Staff
The Fort Frances Lakers have had plenty of off-ice news this past week.
Yesterday, the local Junior ‘A’ squad revealed it signed 20-year-old forward Zach Pierce, who spent the last two sesaons with the Richmaond (Va.) Generals of the USPHL Elite league.
Pierce, who hails from Mechanicsville, Va., had 18 points in 26 regular-season games last season, tacking on three points in five playoff games.
“Zach is a big-bodied player who plays both ends of the rink hard,” said Strachan.
“He has a extremely high compete level, which makes him tough to play against.
“We will also look for him to add secondary scoring to the lineup and be a strong penalty-kill player,” Strachan added.
“We are pleased to have Zach joining our program.”
On Monday, the team announced the signing of defenceman Anthony Antonelli, a 19-year-old native of Commack, N.Y.
Antonelli played last season with the P.A.L. Junior Islanders Elite in the USPHL, where he notched 10 points in 22 games.
“Anthony is a strong skating defenceman who we hope can bring skill to our back end,” said Strachan.
“He has a couple of years’ experience in junior now so he can add some experience to our lineup.”
Last Wednesday, the Lakers dealt Brandon Bodnar, last season’s starting goalie, to the Thunder Bay North Stars for a player development fee.
“Brandon came to us in late May and asked if we could look at a possible trade to Thunder Bay so he could start his schooling and play out his last year of junior eligibility,” noted Strachan.
“We obviously hate to see Brandon leave,” he stressed. “He was a big part of our team’s success in 2015-16 and last year was a main reason we achieved getting to the semi-final round of the SIJHL playoffs.
“We wish him the best of luck and thank him for his time with the team.”
Bodnar, a 19-year-old from Fort Frances, went 10-10-2-2 with a 3.08 GAA and .912 save percentage during the regular season.
He then went 3-4-1 in the post-season, posting a 3.67 GAA and .932 save percentage.
The Lakers also hailed one return and one departure on the same day last Tuesday.
Chris Sinclair will be back as an assistant coach this season after spending last year helping Jordan Sinclair run the bench for the Muskie boys’ hockey team.
“After a year with the high school Muskie team, Chris has decided to come back to the Lakers’ coaching staff,” said Strachan.
“We are pleased to have him back, and look forward to having his knowledge and experience of the game to help our players this season.”
Sinclair will work alongside Strachan with the forwards, as well as on power-play systems and tactics.
The Lakers also announced defenceman Brandon Zajicek has committed to suit up for the Curry College Colonels (Milton, Mass.) in the ECAC Northeast Conference.
“The Lakers’ family is proud of Brandon and his achievement of being able to continue his education and hockey career,” said Strachan.
“He was a steady player in our lineup, a team player, and a guy who wanted to win.
“We thank Brandon for his time with our program and wish him the best of luck at school,” he added.
Zajicek, who turned 21 on Saturday, was second in defence scoring on the Lakers last season, netting 27 points in 38 regular-season games and then adding five more in eight playoff games.
He spent two seasons with the Lakers, playing in 74 games while accumulating 50 regular-season points and nine playoff ones.
