Things are
looking good for the
Sarnia Legionnaires
By Dan McCaffery
June 23, 2010
Amid growing signs
that they'll have a
strong team next
fall, the Sarnia
Legionnaires have
announced a major
push to sell season
tickets.
The Greater Ontario
Junior Hockey League
club will hold a
season tickets sale
Saturday, June 26
from 10 a.m. to 2
p.m. at the Sarnia
Arena. Prices have
been frozen at last
year's level ($99
for adults and a
scant $35 for kids
aged 10 and under).
The prices include
reserved seats.
After Canada Day,
the reserved seat
will be extra.
Returning players
The drive comes at a
time when a study of
league rosters shows
the Legionnaires are
likely to have more
veterans dressed
this fall than most
other squads in the
nine-team Western
Conference. In fact,
only two players
aren't eligible to
return (forward Joel
Steeves and
defenceman Tommy
Ziolkowski).
By way of contrast,
most other teams are
being hit very hard
by graduation.
Here's a look at
players from various
teams who are not
expected to be back
for the 2010/11
campaign:
London Nationals
Graduating
players: The
Nats are losing six
players to overage,
including centre
Adam McKee, who was
their top scorer
with 100 points (35
goals and 65
assists). Also
graduating will be
Chris MacKay, their
No. 3 point man with
31 goals and 28
helpers. Forwards
Kyle Moore and Aaron
Tuffin, along with
defencemen Kevin
Mole and Brett
Petrie will also be
gone. Petrie was a
mobile rearguard who
had four goals and
33 assists to his
credit.
Strathroy Rockets
The Rockets are
losing their top
scorer, Chris Bodo,
who had 97 points,
including a whopping
49 goals! He was
originally expected
to be back, but has
signed with a team
in British Columbia.
Graduating
players: Rockets
who will be lost to
graduation include
goalie Blair
Bennett, who holds
the all-time
franchise record GAA
(goals against
average) and the
best-ever save
percentage. Also
gone will be Captain
Andrew McCombe, who
had 29 goals, and
defenceman Jared
Anger, who had six
goals and 40 points.
In addition, flashy
youngster Dane Fox
is widely expected
to make the OHL
London Knights.
St. Marys
Lincolns
The Lincs are
expected to lose
their top four
scorers, three to
graduation and one
to the OHL. Their
top point-getter,
16-year-old Seth
Griffith, is
expected to make the
Knights after a Jr.
'B' campaign that
saw him get 43 goals
and 35 assists.
Graduating
players: Gone
for sure are Blair
Brewer (28 goals and
43 assists), Kyle
Provily (19 goals
and 33 helpers) and
Anthony Sobozynski
(21 goals and 33
assists).
The Lincolns will
also lose rugged
forward Dave
Hutchinson and
wingers Connor
McFarlane and Josh
McDonald to
graduation.
LaSalle Vipers
Graduation:
The
defending champs
will lose a lot of
mobility on the back
end. David Sharpe, a
defenceman with 21
goals and 47 assists
last season, is
graduating, along
with blueliner Mike
Souligny, who had 11
goals. Forward Ryan
Baldwin, who scored
19 goals and 27
assists despite
playing only 28
games, will also be
lost, as will
defenceman Dan
Whitehead.
Chatham Maroons
Graduating
players: The
Maroons are losing
six players to
graduation,
including all-star
goalie Mike
Ostropolec. Also
gone will be their
top scorer (Travis
Winkworth, who had
21 goals and 39
assists) and their
top goal-getter
(Thor Skalski, who
blinked the red
light 31 times).
Leading defenceman
Steve Kruk is also
too old, as are
forwards Kyle
Carneiro and Kyle
Makaric.
St. Thomas Stars
Graduating
players: Goalie
Jared Richmond, one
of the better netman
in Ontario Jr. 'B'
hockey, is gone, as
are two reliable
goal scorers (Sarnian
Dave Morden, who had
16 goals and 20
assists) and Jeff
Tervit (who had 18
goals and 21
helpers). Also gone
will be defenceman
Dan Grant.
On top of that,
defenceman Jake
Worrad and forward
Blake Thomas are
both expected to get
long looks by OHL
teams. Worrad, the
Stars best blueliner,
should make the
Knights, and Thomas,
who had 18 goals and
18 assists, could
suit up for the
Sarnia Sting.
Leamington Flyers
Graduating
players: The
Flyers are only
losing two players
to graduation but
one is Ryan
Malinowski, their
No. 1 goalie. The
other is Nick Butts,
a forward who had
six goals and 11
assists.
Lambton Shores
Predators
Graduating
player: The
Preds are only
losing one man –
forward Dan Maidens,
to overage. He had
one goal and no
assists last year.
Other factors
Of course other
players not
mentioned above will
likely be lost by
all the teams –
including Sarnia –
for various reasons.
For example,
Strathroy is
expected to lose
Brett Lashbrook, a
52-point man, to
work commitments.
And the Legionnaires
could easily lose
Tanner Ferguson to
the OHL's Owen Sound
Attack, or Nathan
Mater to the Sting.
Besides that, teams
being hit hard by
graduation don't
always slide very
far in the
standings. With good
recruiting, they can
still come up with
contenders,
especially if they
are located in large
markets like London
and LaSalle (which
draws players from
the entire Windsor
area). It should
also be remembered
that, last year, the
Rockets were
expected to regress
after losing seven
players to overage.
Instead, they iced
one of the best
regular season teams
in franchise
history.
So a lot can happen
between now and the
end of summer.
Still, as it stands
right now, things
are looking pretty
good for the Sarnia
Legionnaires.
