OHL 20 in 20: Soo Greyhounds
The Soo Greyhounds took a run at things last spring, but came up just a little bit short in a thrilling seven-game second round series against the eventual Memorial Cup champion Saginaw Spirit. The Greyhounds are picking up the pieces now after several established veterans graduated to the pro ranks, assessing what it is they’ll have to work with in 2024-25 as the puck drops on their season next Friday at home to the same Spirit. General manager Kyle Raftis has worked to bring in some players looking for an opportunity to prove themselves, such as free agent signings Sam Bowness and Erik Muxlow along with waiver acquisition Camerin Cardona and former Peterborough Petes blueliner Brayden Velliaris. It’s a wide open year for the Hounds, with lots of opportunity for those looking to lay hold of their chance to make an impression.
| NOTABLE DEPARTURES | KEY ADDITIONS |
| F Jack Beck (Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL) | F Carson Andrew (4th Rd. ’24) |
| F Jordan D’Intino (Toronto Metropolitan U.) | F Sam Bowness (Free agent signing) |
| F Julian Fantino (Toronto Metropolitan U.) | F Camerin Cardona (Waivers from WHL) |
| F Jacob Frasca (Toronto, AHL) | D Keegan Gillen (14th Rd. ’23) |
| F Gavin Hayes (CHI) | D David Holub (1st Rd. ’24 Import) |
| D Arttu Karki (Finland) | F Erik Muxlow (Free agent signing) |
| D Kirill Kudryavtsev (VAN) | F Brady Smith (5th Rd. ’23) |
| F Bryce McConnell-Barker (NYR) | D Hunter Solomon (4th Rd. ’23) |
| D Matthew Virgilio (Trade NIAG) | G Reid Thomas (15th Rd. ’23) |
| D Brayden Velliaris (Trade PBO) |
Five Questions Heading Into 2024-25:
1. Which veterans will be taking on more?
There’ll be plenty of opportunity both up front and on the back end with a number of battle-tested veterans moving on to other opportunities. The Greyhounds do have a contingent of returning names entering their 19-year-old seasons like Nashville Predators prospect Andrew Gibson along with forwards Justin Cloutier and Marco Mignosa who will need to be ready to go every night this season if the team is going to be competitive. Former first round pick Christopher Brown returns for his third season after doubling his point total in 2023-24 while blueliner Brodie McConnell-Barker, the younger brother of former Hounds captain Bryce, can expect more opportunity.
2. How does time in the crease break down?
Charlie Schenkel is set to return as an OA, but based off Landon Miller’s play as a 17-year-old, there’s a case to be made for more appearances than the 30 he had in 2023-24. Miller was selected by the Detroit Red Wings in the fourth round this past summer, and the 6-foot-4 tender from Barrie, Ont. will start the season sharing the load with the older Schenkel in the crease. For his part, Schenkel is attending training camp with the Pittsburgh Penguins this week. He went 28-12-3-0 last season and has collected 39 wins over the past three seasons.
3. Is the 2007 group ready for a bigger role?
By virtue of the Hounds’ roster construction, some of their ’07 sophomores will inevitably be thrust into bigger roles this coming season. A couple of those names, such as draft eligible former third overall OHL Draft pick Brady Martin, are big-time breakout candidates. Martin had a great second half in 2023-24, finishing the year with 10 goals and 18 assists. Martin has a physical side to his game and he’s a real competitor, providing the Hounds with a leader for seasons to come. Joining him is Travis Hayes, who was voted to the league’s first all-rookie team following 35 points (14-21–35) in his first season. Travis had the opportunity to play with older brother Gavin for the Greyhounds last season. He represented the United States at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup this past summer, where Martin won gold as a member of Team Canada.
4. Who gets the ‘C’?
Bryce McConnell-Barker is off the pro ranks, and the Hounds will be looking to some other names for leadership in 2024-25. Nashville Predators prospect Andrew Gibson is a likely option for the captaincy given his continued development as a former fourth round pick by the club in 2021, gradually becoming one of the OHL’s top defenders. Overage blueliner Caeden Carlisle has been a steady back end presence in the Soo for a couple of years now while Cloutier and Mignosa are both back for their fourth OHL seasons. The aforementioned Martin and Hayes could both be in the running for letters with the Greyhounds. Owen Allard, who represented Canada at last year’s World Juniors, was drafted by Utah over the summer and could be back for an overage season, though he didn’t attend training camp with the Hounds earlier this month. Allard has done some good things at Utah camp, so it will be interesting to see where he lands in this conversation.
5. Are the Hounds back in the playoffs come March?
The Hounds missed the playoffs in 2022-23, made a big push but came up short in Game 7 of the second round last spring, and are back in a position where they’ve lost a number of high-end names, and will need to have some returning vets step up to maintain a competitive outlook for the season. They have some things going for them, such as two quality netminders, an intriguing ’07 group and one of the league’s top defencemen in Andrew Gibson. Coach John Dean, assistant Brendan Taylor and new bench addition Daniel Nikandrov will work to maximize the group with 68 games of runway ahead of the postseason.
Related Content:
Futures Watch – Soo Greyhounds
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