By Matt Stefano
Hockey season is back!
The Soo Thunderbirds will officially kick off their 2022-2023 regular season tomorrow night at 7:00 p.m., when they take on the Soo Eagles at the John Rhodes Community Centre in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario.
The T-Birds, who will be entering their 24th season in the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League, will also be coming into this season as the defending Copeland Cup McNamara Trophy champions.
And as we get set for what will hopefully be another successful season, let’s take a look at some of the things you should know about this year’s team, along with looking back to a bit from last year’s team.
COACH COLE
After leading the Thunderbirds to their 5th Copeland Cup McNamara Trophy last season, Soo Thunderbirds head coach Cole Jarrett is returning behind the bench for his second season.
Last season with the Thunderbirds, the 39-year-old bench boss also helped the Thunderbirds finish in first place in the NOJHL standings with a record of 38 wins, 5 losses, 2 overtime losses and 3 shootout losses, good for 81 points.
In the 2022 postseason, Jarrett then led the Thunderbirds all the way to the NOJHL final, where they defeated the Hearst Lumberjacks four-games-to-three, giving the Thunderbirds their first Copeland Cup McNamara Trophy since 2016.
Jarrett, who won a Copeland Cup McNamara Trophy with the Thunderbirds last season, also became the first coach in franchise history to win a Copeland Cup McNamara Trophy in just his first season behind the bench.
HISTORY MADE AT THE JOHN RHODES
When fans enter the John Rhodes Community Centre for tomorrow night’s season opener against the Soo Eagles, the first thing that they will be remembering is the cup-winning goal that Thunderbirds forward Brock Santa Maria scored in game 7 of the NOJHL final back on May 12 against Hearst.
In game 7 of the NOJHL final back on May 12, Santa Maria’s goal in overtime gave the Thunderbirds a 3-2 overtime victory, which gave the Thunderbirds their 5th Copeland Cup McNamara Trophy in franchise history.
Not only did the Thunderbirds win that final series against Hearst in 7 games, but they also came back to win that series after trailing the series 3-games-to-none.
It was also the first time in franchise history that the Thunderbirds won the Copeland Cup McNamara Trophy on John Rhodes ice.
BACK IN THE NEST
This season, the Soo Thunderbirds have a total of nine returning players from last year’s championship roster.
Those nine players include forwards Samuel Lake (11g 10a 21p), Youssef Chaouachi (7g 10a 17p), Dharan Cap (10g 14a 24p), Ethan Novello (0g 7a 7p), Michael Chaffay (20g 13a 33p) and Brock Santa Maria (13g 29a 42p) and blueliners Kolby Fellinger (1g 12a 13p), Kyle Trottier (3g 15a 18p) and Kaden Dundas (5g 18a 23p).
Chaouachi, Cap, Chaffay and Santa Maria are all also 2002-birth-year forwards, and all four of them will be entering their final seasons in the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League.
HEY BROTHERS
Looking at family members now, it turns out the Soo Thunderbirds will have two sets of brothers on their team this season, including brothers Kyle and Ayden Trottier, and brothers Kolby and Austin Fellinger.
Kyle Trottier is entering his second season on the blueline with the Thunderbirds while his younger brother Ayden is entering his first season after spending last season with the Great North Under-18 Hockey League’s Kapuskasing Flyers.
Ayden, a 2005-birth-year defenceman, signed with the Thunderbirds back on June 11.
Kolby Fellinger is entering his second season on the blueline with the Thunderbirds while his younger brother Austin will be entering his first full season with the Thunderbirds after spending last season with the Great North Under-18 Hockey League champion Soo Jr. Greyhounds.
Austin, a 2005-birth-year defenceman, signed with the Thunderbirds back on June 11, and was also drafted 218th overall by the Soo Greyhounds in the 2021 Ontario Hockey League Priority Selection.
The last time the Thunderbirds had two sets of brothers on their team, was back in the 2015-2016 season, when they had brothers Matt and Michael Caruso and brothers Darian and Drake Pilon.
That season (2015-2016), the Thunderbirds also went on to win their 4th Copeland Cup McNamara Trophy in franchise history.
THAT’S BARRIE GOOD
After concluding their 2022 Training Camp on August 26, the Soo Thunderbirds ended up signing Barrie Jr. Colts defenceman Charlie Fowler for the 2022-2023 season.
Fowler, who spent last season with the Barrie Jr, Colts, led all Colt players in assists with 24 through 46 games.
Last season, he also served as the Colts team Captain.
And sticking with the Barrie side of things, this past offseason, the Thunderbirds also signed Barrie, Ontario native Lucas Whitehead, who spent last season with the Okanagan Hockey Under-18 Prep club.
