Every Borderland Thunder fan may want to put their money aside now, because investing in a program will certainly be a necessity this season.
There will be a bevy of new faces in the lineup for the defending SIJHL champions, who will see their first competitive action Friday night when the OCN Blizzard, the reigning five-time titleholders in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL), roar into town for a 7:30 p.m. tilt at the Ice for Kids Arena.
Tickets will be $5 each, and will only be available at the door the night of the game.
“We’ve got to play it,” said Thunder head coach Dave Allison, who isn’t thrilled with the prospect of pitting his just-assembled troops against a team that already has two pre-season games to their credit.
“We’ll only have had three practices before we play them. We’re at a real disadvantage, but it will be a real good test for our guys. I look for it to be a competitive game.”
With only 10 players from last year’s squad expected to return this campaign, onlookers at the opening of the Thunder’s main training camp this past weekend could be forgiven if they were trying to spot name tags on the jerseys of those taking part in the on-ice activities.
General manager Brent Tookenay said the presence of the Dudley Hewitt Cup Central Canada Junior “A” championship tournament here last year, and the automatic berth for the Thunder which came along with it, mandated a different approach in assembling last year’s roster as opposed to this year.
“Last year, we built the team with the idea of bringing in guys with two or three years junior under their belts,” explained Tookenay. “That’s what you need to do when you host the Dudley Hewitt Cup.
“This year, it’s more important to identify local talent. If you keep buying your team with the emphasis on getting 20-year-olds in to come play, you’ll never get younger players to play here because they know when the 20-year-olds show up after the all-star break (through trades and signings), they’ll be out of a job.”
Allison, who returns for his second season with the club after making an unsuccessful bid for the top bench job with the Western Hockey League’s Brandon Wheat Kings in the off-season, is putting a positive spin on the high turnover in personnel.
“You’re always looking to improve your hockey team, but we’ve got a good nucleus returning,” said Allison. “You’ve got guys like (Rob) Scales, (Kurt) Hogard, (John) Kocis, and (Josh) McAndrew back. Then there’s guys who are going to be the pulse of this team, like (Kevin) Webb and (Ian) Lockman.
“Kevin should be the best player in the league this season,” added Allison, who guided the team to a league-best 33-12-5-2 regular-season record and an 8-1 playoff record on the team’s way to its first championship.
“And Lockman’s showing he can be the kind of complete player who can score 30, 35 goals this season to go along with his toughness.”
There’s no denying, though, that the squad will be missing some key ingredients from last year’s unit that came within a goal of eliminating the eventual champion Wellington Dukes in the semifinals of the Dudley Hewitt Cup tournament here in April.
The main losses will be up front, with none of what was considered the team’s premier scoring line coming out of training camp last year back in the fold this time around.
Leading scorer Matt Johnson (24 goals, 68 points) is almost a lock to be playing in the MJHL this year as he explores attending the University of Manitoba this fall, although Thunder general manager Brent Tookenay said Saturday that he was still negotiating with Johnson on a possible return to the Thunder.
Kyle Prystupa and A.J. Tucker, who tied now-overage winger Chad Baldwin for third in team scoring with 45 points, have fresh addresses already written in stone.
Prystupa will be looking to hook on with the University of Manitoba Bisons, while Tucker, who was co-winner of the SIJHL’s sportsmanship award, was dealt last month to the Waywayseecappo Wolverines of the MJHL for future considerations.
“It was A.J.’s choice,” said Tookenay about the winger, who appeared to be in Allison’s doghouse as an infrequent member of the lineup at the end of last season, despite leading the team in goals at the all-star break with 18.
“We left the door open for A.J. to return, but he wasn’t sure about his situation here. We’re not going to keep kids here if they’re not happy.”
Captain Josh Baxter and speedy winger Aaron Grynol had their eligibility run out along with Baldwin, while Christopher “Critter” Nagurski, who became a fan favourite with his combination of offensive ability and hard-hitting tenacity, signed a letter of intent with Ogsburg College in Minneapolis, Mn. after registering 23 points in 27 regular season games.
