East-leading Wolves add hometown product Giroux, bolster blueline with McCoy, Van Vliet
The Sudbury Wolves sit atop the Eastern Conference standings entering Wednesday’s action, and they’ll have some reinforcements in the lineup as they host the Mississauga Steelheads before hitting the road for Sarnia and Windsor over the weekend.
The Wolves added a local talent to their overage group, acquiring former Sudbury Wolves U16 AAA standout Zacharie Giroux from the Flint Firebirds while also bolstering their blueline with the additions of former OHL champion and Peterborough Petes captain Donovan McCoy, along with Brantford Bulldogs rearguard Noah Van Vliet.
“We had certain needs going into it and certain targets that we had,” said Wolves general manager Rob Papineau of the past few days leading into the deadline. “We have a lot of talent here in Sudbury, everyone’s been enjoying watching these guys this year. We wanted to put into that dressing room some players that have been there. We wanted to bring in guys who have lived through some adversity and they’ll be able to help our guys as we move forward.”
Wolves GM Rob Papineau speaks on the 2024 #OHL trade deadline ahead of the Pack's game tonight. #WeAreWolves pic.twitter.com/Qo8ZQ32jqY
— Sudbury Wolves (@Sudbury_Wolves) January 10, 2024
Sudbury parted ways with a pair of 2026 third-round draft picks to acquire Giroux, who hails from nearby Hanmer, Ont. Overage blueliner Djibril Toure was dealt to the Windsor Spitfires, opening up an overage spot on the Sudbury roster. The gritty forward will wear #96 in Sudbury, having recorded 37 points (15-22–37) over 36 games with Flint this season. Giroux has spent time at both centre and the wing over the course of his four-year OHL career, one that has yielded 141 points (51-90–141) over 168 regular season games since being selected by Flint in the third round (57th overall) of the 2019 OHL Priority Selection.
McCoy joins the Wolves having been acquired for ninth overall 2023 OHL Priority Selection choice Caden Taylor and a conditional fourth-round draft choice. The captain of the Peterborough Petes this season, McCoy has 21 points (6-15–21) over 37 games after helping the maroon and white hoist the J. Ross Robertson Cup last spring. The Belleville, Ont. native was originally selected by the Petes with the 15th overall pick of the 2020 OHL Priority Selection, and registered 50 points (8-42–50) over 163 regular season games in Peterborough. McCoy attended training camp with the Calgary Flames last September.
The Wolves added size and strength to the back end with the addition of Van Vliet, who stands 6-foot-3 and 220Ibs. Sudbury dealt rookie defender Owen Protz and three draft picks to Brantford to complete the deal. The 19-year-old won an OHL championship with Hamilton in 2022, and has put up seven points (2-5–7) in 36 games with Brantford this season. The former fourth-round pick in 2020 has been a reliable stay-at-home blueliner, recording 24 points (5-19–24) across 108 regular season games with the Bulldogs. Van Vliet attended rookie camp with the Edmonton Oilers in September.
“Our fans are going to get to see these players right away,” said Papineau of the additions. “It’d be nice to get a little bit of practice time in with them, but I’m really excited to see these guys. They’re all excited and they’re ready to go tonight.”
The 20-11-3-2 Wolves have points in six straight and have won seven of their past 10 games heading into Wednesday’s action.
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