Hounds, with newcomer in lineup, to face Wolves
by Peter Ruicci (Independent Media)
Predicting the Soo Greyhounds game lineup is like successfully predicting the weather.
Good luck with both.
As the Hounds begin another week with a Wednesday game in Sudbury (7:05 p.m.), they’ll do so minus Andrew Gibson and Travis Hayes.
Winger Brady Smith, acquired from Oshawa for Gibson (and not to be confused with Hounds centre Brady Smith), is expected to arrive in the Sault on Tuesday night, and join his new teammates when they depart for Sudbury on Wednesday.
Hayes, who was injured in Saturday’s 5-0 loss in Saginaw, will miss the game due to an upper-body injury.
Earlier in the week, centre Brady Martin, day-to-day with lower-body woes, wasn’t expected to suit up in Sudbury or against Kingston, Friday’s 7:07 p.m. home-ice opponent.
“But there’s now a chance,” head coach John Dean said during a Tuesday afternoon interview, shortly after Gibson was dealt to the Gens for Smith and a package of eight draft choices, including a second-rounder and a third in 2027.
Spencer Evans (upper body) was also expected to be sidelined for at least Wednesday and Friday, but Dean held out hope on Tuesday, saying “you never know” when asked about the defenceman’s eligibility to face the Wolves.
Centre Chris Brown (upper body) won’t play against Sudbury, but Dean offered a “maybe” for his chances to compete against Kingston.
“It has been a trying season injury-wise, for sure,” said Dean, whose club takes a 16-21-0-0 mark into its matchup with the 20-11-5-0 Wolves. “I don’t think we’ve had a full lineup once, all season long.”
While preparations for the Wolves was front and centre during Tuesday’s early-morning practice, the story of the day quickly became the transaction involving the 19-year-old (2005 birth year) Gibson, a Team Canada member, and the 16-year-old (2008) Smith, a highly-regarded player taken No. 17 overall in last April’s Priority Selections draft.
That was one spot before the Hounds selected centre Ryder Cali, the 18th choice, who was dealt to North Bay in September after refusing to report here.
A six-foot, 181-pounder, Smith owns a 2-5-7 stat line in 37 games.
A season ago, he scored 68 times and assisted on 64 others for 132 points in 76 games for the North York Rangers U16s.
Dean called it “a very difficult day,” before adding he was excited Gibson will have an opportunity to play for a team determined to make a serious championship run.
“Andrew is an extremely special person, first and foremost,” the coach added. “The energy and personality he brought to the rink every day is something I looked forward to.”
Gibson, considered a top-notch, blue-liner at this level, was expected to be at GFL Memorial Gardens on Wednesday morning to see his former teammates before the sides go their separate ways.
Reached on Tuesday afternoon, Hounds general manager Kyle Raftis told Independent Media acquiring a high-end, 2008-birth-year player was a must-have in any potential deal.
“Yes, we wanted an elite 2008,” the GM said. “We chatted with a few different teams. We wanted someone who had a high ceiling and we targeted Brady. With the added ice time and opportunity he’ll have here, we hope he hits the ground running.”
As for Gibson, a native of LaSalle Ont., Raftis talked about how “tough it is to lose such a quality player and person. But it’s a good fit on both sides and we’re very happy with the trade.”
Along with the second-and-third-round picks, the Soo also acquired three fourth-rounders, two sixth-round choices and one seventh.
While hating to see Gibson depart, Dean talked about how the Greyhounds “have instantly improved up front. We’ve added another good young player to the list. And we think we’re a good hockey club when healthy.”
Asked about the Sudbury matchup, Dean wants to see improvement in the defensive zone.
He certainly wasn’t pleased with that aspect of his club’s game in Saginaw, and blamed the five-man units who were on the ice.
The coach noted how the Hounds plan is to be an aggressive club that is determined to take away an opponent’s time and space.
“But at times in Saginaw we had two guys doing the same job,” he said. “There was a lot of duplication in our own zone. That leads to a lot of chasing.”
Dean went on to say how the Hounds stress “one man, one job. And you’ve got to trust the other four guys on the ice to have the same approach.”
Asked about the fact the team is playing four rookie defencemen in David Holub, Keegan Gillen, Hunter Solomon and Chase Reid, Dean said Saturday’s struggles weren’t related to youth.
“We were just too enthusiastic to do other people’s jobs.”
After the clashes with Sudbury and Kingston, the Soo is slated to entertain Guelph on Saturday at 7:07 p.m
