Soo D providing lots of O
by Peter Ruicci (Independent Media) | Photo by Bob Davies
For the second time in three seasons, the Soo Greyhounds feature a dynamic blue-line trio, capable of making plays at both ends of the ice.
During the 2021-2022 campaign, the Hounds were often sparked by rearguards Ryan O’Rourke (10-36-46 in just 51 games), the club’s captain, Jack Thompson (13-21-34 in just 36 games) and Robert Calisti (21-36-57).
Acquired from Sudbury, Thompson’s overall stat line (21-36-57) matched Calisti’s.
Through 14 games this year, the 2023-2024 team has relied heavily on the contributions of defensemen Kirill Kudryavtsev (3-12-15), Andrew Gibson (2-9-11) and Arttu Karki (12-4-16, including a league-high eight power-play markers).
That threesome has helped the Soo forge a 9-5-0-0 mark heading into a weekend twin bill with Windsor. Games are slated for Saturday at 7:07 p.m. and Sunday at 2:07 p.m. at GFL Memorial Gardens.
The Saturday tilt will be preceded by a ceremony retiring the No. 19 worn by former Hounds and NHL star Joe Thornton.
“Especially with the way Deaner asks our team to play, defencemen have a big role in it,” said Brendan Taylor, who’ll serve as head coach while John Dean is away until Nov. 11 at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge on Prince Edward Island. “Both offensively and defensively, it requires a lot of effort and attention to detail. It also requires the defencemen to be involved in all facets of the game.”
Taylor, who works with the rearguards in his role as an assistant coach, spoke of how Karki, Gibson and Kudryavtsev have made big contributions on both sides of the puck.
“But, I think all of our defencemen have been really impressive defensively and those three have added the offensive production,” Taylor noted.
Winners of two straight, the Soo stopped Saginaw 5-4 in a shootout on Friday and Flint, 6-5 in overtime, 24 hours later.
Dean thought his club was “a little sloppy” and late getting in on the forecheck against the Firebirds. He also spoke of how his players didn’t consistently keep their feet moving when they had the puck.
“We’ve talked about being a process-oriented team, not evaluating our game just in the result,” Taylor noted. “We focus on how we got there and how we played and did we live up to our standards.”
Without a midweek game and idle on Friday, the Greyhounds were able to enjoy a rare, full week of practice. And facing the same team twice, Taylor says, reminds him of a college hockey schedule.
The Spitfires, a 4-3 winner over Kitchener on Thursday, will take a 4-8-1-0 record into Saturday’s contest.
“But they’re a much better team than their record indicates,” said Taylor, who will share game input with fellow assistant Tyler Ertel in Dean’s absence. “Watching them, they still have some high-end players.”
Notes:
Moving forward, a familiar face will be in Windsor’s lineup. Sault native Connor Toms was traded by the Hounds to the Spits on Monday for a 12th-round draft choice.
Toms made his Spitfires debut against the Rangers.
Meantime, along with their head coach, the Hounds will also be without centre Brady Martin, who’s competing at the World Under-17s.
