NEUGSIE’S AROUND THE RINKS

By: Jamie Neugebauer
Voice of the ND Hounds

1. Neugsie Around the Rinks: New name for the column, for now! (It was Rod’s idea) I follow a pretty broad scope of hockey around the world, so for now, while I have not heard much concrete about the SJHL’s Return to Play, I will venture into the wider world of hockey until further notice. Could that all change at the drop of a hat? For sure!
2. It’s looking…good? So now that I am spreading my wings, let’s start in … the SJHL. I mentioned I don’t know much concrete about return to play because it’s in the hands of the government right now, and when things are in government’s hands, who knows when they’ll pass it back! That being said, I have heard from good sources, and seen indications myself, that suggest there is optimism for a bubble/bubbles at high levels. Still hopeful that some SJ kids will get some games, though I will say that the degree to which participation in the bubble makes sense for some organizations varies wildly from others, so take that for what you will.
3. A house divided (in Nebraska): Fun story out of the United States Hockey League, and Nebraska in particular, is that the state’s two clubs, the Omaha Lancers and Lincoln Stars, are big-time rivals, yet the captains of the respective clubs, Milestone, SK’s Nolan Renwick, and Regina’s Stanley Cooley, are best of buds from their time together at Notre Dame, and that 2018 Telus Cup championship. Renwick, a 2001 birth year and a University of Maine commit, spent his rookie campaign with the Hounds Junior A in 18-19, while Cooley, a 2002 birth year committed to Northeastern University, went straight from high school graduation in Wilcox to Spruce Grove in the Alberta Junior Hockey League. Pretty amazing how many guys from that Telus Cup team around the WHL, USHL and Junior A in Canada that are wearing ‘Cs’ or ‘As’.
4. Getting Silly in Sioux Falls: Cole Sillinger, Regina’s own, and a projected top 15 NHL Draft pick, is absolutely ripping the USHL apart with the Sioux Falls Stampede. Sillinger, and fellow WHLer Matthew Savoie, who played in 22 games as a 15-year-old for the Winnipeg Ice a season ago and is at a point-per-game in Dubuque as a 2004 birth year, have elected to stay south of the border until the season is over, instead of joining their respective Western League clubs for their abbreviated campaigns. Sillinger, 17, has 15 goals and 27 points in 17 games in a league that is getting better every year. If you’re wondering, Montreal Canadiens prospect and Harvard commit Sean Farrell of the Chicago Steel has the most points-per-game in the league at time of writing at 1.89, while Sillinger is only fourth (believe it or not) at 1.59. Before you groan about Farrell, and fellow Harvard-man and Chicago Steel forward Matthew Coronato, who are one-and-two in this category, still playing junior, remember that the Ivy League as a whole opted out of the NCAA season…so where else would they go?
5. Edmonton’s Oil King: Speaking of ripping leagues apart, and seeing draft stock fly, how about Edmonton Oil Kings’ star Dylan Guenther, who has 10 points in four games, and looks poised to easily crack the Top 10 in the NHL Draft. His line, along with St. Louis Blues prospect Jake Neighbours (who I am also an enormous fan of), and long-time Victoria Royal Kaid Oliver, are just running over the other teams in the Alberta WHL group to the tune of 26 points combined in four games. Guenther is a complete package of speed and power, with an absolute laser beam of a shot, so look out for him in the NHL before too long.
6. The Big 3 D?: Really excited for the Regina Hub for so many reasons, but one will be to see where the Moose Jaw Warriors’ Captain Daemon Hunt compares when facing Team Canada World Junior heroes Braden Schneider of the Brandon Wheat Kings, and Kaden Guhle of the Prince Albert Raiders. All three played in American Hockey League games before returning to the Hub, though Hunt, who is still only 18, and a Minnesota Wild third-rounder from 2020, had a devastating forearm injury ruin his last campaign around the New Year. I asked Mark O’Leary, Moose Jaw’s head coach, how he felt those three compared, and he essentially answered that they are all pretty similar, and that he expects all three will have very long NHL careers. Not bad, not bad.
7. Maritime League extends: Back in Canadian Junior A for a minute as the news out of the Maritime Junior A League, which has been going for between 24-27 games in Nova Scotia, and 12-15 games in New Brunswick and P.E.I., has extended its regular season until Apr. 14 to March 28. That’s some pretty great work by their Board of Governors to be light on its feet as different provinces and areas shut down, but get right back at it as fast as possible when the local governments give their thumbs up. Really happy for the handful of kids I know out there, including the Stuckless boys Ethan and Andrew, who were dealt from the ND Hounds at the trade deadline to the Grand Falls Rapids in New Brunswick. The quality of hockey out there has been predictably pretty good this year, given the monopoly on Canadian Junior A hockey they’ve mostly enjoyed! It looks like the goal is for teams in Nova Scotia to have a 36-game season, and the clubs outside to play 30.
8. The kids making the jump: It was made official this past week, though it wasn’t surprising in the least, that three SJHLers have been signed by their WHL clubs, and will join them for the rest of this season. The Yorkton Terriers’ two fine youngsters Vaughn Watterodt, a 2004-born forward, and 2003-born defenceman Ryan McCleary (whose dad Trent played in the NHL for Ottawa, Boston, and Montreal), will feature for Kamloops and Portland, respectively. Melville Millionaires’ 2003-born forward Chase Bertholet is the only one of the three that will feature in the Regina Hub, as he will rejoin the Winnipeg Ice, who he was called up for nine games last season out of the Prince Albert Mintos U18s. Congrats to all three! Excellent talents all.
9. Koho lands: If you have read my work at all, you know how much I like Notre Dame Hounds goaltender Riley Kohonick as a person and a player. Well, I am proud to announce that Koho has landed an NCAA spot, and will join numerous other SJHL alums at St. Norbert College next year! The Division III club, which already features fine former Melville Millionaires netminder Colby Entz, is located in Green Bay, WI, not far from Milwaukee, where Riley’s beloved Bucks NBA team is located! Not sure if they have an NFL team or not (full disclosure: I’m a huge Minnesota Vikings fan). Koho had three shutouts and a .920 save percentage on an ND Junior A team that struggled a year ago, and is another of those Hounds Telus Cup champs from 2018. Will miss him big-time!
10. Will I be in the rink?: Finally, I have already published two columns covering the Moose Jaw Warriors for the DUBNetwork, but as the Hub games are only days away, I still have no idea if I will be allowed in the rink itself! I’ve had numerous people message be saying “YOU’RE GOING TO LOVE THE HUB!”. Well, I’ll enjoy it and cover the Warriors well either way, but obviously I’d enjoy it more if I could cover it from the inside! Cross your fingers and toes for me please!

(Follow Jamie on Twitter at @Neugsie)

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