SUMMERSIDE, P.E.I. —
It’s opening night in the Island Junior Hockey League.
Arch-rivals Western Red Wings and Kensington Vipers will raise the curtain on the 2019-20 regular season at the Evangeline Recreation Centre on Friday at 7:30 p.m. The game was originally scheduled for Sunday afternoon, but was rescheduled for Friday night due to it being Thanksgiving weekend.
“It’s going to be a fun game,” said Red Wings head coach Nathan DesRoches. “I think the league will be a little stronger this year.
“Kensington has bulked up a little bit, especially up front.”
The two latest chapters in the lengthy history between the Red Wings and Vipers were written last spring. The Red Wings defeated the Vipers 4-1 to win their third straight provincial championship and prevailed in overtime in an all-P.E.I. final of the Don Johnson Memorial Cup Atlantic junior B hockey championship in Kensington
“There are going to be some new faces in the rivalry, but I’m sure it’s not going to take the newcomers long to figure out this is a special one to be part of,” said Vipers head coach Wade Waddell. “I’m looking forward to Friday night.
“It’s come around quick. We were just playing each other on May 1 for a Don Johnson Cup title. We are looking to get on a winning track right off the bat. We’ve had a great camp and are in relatively great shape physically and hopefully, we’re ready to go.”
The Vipers and Red Wings are joined in the four-team league by the Sherwood-Parkdale Metros and the Hynes Paving Maniacs, who return to Montague this season after playing the past few years in Souris.
The Maniacs’ first home game is against the Vipers on Tuesday at 8 p.m.
“I think the change in location has helped with the travel and some of the kids who are coming from school in Charlottetown,” said Maniacs general manager and head coach Steve Jamieson.
The Metros’ home opener at Cody Banks Arena is against the Red Wings on Wednesday at 8 p.m.
“We are going to be young, but I think we are going to be able to compete in the league,” said Metros head coach Brandon Birt.
The Vipers will be the final team to play its home opener on Oct. 20 at 7 p.m. The Maniacs will provide the opposition.
Western Red Wings at a Glance
Last year’s record: 30-4-2 (won-lost-overtime losses).
Home arena: Evangeline Recreation Centre, Abram-Village.
Head coach: Nathan DesRoches.
Assistant coaches: Jeremy Balderston and Spencer Groom.
Sponsor: Arsenault’s Fish Mart.
Home games: Red Wings will play the majority of their home games on Sundays at 2:15 p.m.
Quote: “It’s very evident at practices this is the fastest team we’ve ever had,” said DesRoches. “Hard work is another thing that comes to mind. You are going to be missing some skill with the guys we lost last year on the finesse side of things. It will be a little bit more lunch-pail attitude.”
DesRoches has “been very impressed” with Western’s training camp.
“We had a lot of good quality players out and unfortunately it’s a tough time of the year for a coach, you have to let some guys go,” said DesRoches. “We’re excited, we’re four lines deep, have six D and two great goalies.”
Returnee Luke Oliver and rookie Cole Gallant, who played with the Alberton-based Western Regals’ midget AAA team last season, will form the goaltending tandem. Goaltender Bronson Banks has not returned due to work commitments.
The defence will be anchored by veterans Lucas Beaulieu and Matt Thompson.
“We will look to those two guys for leadership,” said DesRoches. “We lost a lot last year on the back end, but we did an excellent job to start recruiting as soon as the season was over.
“Ethan Beaulieu is playing with us, Austin Callaghan was the midget AAA defenceman of the year, Alex Hutchinson has been very impressive and Steven Smallwood, who took the majority of last year off with an injury, has made a big impression in camp. We are starting with those four youngsters and the two veterans.”
One big loss was the graduation of forward and team captain Chasse Gallant.
“Obviously, right from the start, you are going to have a different look, different leadership, but we are very excited,” said DesRoches. “Our top line was the best line in Atlantic Canada last year and they proved that in the Don Johnson Cup. Isaac Knox, Isaac Callaghan and (new team captain) Chandler Wood are going to play together.
“We have Silas Handrahan, who was second in league scoring last year; Connor Morrissey, who has won three championships; Alex Morrissey, who was the playoff MVP and the goal leader last year, and Austin Taylor will provide some great leadership. For Austin, we are going to move him to centre to start the year and we anticipate him having a really good season.”
DesRoches added Chase Gaudette, who is currently injured, Bradley Campbell, Thomas Rennie, Dawson McCormack and Bryden Smith will play key roles at forward.
Kensington Vipers at a Glance
Last year’s record: 25-11-0.
Home arena: Credit Union Centre, Kensington.
Head coach: Wade Waddell.
Assistant coaches: Trent Leard and Grant Grady.
Sponsor: Moase’s Plumbing and Heating.
Home games: Vipers will play the majority of their home games on Sundays at 7 p.m.
Quote: “The last couple of years we’ve had trouble scoring goals. This year, we will be a team that grinds it out. We were a heavy team last year and I hope we keep that part of our makeup.”
The Vipers’ roster has had a huge turnover. Along with graduating key defencemen Parker Ronahan and Ryan McKenna, the Vipers also lost two key parts of their offence as Garrett Murray and CJ McCardle are attending school in New Brunswick.
“We are definitely going to have a different look, but we’re pleasantly surprised,” said Waddell, who’s excited to have over-age forward Logan Vandervelden back at 100 per cent. “Tayler Read, who never played last year and got hurt playing junior A over in Truro, he’s with us now and is starting to shake the rust off.
