-
Fort Frances Minor Hockey Association
Emo's Luke Judson is one of four Northwestern Ontario players in Lakehead's 2012 five-player recruiting class.
Ten years ago the Lakehead Thunderwolves kept close to home for the bulk of their recruiting class.
The result landed them the likes of Bryan Duce, Mike Jacobsen and Murray Magill.
Hockey coach Joel Scherban is hoping to capture Northwestern Ontario magic all over again with the five-member strong 2012 recruiting class, a group that includes four players from Thunder Bay and surrounding communities.
Forwards Luke Cain and former Fort William North Stars standout Michael MacDonald hail from Thunder Bay, while Carson Dubchak calls Kenora home and Luke Judson, the worst-kept secret of the Thunderwolves off-season moves, comes from Emo.
Defenceman James DeLory, who red-shirted with the Wolves this season, is the lone outsider, growing up in Newmarket, Ont.
Dubchak, MacDonald and Judson were all captains with their Ontario Hockey League clubs, giving Scherban plenty of hope for the 2012-13 campaign.
“We think it’s a recruiting class that brings a varied wealth of skills and experience and it’s going to make our team a lot better,” Scherban said.
“This year it was an interesting year recruiting-wise, just because we don’t have that many holes to fill, only losing Mitch Maunu and Devin Welsh. We just wanted to target players who we thought could make our team better. You can never have enough grit or toughness and character players. Getting three OHL captains completely did that for us.”
MacDonald, who split his four-year OHL career between London and Sudbury, is a bit of a project, coming off an injury-plagued major junior experience that saw him play 60 games in his 45-point rookie campaign, then combine for just 84 more in three successive seasons.
“He’s a player with a great skill set and he’ll be one of the fastest players in the league,” Scherban said Tuesday, after unveiling the latest Thunderwolves.
MacDonald turns 21 next Tuesday and said the Wolves were really the best option to continue his career.
“I chose Lakehead because in my eyes, the Thunderwolves hockey program is the best in the CIS,” he said in a release. “On top of that, I get to play in my hometown in front of family and friends.”
Dubchak, 21, whose younger brother Brennen was a playoff hero for the North Stars this year, also spent four seasons in the OHL, all with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds where he was a teammate of current Wolves Mike Quesnele, Matt Caria and Jake Carrick.
“He’s great defensively and a great penalty killers,” Scherban said of Dubchak, a 16-goal scorer in his final season with the Greyhounds. “He had some pro options.”
Judson, who had a pair of tryouts with the San Jose Sharks, is a two-time 20-goal scorer with the Belleville Bulls, one of the most respected players in the OHL, Scherban said.
“He’s a really hardworking and complete player,” he added.
“Lakehead offers a great combination of academic and athletic opportunities and I’m looking forward to suiting up with the rest of the team this fall,” Judson said.
Luke Cain arrives back in Thunder Bay with just two years of CIS eligibility left, after spending three full seasons with Union College of the NCAA.
A 40-goal scorer in the British Columbia Junior Hockey League in 2007, Cain is the younger brother of former Thunderwolves winger Patrick Cain, who played with Lakehead in its inaugural season in 2001-02.
For Delory, a former two-year pro forced to sit out a season because of CIS rules, it’s all about getting back on the ice in meaningful competition.
A fourth-round pick of the Sharks in 2006, he spent four years with Oshawa, scoring 13 goals and 84 points while piling up 549 penalty minutes in 243 games.
“It was a long year for me last season watching from the sidelines,” he said. “I’m excited to be joining the guys on the ice this year.”
Claw marks: The Thunderwolves are still working on the schedule for the upcoming season and expect to have it released next month … Former Wolves captain Andrew Brown officiated in the second round of the OHL playoffs this year and is part of the NHL’s fast-track program … Scherban didn’t rule out the possibility of further recruits.