’Dogs introducing new pups to school, rink
14 draft picks and their families invited to take part in Rookie Orientation Day
“Student” in “student athlete” will be stressed Saturday when the Niagara IceDogs hosts their annual Rookie Orientation Day.
In addition to touring the Ontario Hockey League team’s facilities at Meridian Centre, players selected in the 2018 OHL Priority and Under-18 Priority drafts and their families will visit Governor Simcoe Secondary School in St. Catharines.
Tim Tope, the team’s academic advisor, will be at the high school designated for IceDogs players, as will billet co-ordinator Jill Saxton.
“This will give them an introduction to the strong support system in place for players,” the team said in posting on its website.
All 17 of the prospects selected in the drafts and their families are invited to take part in an event, which is not open to the public.
Rookie Orientation Day wraps up with a barbecue at J.J. Kapps.
The first opportunity for fans to see the team’s newest additions on the ice will be at training camp in August.
Last weekend, seven IceDogs draft picks, including first-round selection Lleyton Moore, represented their respective minor hockey associations at the OHL Gold Cup tournament in Kitchener.
A playmaking defenceman, Moore netted a goal and collected
four assists as the Greater Toronto Hockey League’s Team Blue defeated the GTHL’s other representative, Team Blue, 8-2 in the final.
Last season Moore had 16 goals and 34 assists in 54 games for the Toronto Marlboros in triple A minor midget.
Niagara’s second pick in the draft, forward Stephen Halliday, third round, 32nd overall; followed up a slow start to the tournament with a strong finish. He had a goal and three assists on the weekend and was named Team Blue’s player of the game in the final.
Halliday, who also played on the Marlboros, had 36 goals and 47 assists in 59 games in triple A minor midget.
Jake Uberti, fourth round, 72nd overall; led Team Blue, and all players in the tournament, in scoring with four goals and five assists. In minor midget Uberti had 11 goals and 20 assists in 33 games playing for the Mississauga Reps.
Niagara North Stars centre Ethan Sims, fifth round, 92nd overall; and Cameron Snow, seventh round, 132nd overall; had one goal and two goals, respectively, competing for Ontario Minor Hockey Association Team White, while Jacob Vreugdenhil, eighth round, 152nd overall; finished the tournament with a goal and three assists on the bronze medallist OMHA Black team.
Defenceman A.J. Favot, 14th round, 272nd overall; was a member of the Northern Ontario Hockey Association all-star team that won the consolation championship.