“Tayler has been one of our better players in camp, has a great work ethic and is just a great kid to have around. Chris Murphy, who played in Miramichi last year, is on board and another huge acquisition for us is a guy who is going to be known throughout the league this year in Ryan Richards.
“Ryan has played a lot of hockey with us the past couple of years (as an affiliated player) and he brings a lot of energy. He’s a feisty player and he’s definitely going to play in our top six, he’s going to be on the power play and he’s one of the guys I’m most excited about.”
The goaltending duo features sophomore Caleb Coyle and Ben Parent, who joined Kensington via a trade with the Metros.
“We feel we are pretty capable in nets,” said Waddell. “Caleb had a really good Don Johnson Cup and we’re excited for him to take another step forward this year.”
The Vipers have four returnees on defence.
“This year, as a whole, it seems like the entire league turned over a lot of defence,” said Waddell. “We are fortunate that we have four guys – Jesse Jay, Keegan Buchanan, Ty Gallant and Morgan Darbyson – back.”
Waddell said Kensington will soon announce Ronahan’s replacement as team captain.
“We’ll not drag it out as long as the (Auston) Matthews and (John) Tavares situation (with the Toronto Maple Leafs), but we’ll have a captain for our home opener,” quipped Waddell.
Sherwood-Parkdale Metros at a Glance
Last year’s record: 17-16-3.
Home arena: Cody Banks Arena, Charlottetown.
Head coach: Brandon Birt.
Assistant coaches: Harrison Wood, Craig MacLauchlan and Mike Judson.
Sponsor: A&S Scrap Metal.
Home games: Metros will play the majority of their home games on Wednesdays at 8 p.m.
Quote: “Right now we are expecting to be a fast team that plays with a lot of grit,” said Birt. “We are looking to get pucks deep, body first, puck second.”
The Metros will be led by over-agers Jordan Birt, Nick Currie, Connor Gray and Colin Koughan.
“We have some key guys coming back in our over-age spots that we will be leaning on pretty heavily and some of our young guys look like they are ready to make the step,” said Brandon Birt.
Coach Birt likes the way the Metros’ forward units are taking shape.
“We look like we are going to be a very quick team,” he said. “We have some guys who are going to be looked at to score lots of goals.
“In our top six, we should be able to have four to six of them with at least 20, 20-plus goals, and the bottom six we will be looking for some physicality and grinding it out.”
Currie is one player who will be looked to for offensive production after recording 33 points, including 11 goals, in 32 regular-season games last year. Coach Birt also mentioned rookie Keegan Mitchell, sophomore Drew Bowman and Grant MacAdam as key forwards.
“Keegan played with us a bit last year as an under-age kid,” said Birt. “He plays a rough game and likes to mix it up a bit and is pretty nifty around the net.”
The Metros head coach added that Bowman “has been very steady for us.”
Sherwood-Parkdale has two cornerstones returning on the blue-line.
“We have a few guys returning and we’ll lean on Ryan Boswall and Grant Koughan, who are very steady, to be our rocks back there,” said Birt. “We have Hunter Bradley coming up and he should be a star in the league, whether it’s this year or next year. He has all the right tools.
“Connor Gray will be steady back there and we are trying to fill the other couple of spots.”
In goal, rookie Matt Jelley and veteran Noah Laybolt, who was acquired in a trade with the Maniacs, will handle the duties.
“They should be able to work together,” said Birt, who added the Metros have yet to name a team captain for the upcoming campaign.
Hynes Paving Maniacs at a Glance
Last year’s record: 5-30-1.
Home arena: Cavendish Farms Wellness Centre, Montague.
Head coach: Steve Jamieson.
Assistant coaches: Duane Steele and Cody McGuirk.
Sponsor: Hynes Paving.
Home games: Maniacs will play the majority of their home games on Tuesdays at 8 p.m.
Quote: “We are going to try and play a fast game, in your face and give 100 per cent,” said Jamieson.
Along with the franchise relocation back to Montague, the Maniacs enter the 2019-20 season under new ownership, management and coaching staff.
Jamieson is encouraged by what he’s seen from the team’s hopefuls during training camp.
“Training camp has gone well,” assessed Jamieson. “We’ve had a good number of players out.
“We are looking forward to having a good year.
“We have eight returning players, which is a good sign, and we have a lot of first-year players who are coming out of the (P.E.I.) Midget AAA (Hockey) League that have been having a good training camp so far.”
The Maniacs’ goaltending duo of veteran Cam Duffy and freshman Nicholas Jamieson will be supported by some familiar faces on the blue-line.
“We have some veterans back,” Jamieson went on to say. “Cameron Nelson is back this year, we have Jason Poley back and they are going to be relied on quite a bit.
“We have some nice rookies in Ben MacIsaac, Larkin Kennedy and Joel MacEachern, who all came out of the midget AAA league. We have good size and I think they’re going to be pretty solid.”
Jamieson commented that Eastern’s forward units will feature familiar and new faces.
“We are going to be looking for some strong offence out of veterans Nick Steele, Dawson Palmer, Kyle Martin and we are really looking for a good year out of Ty Peardon, who is a rookie this year,” offered Jamieson. “We also have Jack King as a rookie as well. They will be looking to spark us with some offence and speed.”
Jamieson said the coaching staff is looking for “a balanced attack” from all four lines.
“We think we can get offence out of all four lines,” said an optimistic Jamieson. “We are not going to be relying on one line. We have a full group that I feel can compete and they’re all going to be counted on to do something.”
Jamieson added the Maniacs have yet to name a team captain and make a decision on the team’s four over-agers for the upcoming campaign.
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