Hounds hold Hunter in high regard
by Peter Ruicci (Independent Media) | Photo by Bob Davies
His game has grown.
And grown.
Rookie defenceman Hunter Solomon has been so impressive, the Soo Greyhounds have no qualms about forecasting a very bright future for the Guelph native.
“I think the sky is the limit for him,” said Hounds assistant Brendan Taylor, who oversees the club’s rearguards. “I think he’s been excellent for us for quite a while.”
“He’s improved exponentially, from game to game,” added head coach John Dean, whose club hit the road on Wednesday for a three-game trip which begins Thursday in St. Catharines (7 p.m.) against the Niagara IceDogs. “He’s distributing pucks extremely well, he’s defending well against top lines and he looks composed beyond his years.”
All 16 of them.
That’s right, Solomon doesn’t turn 17 until Dec. 4.
That’s surely another reason why the Soo feels so good about the six-foot-one, 182-pounder moving forward.
“I’m really leaning on him, 5-on-5 and on the penalty-kill,” added Taylor. “And he’s been doing a great job at both. He’s a gamer, a really competitive kid who doesn’t like to get beaten. And his hockey IQ is really coming along.”
Solomon, the Greyhounds fourth-round selection (No. 65 overall) in the 2023 OHL draft, spoke of one specific goal for himself.
“It’s to not get scored on at all. That’s 5-on-5, on the penalty kill or if I’m out there on the power play,” he said. “That’s what I want my floor to be every night. So that when they put me out on the ice, they know I’m not going to get scored on. I want them to know I’ll be reliable in the defensive zone.”
While he’s yet to score his first OHL goal, Solomon has five assists and a plus-minus of plus-5 in 21 games.
He admits to starting the season a little slowly – typical for almost all first-year defencemen.
“But right now, I’m feeling a lot more comfortable and I’m playing with a lot more confidence,” Solomon explained.
Dean credits Solomon’s determination, but also Taylor, for the work he’s done in teaching and building the confidence of the young player.
“There’s a trust factor there between the two of them,” the head coach added. “They feed off of each other.”
Solomon spoke of how, while growing up, he watched the Guelph Storm and always dreamed of playing in the OHL. He’s grown close to all of his Soo teammates, but especially second-year centre Tate Vader. The two of them travel to practice and games together.
“I can’t even describe how this feels,” Solomon said of his days in the OHL. “It’s awesome. I love every second of it.”
Meantime, on their longest trip of the season, the Greyhounds (12-9-0-0) are also set to visit Erie on Friday (7 p.m.) and Brampton on Sunday (2 p.m.).
Niagara (13-7-0-0) has cooled after a hot start. They’ve lost two straight and will be minus suspended forward Kevin He (17-12-29) on Thursday.
“They’re very good up front and very dangerous offensively,” Dean offered.
After watching him during practice this week, Dean is looking forward to seeing winger Jordan Charron in his second OHL game. Charron joined the Hounds just prior to Sunday’s 2-1 overtime victory over Windsor and impressed throughout.
“He has incredible, explosive speed,” the coach said. “He’s an intelligent player with very strong practice habits. I’m very excited about him as a hockey player.”
Notes:
Dean said centre Christopher Brown, who’s been out with an upper-body injury, is expected to play on Thursday. Centre Owen Allard (upper body) is on the trip and is listed day-to-day.
Rookie defenceman Keegan Gillen is out due to illness.
