Cloutier takes hot streak into Sudbury matchup
by Peter Ruicci (Independent Media) | Photo by Bob Davies
He was early in the second half of his second season as an OHL first-round draft choice, and the puck wasn’t going in the net for Justin Cloutier.
“I was absolutely dissatisfied with my scoring,” said the Soo Greyhounds 17-year-old (2005 birth year) winger. “I was very disappointed in myself. I wasn’t happy at all.”
Through the first 43 games of the 2022-2023 campaign, the five-foot-eight, 175-pound Ottawa native had just five goals to go along with 10 assists.
“I was drafted pretty high, I was in my second season and I thought this was going to be my breakout year,” said Cloutier, taken No. 18 overall in the 2021 OHL Priority Selections. “Starting off the way it did wasn’t easy. I tried not to let it show, but I always knew I had more to give.”
He was right – beginning Jan. 27 against Sarnia.
After suffering through a stretch of 19 games without a goal, Cloutier connected against the Sting. It kicked off a streak of 10 goals in his last 17 games.
A high-energy player, Cloutier notched the first, two-goal game of his career on Feb. 23 in St. Catharines, Ont., helping the Hounds defeat the Niagara IceDogs 5-2. He was credited with six shots on goal that night and was named the game’s First Star.
More recently, Cloutier scored twice last weekend, netting singles both Friday, in a 5-2 loss to Guelph, and Saturday, in a 7-2 win over Niagara.
So, what’s been the difference?
“He’s got a ton of confidence now and he’s playing with a lot of pace,” said head coach John Dean, whose club is preparing to entertain Sudbury on Wednesday at 7:07 p.m. at GFL Memorial Gardens. “Before, when he had the puck, he was consistently trying to slow the game down and turn back into areas that weren’t conductive to scoring. Now he’s really driving the play inside the dots.”
By putting himself into prime scoring positions, Cloutier is forcing rivals to defend more often, the coach continued, and “with his lateral skill he makes it really difficult on the opponent. He’s really got a good, quick release and he’s finally using his shot.”
Dean also spoke of how Cloutier is setting himself up for a productive 2023-2024 campaign.
“I was in a bit of a slump and when I scored one, and then two and started scoring a bit, I stopped thinking so much,” said Cloutier, who has 11 assists to go along with his 15 goals in 60 games this season. “I was definitely more confident and I just started playing more freely.”
As his shot has continued to improve, Cloutier notes how shooting after practice, with Hounds assistant coach Brent Hughes, has surely been a benefit.
Even when he wasn’t scoring, Cloutier, who posted an 8-11-19 stat line in 68 games as a rookie, said he tried to find other ways to contribute.
He’s known as a player with a consistent motor, who can provide energy while hounding pucks, defending and trying to force turnovers. His ability to skate, Cloutier agreed, is certainly one of the strengths of his game.
However, he realized that, especially as a first-round pick, he needed to contribute more.
“I would say I’m now playing the best hockey of my OHL career. I feel as if I’m starting to find my game in this league right now,” Cloutier said. “I’m trying not to get too high or too low, but it’s definitely nice to be scoring now. And I just want to keep improving.”
He also talked of how “grateful” he is with the opportunities the coaching staff continued to give him this season, despite the fact he wasn’t producing offensively.
Now Cloutier’s goal, the rest of this year and next, is to grow into a more of a reliable scorer, while also bringing his away-from-the-puck strengths to the table.
With an 18-27-9-6 mark, the Soo is nine points behind the Kitchener Rangers, who hold the final Western Conference playoff spot, with eight regular season games remaining. The Rangers (28-26-4-0) had 10 games left heading into Tuesday’s home game against Guelph.
As has been the case on a regular basis this season, Dean said he’s seeking consistency from his charges. The fact the Hounds were five-goal winners over a banged-up Generals team on Saturday, means little, the coach added.
“We’ve been down this road before,” said Dean. “We’ll take some positives from Saturday’s win and continue to sell to the guys the fact that when we play a certain style, we find success.”
Obviously, the Greyhounds are in a difficult spot. Cloutier says that has no bearing on how he approaches the game.
“Nothing really changes for me,” he began. “Whether we’re in a good position or not, I’ll play hard and do everything I can to help this team win.”
