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The first look at Levin and the rooks (3 photos)

Four rookies cracked the Sudbury Wolves lineup during the course of this past season, and the feel around the rink during the annual Orientation Camp is, rookies could have a major role on the squad for the upcoming season.
Four rookies cracked the Sudbury Wolves lineup during the course of this past season, and the feel around the rink during the annual Orientation Camp is, rookies could have a major role on the squad for the upcoming season.

There was a sense of optimism in the confines of the Gerry McCrory Countryside Sports Complex this weekend, as Sudbury Wolves fans and management got a look at their first overall pick David Levin and the rest of the rookie crew.

In total, 22 players, including all 15 draft picks from the 2015 OHL Priority Draft, took part in the annual camp.

The club is excited, but cracking the lineup will be up to the young guns.

“I see this year being similar to last year, where we start the year off with two or three 16-year-olds, but that’s up to them,” said president and General Manager Blaine Smith. “They have to show they belong, and they have to show they can perform at a level as good as the older players that they’re competing against.”

This is the fifth time for the Wolves taking the top pick since 1981.

But this draft class that also saw four more players coming in the first three rounds will build to an already young core.

“If you look at our team, the formation, our core group is our young players,” said Smith. “This draft was critical to our success for the next three or four years.”

Under OHL rules, only four 16 year-old players can be on the roster at one time, which to Shane Bulitka will mean some tough competition.

“There is a good intensity level at the practices, there is a lot of skill here, and I think everyone wants to make the team. Everyone is battling for those four spots. The draft doesn’t mean much after, and it’s about what you put in the off season and tryouts.”

Bulitka was picked in the second round, 28th overall, by the Wolves from the Elgin-Middlesex Chiefs 1999 Minor Midget team, where he tallied 59 points in 32 games.

The goal of the camp is to see where players are at, advise them where they should be heading, and to see what kind of commitment level each player has before they come back for training camp.

Head Coach Dave Matsos looks for a certain kind of leadership in younger players.

“For an underage kid, sometimes quiet is better. There is still a pecking order, and I think these guys just need to go on the ice and lead by example. You saw Kyle Capobianco, a 16 year-old, wear a letter this year, so it won’t be long until these players develop into a leadership role,” said Matsos.

Smith said they looked to the draft that exact type of player.

“I think the first six players we drafted wore a letter on their team. That’s the kind of quality we want from our guys, we want them to be focused and be serious about hockey, their education and being a good person. That along with their skill set is reason they are here.”

David Levin looked like the type of player who could crack the opening day lineup as he showed the hands and quickness that saw him tally 80 points in 55 games for the Don Mills Flyers this past season.

Levin said he wants to be a team-first player and to make everyone around him better.

“It’s important for me to be a leader here, it’s important to show that a kid from Israel has never given up, but I also want to be a leader here and push everyone forward so I can show why they took me first overall.”

Any prediction of where the Wolves will end up next year is anybody’s guess, but there is confidence that if this group and the young core that is in place can stay healthy and stay together, this Wolves team will surprise down the road.

“It was a terrible season from a point standpoint, but it was a great season from a development standpoint. Then you get to draft a David Levin first overall, I put my reputation on the fact that these players that we selected in the last couple years will carry the Sudbury Wolves to much greater things in the future,” said Smith.

The rookies finish the weekend with a scrimmage on Sunday and then will head back to their respective cities to take what they have learned, put it to use, and battle it out when training camp opens up.

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