OHL 20 in 20: Sudbury Wolves
The Sudbury Wolves saw their playoff run last spring come to an end prematurely given the franchise’s expectations, but one of the great things about the OHL is the prospect of a relatively quick turnaround within a four to five year cycle. The Wolves shed a number of veterans over the course of the summer, with three in Nolan Collins, Evan Konyen and Matthew Mania dealt to the Flint Firebirds in June. Amidst one of the league’s biggest roster turnovers, the Wolves also have a new head coach in former OHLer Scott Barney at the helm. There are some early-season questions that may impact the long-term outlook of the Wolves this season, but opportunity knocks for some of the club’s younger players eyeing an opportunity to move up the depth chart and make their mark in the Ontario Hockey League.
| NOTABLE DEPARTURES | KEY ADDITIONS |
| D Andre Anania (Charlotte, AHL) | D Luca Blonda (1st Rd. ’24) |
| D Nolan Collins (Trade FLNT) | F Blake Clayton (7th Rd. ’23) |
| F Zacharie Giroux (U. Ottawa) | F Ethan Dean (2nd Rd. ’24) |
| F David Goyette (SEA) | F Henry Doucet (3rd Rd. ’24) |
| F Evan Konyen (Trade FLNT) | D Gavin Ewles (Trade FLNT) |
| D Matthew Mania (Trade FLNT) | F Rowan Henderson (1st Rd. ’24 U18) |
| F Devin Mauro (Trenton Jr. A) | F Daks Klinkhammer (Trade FLNT) |
| F Landon McCallum | G Finn Marshall (13th Rd. ’22) |
| D Ryan Pryce (Laurier U.) | D Brady Smith (6th Rd. ’24) |
| F Lucas Signoretti (Greater Sudbury Jr. A) | D Cole Wreggitt (4th Rd. ’24) |
| G Marcus Vandenberg (Leamington Jr. A) | |
| D Noah Van Vliet (Trade NIAG) | |
| G Jakub Vondras (Czechia) |
Five Questions Heading Into 2024-25:
1. Will Dvorsky or Musty crack the NHL?
A fairly substantial question as it pertains to the fate and direction of the Sudbury Wolves in 2024-25. Dalibor Dvorsky, who came to the OHL and did just about everything to prove he’s ready for the next level, will shoot for a spot with the St. Louis Blues out of training camp. Given he wasn’t drafted out of the OHL, the Blues could send Dvorsky to play with their AHL affiliate in Springfield as an alternative. Former first overall OHL pick Quentin Musty, who led the OHL in points-per-game last season, will be in San Jose trying to earn an opportunity with the Sharks. Musty’s final landing place is either the NHL or back in Sudbury, where he’d be considered one of the OHL’s top point-producers in 2024-25 with the combination of his size, stride and excellent shot.
2. Who takes the lead in the crease?
Good question. The Wolves were looking for answers in goal throughout portions of last season, and they continue to do so early on in 2024-25. One would think Nate Krawchuk, a former U18 Draft pick who returns for his third season in Sudbury, will be given every opportunity to carve out some playing time. There’s also former second round pick Drew Gaulton who has developed in the NOJHL over the past two seasons. A former sixth round pick in 19-year-old Ben Rossi has also remained with the club into the preseason and 18-year-old former 13th rounder Finn Marshall, who had success with the OJHL’s Georgetown Raiders last season, recently signed on the dotted line. The Wolves have another young netminder in the system in hometown product and fifth round 2024 pick Mateo Beites, who will spend 2024-25 at St. Andrew’s College.
3. How does Barney adjust to the new role?
The Sudbury Wolves have a new head coach after Ken MacKenzie stepped down over the summer. Former Peterborough Petes standout and long-time pro Scott Barney moves behind the bench from the Humboldt Broncos of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League. Barney helped the Broncos through a tough transition in the years following their bus tragedy that claimed the lives of 16 in April 2018. He comes to Sudbury where the transition will be from being one of the oldest teams in the league that faced disappointment in the second round of last year’s playoffs, turning things around with a younger group and looking to an exciting future in Sudbury that includes a new arena slated to open in spring 2028. He’ll have some new assistants in former pros Andrew Desjardins and Brent Gauvreau along with returning blueline consultant Drake Berehowsky who moves into an assistant role.
4. Can the Wolves find enough offence to be a threat?
The Wolves didn’t have any problem scoring goals last season, but they also had a tough time keeping pucks out of their own net. With the loss of OHL scoring leader David Goyette among others, it’ll be tough for Sudbury to replicate last year’s output of 328 goals, a figure that led the league. If the Wolves can get even one of Dvorsky or Musty back in their lineup, there’s ample support throughout the rest of the lineup for them to mount a respectable offence, with overager Kocha Delic always a threat with his speed, big 6-foot-6 Kieron Walton aiming to build off last year’s success and Seattle Kraken second rounder Nathan Villeneuve with some skills in that area. Chicago Blackhawks prospect and Sudbury native Alex Pharand can also chip in on the scoresheet.
5. Who supports DeAngelis and McCoy on the back end?
The Wolves are fortunate to have two of the league’s more reliable OA defencemen back in the fold for 2024-25. Nick DeAngelis and Donovan McCoy both play well inside their own blueline but also have an ability to go out on the powerplay and eat some of those minutes as well. They’ll need support though, and the Wolves are hopeful offseason addition Gavin Ewles, who came over in a June blockbuster with the Flint Firebirds, can be a source of some of those minutes. The Wolves acquired blueliner Trevor O’Dell from the Windsor Spitfires last season and the 6-foot-3, 18-year-old appears ready to make the jump to the OHL full-time. Former second round pick Nolan Jackson will also be looking to get regular minutes in while the Wolves also drafted the first blueliner taken this past spring in 12th overall pick Luca Blonda, who will likely see plenty of opportunity in powerplay situations as a 16-year-old.
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Futures Watch – Sudbury Wolves
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