Hounds will require contributions from all
by Peter Ruicci (Independent Media) | Photo by Terry Wilson (OHLImages)
Like a student who has aced the majority of the quizzes and tests, all that is left for the Soo Greyhounds impressive depth is the first half’s final – and most important – exam.
“The depth we have is the strength of our team. I believe we have the best depth in the league, by far,” said head coach John Dean, whose club could be minus four top players at the start of a road trip which leads into the Ontario Hockey League Christmas break.
Centre Owen Allard (Team Canada) and defenceman Arttu Karki (Team Finland) are trying out for their respective national junior teams, prior to the start of the world championships on Boxing Day.
Winger Jordan D’Intino remains sidelined with an upper-body injury and centre Bryce McConnell-Barker’s status is very much in doubt, after taking what appeared to be an elbow to the head midway through the final period of Sunday’s 5-4 win over the London Knights.
The Hounds captain left the ice and didn’t return.
On Monday, Dean confirmed McConnell-Barker is undergoing “concussion testing” and his status is “day-to-day.”
It’s a troublesome development for a club slated to visit North Bay on Wednesday (7 p.m.), Kitchener on Friday (7 p.m.) and Guelph on Saturday (2 p.m.).
After that, the Soo is idle until a Dec. 28 game in Saginaw.
But the Soo coach spoke of the club’s “next-man-up mentality. Guys who’re chomping at the bit for minutes will have three good games to prove themselves.”
Carrying a four-game winning streak into North Bay, the Soo (20-8-2-0) will face a Battalion squad with a 14-10-4-1 record. Kitchener, off until Friday and the top team in the league’s overall standings, boasts of a 23-7-2-0 mark.
Guelph carries a 16-12-1-1 record into a Wednesday contest in Owen Sound. The Storm is home to Peterborough on Friday, before entertaining the Hounds Saturday afternoon.
Asked how he’ll navigate games against three solid opponents, Dean talked about the Hounds relying on structure and simplicity.
“We realize the importance of playing shift by shift,” the coach added. “It sounds overly simplistic, but we need to take shifts one at a time. Obviously, losing three or four guys makes it more difficult. But we like the guys we have in our lineup.”
Dean also discussed how internal competition for playing time has made his team stronger.
“We have 16-year-olds who can hop onto the first line and 20-year-olds who can be on the fourth line. A lot of players have risen to the occasion,” Dean added. “We’re really, really well-balanced.”
The numbers bear that out. Seven players have at least 10 goals and five skaters have produced between 30-36 points.
Dean spoke of how “coaching has been real easy for me this year. I generally can close my eyes and roll four lines.”
Second-year centre Christopher Brown agreed with his coach’s assessment of the Hounds depth.
“Probably the deepest team in the league,” Brown said of the 2023-2024 squad. “The guys who we’re missing are all top players. But I think we have the guys who can step up. These are guys who maybe aren’t getting the minutes they want, but now you’re going to get them and it’s time to take advantage of that.”
Brown, the club’s first-round selection in the 2022 OHL draft, talked about Allard and McConnell-Barker, noting how both have been mentors to him in his OHL career.
“They’re really amazing centres,” Brown began. “But them being out is a good opportunity for me to step up and take advantage of the opportunity.”
Along with the challenge posed due to the absence of key players, the Hounds must also deal with the tendency some teams have to lose a little focus in the final days prior to the break.
When asked, Dean says that’s no problem for this group.
What will he say to his players, if anything, prior to the trip beginning?
“Zero,” Dean answered bluntly. “They’re a very mature group and they’re motivated. I don’t have to say anything.”
The coach was also asked about the Hounds being ranked No. 1 in the OHL in this week’s power rankings, posted on the OHL’s website.
Does that carry any significance for Dean?
“Absolutely zero,” he said.
