2019-20 Season Summary: Niagara IceDogs

Between injuries and a late slip out of the postseason picture, it certainly wasn’t an easy season for the Niagara IceDogs. But there were positives as the club made moves with eyes set on the future and boasted a pair of overage forwards who celebrated career high productions.  

December scare for promising goaltender
The IceDogs had a scare in December when rookie goaltender Tucker Tynan suffered a severe injury. Tynan had surgery to treat his season-ending injury and remains on the road to a full recovery. The rookie goaltender was a definite bright spot for the IceDogs, playing to an 11-8-3-1 record with a 3.80 goals-against average and .910 save percentage in 23 games. Tynan saw a lot of rubber, facing an average of 36 shots per outing.

Deadline deals
On the quest to rebuild, the IceDogs were at the forefront of some deadline deals; two in particular that sent power forwards Akil Thomas and Phil Tomasino to the East Division contender Peterborough Petes and Oshawa Generals respectively, where they continued to put up big numbers. In return, the ‘Dogs recieved an abundance of picks as well as a big piece in 6-foot-4 winger Cameron Butler who scored 18 goals for a second straight season. Niagara also brought in sophomore North Bay forward Cameron Peters.

Slipping in the standings
With a young defence corps and an offence that, following the deadline, would depend mainly on overage forwards Ivan Lodnia and Oliver Castleman, the IceDogs struggled immensely through the second half of their season. They faced some injuries throughout the months of January and February that kept top scorer Lodnia out of the lineup and as a result, they had trouble finding the back of the net. The IceDogs hit the skids, sliding on a 14-game losing skid into late February as the Kingston Frontenacs passed them in the Eastern Conference standings. It marks the first time the Dogs have failed to qualify for the postseason in their 13 seasons in Niagara – the catch however, is that there were no playoffs – so perhaps the streak goes on?

Lodnia leads
In Thomas’ succession, Minnesota Wild prospect Ivan Lodnia was named the 13th captain in IceDogs history with praise for his work ethic and professionalism. The overage forward’s leadership certainly translated on the ice as he put up a career-best 27 goals and 62 points over a 41-game season that was cut short by injury. Lodnia finished out his fifth and final OHL campaign at the top of the Niagara scoring column and notably reached a career night on Jan. 2 when he notched six points (2-4—6) in a 9-8 overtime win over the North Bay Battalion.

Career highs for Castleman
Fellow overage forward Oliver Castleman also topped off his OHL tenure with his best hockey yet. Over his final 62 games of a four-year career with the IceDogs, the veteran set new career highs in both goals (22) and points (58) to finish second in Niagara scoring. A late bloomer, Castleman was selected by the IceDogs in the fourth round of the 2016 OHL Priority Selection as a 17-year-old. He recorded at least 27 points in all four of his OHL seasons.