Hounds to depend on ‘underrated’ talent
by Peter Ruicci (Independent Media) | Photo courtesy of Natalie Shaver (OHLImages)
After a serious championship run, much of the team’s star power has been lost to graduation.
That fact leads OHL pundits to place the Soo Greyhounds in a group that includes the league’s rebuilding or retooling clubs.
But John Dean, a man who typically exudes confidence in his players and teams, expects the Hounds to be “sneaky good” this season.
Asked what leads him to that conclusion, the Hounds head coach spoke of how his club “has a lot of underrated hockey players. We have a lot of guys people don’t realize are as good as they are.”
The Greyhounds hope to begin proving that this weekend when they open the 2024-2025 regular season with a pair of home games at GFL Memorial Gardens. Saginaw is here on Friday while Sudbury pays a visit 24 hours later. Both are 7:07 p.m. starts.
After posting a 45-18-3-2 mark, third best in the Ontario Hockey League, the Hounds have lost the likes of veterans Jacob Frasca, Bryce McConnell-Barker, Jordan D’Intino, Kirill Kudryavtsev, leading scorer Jack Beck, Gavin Hayes and Arttu Karki. Owen Allard, taken by Utah in the fifth round (No. 135 overall) of the 2024th NHL Entry Draft, could also join that group.
But Dean, about to begin his seventh season in the Sault, talked of his team having “returning players who don’t get enough credit for what they’re capable of.”
Defenceman Andrew Gibson, a 19-year-old (2005 birth year), is considered one of the league’s exceptional talents.
“However, other guys on this team don’t jump off the page in any area,” the coach continued. “But at the current time we value those assets more than other people around the league do. Hopefully, shortly, we’ll make them think otherwise.”
That group, Dean continued, includes the likes of veteran forwards Justin Cloutier, Marco Mignosa and Christopher Brown, along with second-year men Travis Hayes and Brady Martin.
The coach also discussed underrated rearguards such as overage Caeden Carlisle, and second-year men Spencer Evans and Brodie McConnell-Barker.
“On a bad night, Cloutier still brings so much to the table,” Dean offered. “There’s an opportunity for him to break out this season.”
The coach called Mignosa “a highly intelligent player,” while saying Brown’s intelligence is “second to none. And we think he has untapped offensive potential.”
Dean talked about how he loves the approach of both Martin and Hayes, along with their eagerness to play the game with strong attention to details. He also loves Carlisle’s physicality, defensive game and ability to lead those around him.
“People don’t realize how strong and hard-nosed Spencer Evans is and how tough he is to play against,” the coach added, before expressing regret that McConnell-Barker, a player with a lot of offensive potential, will miss the first few weeks of the regular campaign.
The London, Ont., native suffered a lower-body injury in the first period of the Greyhounds first exhibition game against Sudbury.
During his time here, Dean has established a very effective ‘one-for-all-and-all-for-one’ culture. His players credit him for his ability to motivate.
His teams are typically detail-oriented, close-knit groups of players, who hold themselves and each other accountable.
That approach paid sizeable dividends a season ago and fans came out in droves, anxious to inhale the rarefied air that hangs over the chase for a championship. The 2023-2024 campaign came to an end in Game 7 of the Western Conference semifinals in Saginaw. Tied 1-1 after two periods, the Soo dropped a 3-1 decision, with the result still in doubt until the Spirit notched an empty-net marker at the 19:00 mark of the third period.
This season, the Soo hopes to operate at the intersection of development and winning. The plan is to combine the hunger of youth with the experience and confidence of veterans.
Questioned as to which veterans will be pivotal in imparting the team’s culture to the first-year players, Dean referred to “the main builders of it last year. It all starts with Carlisle, Cloutier and Gibson, but the group of guys who will also bring it to the forefront includes Justin DeZoete, Spencer Evans and Marco Mignosa.”
Cloutier, Carlisle and Evans “have done an exceptional job of being really, really good teammates and demanding in what they expect from the guy beside them,” the coach added.
At least at this point, the Hounds will begin the season with as good a 1-2 punch in goal as the OHL has to offer.
With a 28-12-3-0 record, overage Charlie Schenkel is coming off of an impressive season. He also fashioned a 3.10 goals against average and a saves percentage of .883.
Those numbers took a step up in the playoffs (2.36 g.a.a. and .913 saves percentage).
His backup from a season ago, 18-year-old (2006 birth year) Landon Miller, also impressed. He was taken by the Detroit Red Wings in the fourth round of the 2024 NHL Entry Draft.
The Hounds believe Miller is ready to be a No. 1 goalie in this league and, due to their age differences, it’s believed Schenkel could be a valuable chip at some point should the Soo elect to move him to a contender needing a goaltender.
“Not my department,” Dean said of his netminders and the possibility of a future trade. “The two veteran goalies who are here are being encouraged as we normally would. It’s all competition. Whoever is playing well gets the opportunity to start and no one has to carry the load.”
Moving forward, when decisions are to be made, Dean spoke of how his club will “let the chips fall where they may.”
As for the season and the legitimate goals the Hounds will pursue, the coach talked of his belief limitations are not to ever be put on one of his teams.
“Our goal always is to win the Memorial Cup,” he said. “The steps we take over the course of the season will be good indicators as to where we’re at by the trade deadline. And then decisions get made from there.”
