Trio of prospects prepping for OHL draft

Damien Giroux, Ethan Lavallee, Billy Moskal and their teammates have garnered a great deal of attention locally over the years, based on their respective skill sets on the hockey rink.

This year, however, comes the time to draw the attention of several new sets of eyes, they hope.

Come next spring, the first of the millenium hockey talent will be drafted into the OHL, with the afore-mentioned trio looking to join their counterpats with the Sudbury Minor Midget "AAA" Wolves, creating a buzz around Northern Ontario prospects.

"It's a big year, I'm looking forward to it," said Lavallee, now standing 6'7" and looking increasingly comfortable in that frame. "I've been preparing hard for it."

A few years have passed since Lavallee first stood out, towering well above the height of the next closest player on his team. Still, the imposing blueliner knows all too well that size alone will not get one drafted.

"I have to keep moving the puck fast, keep my feet moving, being good in the defensive zone, and contributing offensively a bit, too," he said. "That's what I've been working on."

While the Minor Midget Wolves will undertake a tournament schedule that is very much in line with similar local teams, in prior years, who have tried to allow players in their OHL draft year to compete with their counterparts across the province, their games between tournaments are vastly different.

For the first time since the inception of the Great North Midget League in the mid-1980's, the loop will allow carded minor midget teams to compete, with both Sudbury and Sault Ste Marie icing entries.

"I'm looking forward to it," said Lavallee. "It's going to be good. Bigger, stronger guys will prepare us a lot better for tournaments." While there are unlikely to be too many opponents that are bigger than Lavallee, the same cannot be said for Giroux.

Perenially the leading scorer, in his age group, for as long as anyone can remember, the Valley East native acknowledges a gradual transformation in his game over the years. "My game had to change," he maintained.

"It's no longer just skate around defensemen. It's a grind now. You have to work for those goals, create opportunities." Thankfully, there are the trademark Giroux assets that have provided a foundation from which to build - great hands, incredible creativity, wonderful hockey sense, and speed/quickness.

"Speed is a big factor for me, especially not being the biggest guy on the ice," he said. "I have to be more explosive, just find a way around those defensemen. I'll have to work just as hard in the defensive zone, to make sure I get the puck moving offensively."

The Sudbury-Nickel City rivalry, within this particular age bracket, has been lengthy and well-documented. It's grown, over the years, as the teams moved closer to attaining parity, with both the Wolves and Sons taking turns enjoying bragging rights at various times.

Now, they all come together. "We've been playing against each other for quite a while now," noted Giroux. "Gelling as a team, getting to know each other, will be key. Getting that team chemistry going is a big factor."

And beyond getting to know each other, there is a new coach thrown into the mix. Former Sudbury Wolves' defenseman Shawn Frappier, a veteran of more than 300 professional hockey games in outposts such as Grand Rapids, Johnstown and Corpus Christi, tackles the challenge of minor midget "AAA" hockey for the first time in his coaching career.

With the season-opening Toronto Titans Tournament only two weeks away, the Wolves will head off to Toronto this weekend, participating in an exhibition weekend set that sees Sudbury facing the Vaughan Kings, Toronto Titans, Brampton 45's and Oakville Rangers.