THUNDER BAY -- Three years ago, Keighan Gerrie and Kyle Auger were magical together with the Superior International Junior Hockey League champion Thunder Bay North Stars.
Gerrie, the playoff MVP, and Auger, the league's top defenceman in the regular season, each put up 102 points for a North Stars team that lost just seven times in 56 games and thoroughly dominated the opposition from start to finish.
This fall, the duo will have a chance to recreate that same magic at Fort William Gardens, after the Lakehead Thunderwolves on Thursday announced the commitment of Gerrie to join the OUA men's hockey team this fall.
The 21-year-old Gerrie says it's one of the things he's most looking forward to with the Wolves, a team that struggled offensively and defensively in 2020-21.
"I still keep in touch with Kyle, pretty much every day. We're pretty good friends and it will be really nice and exciting to get back on the ice with him," Gerrie said on Friday afternoon.
"He's a dynamic player, he's really good, so hopefully we can take a run at it."
It hasn't been smooth sailing for Gerrie since he left the Stars in 2019, journeying first to the Waterloo Blackhawks of the United States Hockey League. The speedy Thunder Bay forward only managed four goals and six points in 41 appearances, in what was supposed to be a stepping stone to Bowling Green University, a highly regarded NCAA Division 1 school.
Instead, Gerrie headed westward, joining the British Columbia Junior Hockey League's Nainaimo Clippers in 2020-21. He spent two seasons on the Island, scoring 16 goals and adding 17 assists in 46 games, and really came into his own in the 2022 post-season, scoring 7 goals and 13 points in 15 games.
It was a real confidence boost, he said.
"I played a lot more this year. It was good for the confidence, for sure, to just get back and keep reminding yourself that you can still play at a high level," Gerrie said. "It helped a lot, and then in the playoffs too, you get put in those late-game opportunities and it helps you feel good about yourself as a player."
As someone who grew up going to Thunderwolves games with his father and older brother, he's acutely aware of the team's history of excellence, even though the program has fallen on hard times of late, missing the playoffs last season, a rarity for T-Wolves team that was competing for national championships as recently the late 2000s.
"I grew up watching a lot of them play. I remember seeing coach (Andrew Wilkins) play for them. He was the captain. So that's kind of cool watching him. He was pretty good and now I'm playing for him," Gerrie said.
Wilkins, who started conversations with his latest acquisition last season, said Gerrie should be a great fit in the OUA.
“We are really excited to have Keighan join our team, he’s a player that brings a really good skill set to our forward group. Watching Keighan in Nanaimo this year, he continued to improve while producing at big moments during their playoff run,” Wilkins said.
“Keighan has the ability to play a fast dynamic game and we look forward to helping him continue his development process.”
Gerrie will join former North Stars teammate Kyle Auger, who will enter his third season on the blue-line with the Thunderwolves. The Thunder Bay-born forward spent time last year at Lakehead’s training camp.