Ryan Sinclair is also not expected back, as he is pursuing post-secondary options, as well.
It will be up to Webb (21 goals, 47 points) and SIJHL Rookie of the Year Josh McAndrew (35 points in 52 games) to carry the offensive load along with Lockman, who will need a big improvement in his goal totals (13) and a bigger decrease in his penalty minute totals (251) if he is to meet his coach’s expectations.
The only other returnees are International Falls products Drew and Derek Fisher and Ryan Kramer, who all performed well in limited action last year while spending most of the year as members of the Broncos high school varsity squad.
Other possible contributors on the forward lines are Bemidji product Nate Weisner and free agent signee Dennis Morrison, who posted 17 points and 135 penalty minutes in 34 games with the K&A Variety Golden Hawks (formerly the Feathermen Hawks) last season.
The blueline corps was also hit hard by departures, with the unit’s top three point-getters now beyond the junior age limit.
SIJHL Defenceman of the Year co-winner Jay Phillips (27 points in 50 games) is seeking university opportunities, while Chris Shaen, who led all Borderland blueliners with 31 points, signed with the Port Huron Beacons of the United Hockey League. In an ironic twist, one of Shaen’s teammates on the Beacons will be SIJHL Most Valuable Player and scoring champion Trevor Karasiewicz of the Thunder Bay Bulldogs (33 goals, 105 points), who was a sizable thorn in the side of the Thunder last year.
Matt Alexander (18 points in 46 games) has also moved on due to age restrictions, leaving Hogard, who led the Thunder in playoff scoring with 10 points, to pick up the slack.
Veterans Kocis and Clayton Windigo (14 points, 135 penalty minutes) will join Hogard on defence, leaving the rest of the spots up for grabs.
“Andrew Perrault has been a nice surprise, and looks like he can play here,” noted Tookenay about the former Kenora Stars Midget “AAA” player, who recently returned from a training camp look-see offered by the OHL’s Belleville Bulls. “And then there’s a big, young kid like Sean Councillor (also with the Stars last year).
“Overall, we’re younger, and that’s when you have to teach the game a little better. But we’ve got a great coach in Dave (Allison) to do that.”
The one area Borderland can have concrete faith in is between the pipes, where the SIJHL’s Goaltender of the Year Dan Hoehne is back to give opposition shooters even more nightmares.
Hoehne, who set the pace for SIJHL netminders in wins (17) and goals-against average (2.60), was easily the team’s most valuable player after arriving last October. His play was crucial to the team’s roll through the post-season, and his heroic effort against a lethal Wellington team nearly put the Thunder into the Dudley Hewitt Cup final.
Tookenay and Allison had best pray that Hoehne stays healthy for the duration of the 48-game regular season and playoffs, because goaltending depth is a huge question mark at this point.
With last year’s backup Jamie Munro (11-5-1, 3.07 GAA) joining Prystupa in trying out for the Bisons, three relative newcomers are battling it out to earn the right to be Hoehne’s caddy.
The most recognizable name auditioning for a goaltender’s position from around these parts is Jaret Baldwin, who was a high school star for the Broncos last year.
The other candidates are Thunder Bay product Brandon Huntley and Ronnie Druk, who played for the Minnesota Junior Hockey League’s Minnesota Owls, based out of Coon Rapids, Mn.
“They’re all young, which is kind of what we were looking for,” said Tookenay. “It’s tough to carry two 20-year-old goalies.
“Hoehne’s obviously our No. 1 guy. With no red line in the league this year, though, he may get a few more breakaways against him than last year,” chuckled Tookenay.
The Thunder GM predicted the Dryden Ice Dogs, who will return approximately a dozen players from last year’s squad, will give Borderland its stiffest challenge to its title. But he likes the makeup of the prospective Thunder roster.
“We’re going to be on you, an in-your-face type of team,” described Tookenay. “We’re going to work hard.
“The fans will have to be patient,” he added. “They can’t expect (end-to-end) rushes like they got from Baldy (Baldwin) and Grynol last year. But I’m excited about this year.”
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
