the teams that the OJHL has sent in recent years.
Now, you know I can say that with good conscience, as I worked for the last two OJ teams to make the event, and had a really good look at the St. Mike's team that went back in 2013, so I am actually taking a risk in making that statement. I loved the Toronto Patriots teams that represented our league in Wellington in 2014, and Fort Frances last year; they represented passion, and unity, and commitment to playing the game the right way, as they were well instructed to by their coaching staffs (Jason Fortier, Ed Kirsten, Brandon Cordua, Derek Foam, Ryan Daniels, Mike Tarantino, etc.). And they had plenty of talent to go along with it, there is no doubt about that. HOWEVER, I still maintain this Trenton team is the type of beast that shouldn't simply believe they can compete at the RBC Cup, like Fortier's Pats did in Vernon. B.C. in 2014, but actually that they are legitimate favourites to win the national championship.
The prevailing story line for the Golden Hawks has certainly been their national-calibre depth, and the tremendous talents of Daniel Urbani in net, but there are secondary ones.
The most intriguing to me personally is a shot at redemption for Mitch Emerson. As a 19-year-old deadline acquisition for the Pats last year, Emerson played a huge role in being a finisher for pretty young Toronto team down the stretch. But the whole Patriots team struggled to score in the Dudley Hewitt last year, as they dominated puck possession in every game, but were used to a more counter-attacking style in the OJHL to find the back of the net. Mitch did score a huge goal for the Pats at the tournament last year, Toronto's fourth goal on a nice wrister from the slot that brought the club tantalizingly close to an epic comeback in the semi-finals against the host Lakers, but I know he would've wanted to contribute more overall (but believe me, he isn't alone in that category).
So, while he certainly has no need to put any sort of undue pressure on himself in Kirkland Lake this week, with a deep group of forwards around him and a scholarship already in his pocket, I expect him to be a real presence. I expect him to tell the Hawks, who, despite being an older group, do not have the same kind of experience he does in general, that taking anyone for granted can kill you, and with that information in tow, the Hawks are well-suited to be successful.
The emergence of Josh Allan as a secondary productive presence to superstar captain Adam Clements on the back end was crucial to Trenton's dominance in the playoffs. He should be great again in Kirkland Lake.
The team at the event I expect to give the Hawks their biggest headache is the Soo Thunderbirds, a well-coached, confident, veteran team used to winning, and very used to winning on the ice in Kirkland Lake (their biggest NOJHL rivals, in fact). What an incredible year for 21-year-old Michael Caruso. I don't care what league you play in...30 goals for a defenceman is impressive, and the hometown boy was brilliant. His little brother Matt is a small, skilled forward on the club too, and did well as a 97-born player to lead the Birds in post-season scoring. I get the sense that the Thunderbirds were building for this year, and will not need to lean on anyone specifically (like they did last year with this year's emerging NHL prospect Boris Katchouk, a member of Canada's U18s, who had a great season with the OHL's Greyhounds after lighting the Dudley Hewitt on fire). The likes of Matt Pinder, Jaren Bellini, and Brett Jeffries all have done well representing the northern league at the yearly regional all-star event, and if former OJHLer Khadyn Butterfly is in any sort of shape to contribute, he will be an absolutely dynamite addition to this squad. On paper, they should face the Hawks in the final.
The biggest thing I'll say about the Fort Frances group is that they do have excellent goaltending. Both Pierce Dushenko, who was sensational at times at the Dudley last year, and rookie Brandon Bodnar, who owned almost all SIJHL goaltending categories this season, are very capable. Now 21-year old forward Dylan Robertson has stepped out of the shadow of the departed Wyatt Cota and Lucas Debenedet, and has turned in a very productive year. Big-minute offence-first defender Nick Minerva was very productive again as well, but after the goalies, Robertson and Minerva, I can't really comment any more.
I haven't seen any of the current Kirkland Lake Gold Miners, but I know diminutive forward Brayden Stortz put up a massive season, with 100+ points in 54 games. Expect him, 51-goal man Logan Fredericks, and crucial defender Blake Anderson to be at the forefront if the hosts are to make noise. Victor-Olivier Courchesne will have be brilliant in net as well.
As I mentioned, the game is played on ice. But Trenton is deep, veteran, confident, and unlike the past three OJHL entrants into the Dudley, are used to travelling on buses to games, and are used to an organization that spares no expense and energy to keep its players focused, and well-supported. Their coach, Jerome Dupont, has won an RBC Cup before, and has been the Dudley a couple times as well, so he knows full-well what to expect. I'm sure he's put in a call to Jason Fortier as part of what I know is an extensive amount of preparation Dupont will have done already - he is one of the best prepared coaches in Junior 'A' hockey. So with all that, it's time for the Hawks to prove me right.