As a member of the Okanagan Hockey Under-18 Prep club last season, Whitehead had 1 goal and 9 assists in 31 games played.
Whitehead, who is a 2004-birth-year defenceman, also led all team defenceman in penalty minutes last season with 48.
THE BC BOYS
Starting this season, the Soo Thunderbirds will have a total of four BC born players on their roster, including newcomers Mitchell Daines, Ethan Raduy, Zachary Reddy and returning player Dharan Cap.
Daines, who is from Trail, British, Columbia spent last season with the KIJHL’s Castlegar Rebels, where he had 1 goal, 3 assists and 64 penalty minutes in 31 regular season games.
The 2003-birth-year forward will be entering his first season with the Thunderbirds after being acquired by them in a trade from the Rebels back on July 27.
Raduy, who is from Qualicum Beach, British Columbia, played last season in the MJHL, where he split time with the Portage Terriers and the Winnipeg Freeze.
In a total of 20 games played last season in the MJHL, Raduy found the back of the net 3 times and set up 12 others.
This season, the 2002-birth-year forward will be entering his first and only season with the Thunderbirds after being acquired by them in a trade from the MJHL’s Winnipeg Freeze back on August 4.
Reddy, who was originally born in Vancouver, British Columbia, but currently lives in Seattle, spent last season in the NOJHL with the Kirkland Lake Gold Miners, where he recorded 3 wins, 16 losses and 1 shootout loss through 24 regular season contests.
Prior to last season, the 2003-birth-year goaltender played one game with the Gold Miners during the 2020-2021, where he recorded 1 win, which came against the Cochrane Crunch back on December 18, 2020.
Reddy, who was acquired by the Thunderbirds in a trade from the Gold Miners back on August 29, will be entering his third season in the NOJHL and his first season as a member of the Soo Thunderbirds.
This season, the 19-year-old will also become the first BC-born goaltender to play for the Soo Thunderbirds since Alex Bugeja did back in 2020-2021.
Cap, who is from North Vancouver, British Columbia, will be entering his second and final season with the Soo Thunderbirds after being acquired by the Thunderbirds in a trade from the MJHL’s Swan Valley Stampeders back on November 12, 2021.
As a member of the Thunderbirds last season, Cap found the back of the net 10 times and set up 14 others in 28 regular season games.
At the end of the 2021-2022 regular season, Cap was also the recipient of the Zoltan Kovacs Senior Memorial Trophy as the Thunderbirds Hardest Working Player.
HIP HIP BOURRET!
Looking back between the pipes now, back on August 15, the Soo Thunderbirds brought in a goalie out of the North Bay Trappers Under-18 club, by signing 2005-birth-year netminder Koltan Bourret.
Bourret, who stands 6’3 and weighs 179 pounds, had a 2.58 goals against average and 1 shutout through 15 games with the Trappers last season.
Prior to last season, Bourret was also drafted by the North Bay Battalion 290th overall in the 2021 Ontario Hockey League Priority Selection.
FROM A FAUCON TO A T-BIRD
After spending last season with the Le Sommet Faucons Under-18 club, Bromont, Quebec native Ludovic Raymond will be entering his first season this year with the Soo Thunderbirds.
As a member of the Faucons last season, the 2004-birth-year forward found the back of the net twice and set up three others in 9 games played.
Raymond, who is from Bromont, Quebec, signed with the Thunderbirds back on August 10.
ONE FROM THE STATES
Starting this season, the Soo Thunderbirds will have one American-born player on their roster, in Ryan Blackburn.
Blackburn, who is from Allendale, Michigan, signed with the Thunderbirds back on July 13 after splitting time last season with the GOJHL’s Leamington Flyers and the SIJHL’s Wisconsin Lumberjacks.
In a total of 42 regular season games played last season, the 2003-birth-year forward notched 6 goals and set up 18 others.
FROM SIOUX LOOKOUT TO SAULT STE. MARIE
Rounding out the newcomers now, back on the 11th of June, the Soo Thunderbirds picked up another 2003-birth-year forward, by acquiring the rights to forward Matt Spence from the Sioux Lookout Bombers.
Spence, who is from Fort Frances, Ontario, spent last season with the MJAHL’s Grand Falls Rapids, where he had 2 assists in 28 regular season contests.
NATIONAL RANKINGS
And now to a look at the standings, the CJHL preseason rankings officially came out yesterday and two teams from the NOJHL cracked the list, including our very own Soo Thunderbirds.
The Soo Thunderbirds are entering this year’s hockey season ranked at No. 15 in the entire CJHL while the Powassan Voodoos are coming in at No. 20.
The Thunderbirds, who are ranked No. 15 heading into this season, finished 6th overall in the entire CJHL last season in 2021-2022.
