There’s one word Kyle Raftis never uses
by Peter Ruicci (Independent Media)
Their seven best players from 2021-2022 were lost to graduation.
They chose to release overage netminder Tucker Tynan, who led the team in wins last season.
And they’re moving ahead with just four 19-year-old (2003 birth year) players, including goalie Samuel Ivanov, on their 2022-2023 roster.
So, are the Soo Greyhounds entering a rebuilding season?
“I don’t think I’ve ever thought, in my nine years here, that we were rebuilding,” said general manager Kyle Raftis, whose team has finished under .500 just once since he joined the Hounds in 2014.
Asked if he then considers his team in a ‘retooling’ phase, the GM answered in the affirmative.
In fact, added Raftis, the crop of young players on this season’s Hounds may be the most-impressive he’s seen, since taking over the Soo’s top job following the departure of Kyle Dubas.
“I’m extremely excited about the young group. No doubt,” said Raftis, whose club is set to begin the Ontario Hockey League season this weekend with back-to-back games against the North Bay Battalion on Friday and Saturday (7:07p.m.) at GFL Memorial Gardens. “There’s an opportunity for these guys to explode and take that next step.”
Fourth-round draft choice Matthew Virgilio, taken No. 64 overall in April, has been a catalyst for the GM’s enthusiasm.
Raftis has no trouble calling the 16-year-old (2006 birth year) defenceman a “steal,” while saying the Vaughan, Ont., native “would have been a first-round pick, 100 per cent” had he not been committed to attend the University of Michigan.
But after being wooed by the Greyhounds, the five-foot-11, 186-pounder walked away from his scholarship, instead electing to cast his lot with the OHL club.
Raftis used the word “great” to assess Virgilio’s play through preseason workouts and four exhibition games.
Despite the fact defence is a difficult position for a 16-year-old to master at this level, Raftis said he believes the young rearguard is “somebody who’ll come in and play a good amount of minutes for us. He’s already earned the coaches’ trust in different situations. He’s going to be exciting to watch.”
Virgilio is considered a player who combines skill, a high hockey IQ and maturity beyond his years.
“Shift-to-shift, he does something,” Raftis added, while also lauding the club’s first-round selection, centre Chris Brown, who was chosen No. 16 overall.
“He’s a great skater with a high IQ and he likes to make plays,” the GM said.
Goaltender Landon Miller, who stands nearly six-foot-four, was plucked in the second round, with the Hounds using the 42nd choice overall.
Raftis said he loves Miller’s athleticism and work ethic and has used the word “elite” when talking about the kind of netminder the young man can become.
Defenceman Brodie McConnell-Barker, whose brother, Bryce, is the Soo’s top returning scorer, was taken in the third round (48thoverall). He’s considered to have the potential to be a dangerous offensive player who sees the ice well.
Ten picks later, winger Alex Kostov became a Greyhound. Raftis said he loves the edge the six-foot-three, 187-pound Kostov plays with, while also lauding his skating and ability to shoot the puck.
Free agent centre Daylen Moses, a 17-year-old (2005 birth year), has certainly been a pleasant surprise.
“He brings speed and tenacity,” Raftis said of Moses, who’s been trusted to kill penalties during the exhibition season.
Another player who stood out during camp was winger Connor Clattenburg, a 10th-round selection in 2021.
“Speedy guy who plays with an edge,” Raftis said.
It’s a group the Hounds boss is counting on to form the club’s nucleus in the years ahead.
“Sometimes you get players who come into the league and just kind of take off,” Raftis offered. “Sometimes guys need time to get their feet under them and you can’t rush things. But I’d like to hit fast-forward with a couple of these guys to see where they’re going to be at in the near future.”
As the Greyhounds prepare to begin the regular season, they’re sure to rely heavily on a trio of 18-year-olds (2004 birth year).
That group includes centre Bryce McConnell-Barker, rearguard Kirill Kudryavtsev and goaltender Charlie Schenkel. McConnell-Barker (third round, New York Rangers) and Kudryavtsev (seventh round, Vancouver Canucks) were chosen in the 2022 NHL draft.
Along with Ivanov, the 19-year-old (2003) corps includes wingers Jordan D’Intino, a preseason standout, and Tyler Savard and defenceman Luc Brzustowski.
The team also expects to get strong contributions from overages (2002) Kalvyn Watson, a winger, and defenceman Ryan Thompson.
The youth at centre will need to step up due to the absence of centre Owen Allard, slated to undergo shoulder surgery on Monday. He’s expected to miss at least four months.
So, is it possible for this team to mature quickly and possibly make some noise in the West Division? Is simply making the playoffs a realistic first goal?
Raftis spoke of how it’s too soon to make any kind of prediction.
“I expect us to be competitive,” he said. “Some guys are going to struggle some nights and be strong the next night. But we want to see incremental gains. How fast we get to being good is (yet) to be determined.”
The GM also agreed that without a roster of established stars, it’s going to take a group mentality for the Hounds to move forward successfully.
“We have a lot of young, exciting players,” he added. “It’s a matter of how quickly can we pull this group together. At that point, we’ll find out what our true potential is.”
