THUNDER BAY – With 11 new faces breaking camp with the team, Andrew Wilkins says the pressure is on his veterans to step up and help the Lakehead Thunderwolves men's hockey program take the next step in its journey to become a national championship contender.
Wilkins, entering his seventh season behind the bench of the Thunderwolves, said it’s a great opportunity for all of his returnees to show they’ve got what it takes to help lead the team back to prominence, just a year-and-a-half removed from an appearance in the OUA’s bronze-medal game.
“I think we asked a lot of our players and our expectations of our players is high,” Wilkins said on Tuesday, after awarding third-year forward Josh Van Unen the team’s player of the month award for September, which saw the team win three of its four non-conference games.
“I think for our program to move forward, our returning players are going to have to take a step forward, leading by example, and be consistent on a night-by-night basis. We like the depth of our team. We also feel like the new guys bring in a certain ingredient that we need as well.”
That said, Wilkins isn’t about to put any pressure on specific individuals, whether it’s a sophomore like Nick DeGrazia, who put up a team-high 13 goals and 25 points in his rookie campaign, or third-year forward Keighan Gerrie, whose goal total slipped from 15 to eight last season, but whose overall point total increased from 18 to 19.
This year’s club includes plenty of new faces, including Swedish import Malte Hasselgren, a 20-goal scorer last season in the North American Hockey League, and Justin Paul, a Thunder Bay native who spent four seasons south of the border at St. Lawrence University.
It’s the sum of all parts, Wilkins said.
“The style we want to play is all about the team. It’s not about any individuals. I think we’re going to need everybody to be at the top of their game for us to be successful,” he said.
It’ll be interesting to see how Paul and fellow NCAA recruit, goaltender Carson Cherepak, readjust to the Canadian game.
It never hurts to bring in talent like that, even if they’re only here for a season or two, Wilkins said.
“(Justin) was an NCAA captain for a reason. He’s a high-character person and he works extremely hard. He plays in all situations. He can play the wing, he can play centre. He’s been really solid for us. And Carson has been really good for us too," Wilkins added.
“He’s been good in practice, obviously pushing (Christian Cicigoi). We have a lot of confidence in our goaltending with Christian and Carson.”
The biggest test yet this season arrives on Friday, when the Thunderwolves open their 24th season hosting the Toronto Varsity Blues at Fort William Gardens. Toronto finished 17-10-1 last season, five points better than Lakehead’s 14-12-2 mark.
They’re always a tough opponent, Wilkins said.
“We have a lot of respect for them," he added. "They’ve had a really good recruiting class. They look like they’ve had a strong preseason.
"I think whenever we’ve played Toronto, if we’re not on our game, we’re not getting the results. We have to be fast, we have to get to our style as quickly as possible and just dictate the game. I think it can go either way, but if we’re playing the way we can, we’ll give ourselves the best chance.”
Game time Friday and Saturday night is 7 p.m.
