2023 U Sports Recruiting

[AUS Fan]

Zach Welsh, assigned to Truro Bearcats. Now going to DAL.

Jackson DeSousa, 5 years with Kelowna. Only played past 2 seasons and didn't put up any numbers.

I can check these guys on Saturday.

Alexis Daniel, 3 years with Moncton Wildcats. 40 points last season.

 

[Campy]

Al

Zach Welsh, assigned to Truro Bearcats. Now going to DAL.

Jackson DeSousa, 5 years with Kelowna. Only played past 2 seasons and didn't put up any numbers.

I can check these guys on Saturday.

Alexis Daniel, 3 years with Moncton Wildcats. 40 points last season.

Alexis Daniel is playing for West Kent (Bouctouche) in the MHL Junior A. See he is on the LOI 24/25 for U de Moncton

 

[AUS Fan]

Al


Alexis Daniel is playing for West Kent (Bouctouche) in the MHL Junior A. See he is on the LOI 24/25 for U de Moncton

Yup. I'm guessing he'll be on their roster. We need Timbit to check that out.

 

[UNB Bruins Fan]

Curious if anyone knows what’s going on with Nathan Larose? A one time UNB recruit who opted to go pro and played AHL/ECHL for a season, putting up good numbers in the coast…he then showed up on McGill’s roster as a redshirt last season and played in the LNAH (to regain his eligibility I assume)…but he is no longer on McGill’s roster and looks like he is playing in the LNAH again. Seems like such a strange path for a talented player at that age.

 

[AUS Fan]

Guys do strange things sometimes.

 

[AUS Fan]

A bit of movement in September:

Sam King (F)	Saint Mary's Univ.	Wichita Thunder
Jacob Wright (F)	Calgary Hitmen	Univ. of British Columbia
Patrick Kyte (D)	St. Francis Xavier Univ.	Univ. of New Brunswick
Rylan Lefebvre (F)	Nipawin Hawks	Grant MacEwan Univ.
Scott Walford (D)	McGill Univ.	Tampa Bay Lightning
Conor Vanden Heuvel (D)	Comox Valley Glacier Kings	Univ. of Toronto
Nicholas Primomo (F)	St. Michael's Buzzers	Univ. of Toronto
Zachary Roberts (F)	Univ. of Guelph	Toronto Metro Univ.
William Sirman (F)	Queen's Univ.	Toronto Metro Univ.
Carson Gallagher (F)	SUNY-Plattsburgh	Toronto Metro Univ.
Jaden Condotta (D)	Aurora Univ.	Toronto Metro Univ.
Cole Cameron (D)	Univ. of Guelph	Toronto Metro Univ.
Danil Antropov (F)	Univ. of Prince Edward Island	Toronto Metro Univ.
Daniil Grigoryev (F)	Krasnaya Armiya Moskva	Toronto Metro Univ.
Ty Collins (F)	Haliburton County Huskies	Toronto Metro Univ.
Nicolas Pavan (F)	Terrebonne Cobras	McGill Univ.
Ventsislav Shingarov (G)	Saint John Sea Dogs	Wilfrid Laurier Univ.
Caleb Petrie (F)	Univ. of Mary	Wilfrid Laurier Univ.
Mitch Casey (D)	Stratford Fighting Irish	Wilfrid Laurier Univ.
Nicolas Ouellet (F)	Univ. of Ottawa	Norfolk Admirals
Devon Skoleski (F)	Univ. of Manitoba	Wichita Thunder

 

[FreddyFoyle]

TMU got themselves a lot of transfers.

 

[AUS Fan]

TMU got themselves a lot of transfers.

Loading up to host this year.
Roberts and Cameron are both 4 yrs at Guelph, Sirman was 3 at Queens and Antropov was 2 at UPEI plus the Covid year. Guessing they're all doing post-grad.

 

[MiamiHockeyII]

TMU got themselves a lot of transfers.

Looks like they are trying to ice two teams at the UCup.

I get that hosting the UCup makes you attractive, but as a Coach I would not want a 30-man roster. I am not sure what they are trying to achieve by bringing in that many players. It's unruly, and with that size of a roster, that many transfers, and being in downtown Toronto I wish them luck building any team chemistry at all.

I am also puzzled by some of their transfers who won't move the needle at all ... like the two players transferring in from NCAA Div III (Gallagher and Condotta). No offence to those young men, but if you're trying to win a UCup why occupy two roster spots with players of that calibre?

 

[FreddyFoyle]

TMU lists 29 players, including 2 goalies, on their roster for their games against UNB later this week. No idea how many are travelling to Fredericton.

Loading up to host this year.
Roberts and Cameron are both 4 yrs at Guelph, Sirman was 3 at Queens and Antropov was 2 at UPEI plus the Covid year. Guessing they're all doing post-grad.

Roberts and Cameron are listed as MBA students in the latest TMU roster spreadsheet. Sirman as a Law student. Antropov as Business Management.

 

[AUS Fan]

Looks like they are trying to ice two teams at the UCup.

I get that hosting the UCup makes you attractive, but as a Coach I would not want a 30-man roster. I am not sure what they are trying to achieve by bringing in that many players. It's unruly, and with that size of a roster, that many transfers, and being in downtown Toronto I wish them luck building any team chemistry at all.

I am also puzzled by some of their transfers who won't move the needle at all ... like the two players transferring in from NCAA Div III (Gallagher and Condotta). No offence to those young men, but if you're trying to win a UCup why occupy two roster spots with players of that calibre?

I agree with the comment on the NCAA guys. Not very often do NCAA guys have a big impact in CIS hockey.

Stephen Maltby came to DAL from Yale, where he had 1 good year out of 3. His numbers at DAL were decent the 2 years he was there.

Malts could squat about a thousand pounds. Huge quads and glutes. Obviously different off-ice training at Yale than we had at DAL..

 

[RED ARMY EAST]

I agree with the comment on the NCAA guys. Not very often do NCAA guys have a big impact in CIS hockey.

Stephen Maltby came to DAL from Yale, where he had 1 good year out of 3. His numbers at DAL were decent the 2 years he was there.

Malts could squat about a thousand pounds. Huge quads and glutes. Obviously different off-ice training at Yale than we had at DAL..

These are division 3 players, not div 1, so I can't see any impact coming from them at all?

 

[hockeyinsiderusports]

These are division 3 players, not div 1, so I can't see any impact coming from them at all?

Keep eye on JadenCondotta

 

[AUS Fan]

These are division 3 players, not div 1, so I can't see any impact coming from them at all?

I didn't realize that they were D3. Fully agree with you.

 

[dm8895]

Keep eye on JadenCondotta

Yeah 43 points in 53 games as a D-man in the OJ isn’t to be slept on, doubt he sets the world on fire but could easily turn into a serviceable defenceman for them.

 

[RED ARMY EAST]

TMU got themselves a lot of transfers.

Wow, that is boat load of transfers!

 

[dm8895]

Wow, that is boat load of transfers!

I feel like the combo of getting a guaranteed spot at nationals and living in Toronto(can’t say I’d want to) is quite the draw.
I know Antropov was born in Toronto and his dad currently is working with the Leafs so I can’t blame the guy for going home instead of staying out east and fighting for the last playoff spot .

 

[AUS Fan]

I feel like the combo of getting a guaranteed spot at nationals and living in Toronto(can’t say I’d want to) is quite the draw.
I know Antropov was born in Toronto and his dad currently is working with the Leafs so I can’t blame the guy for going home instead of staying out east and fighting for the last playoff spot .

I'm with you on the "not wanting to live in Toronto", but lots of people do.

 

[timbitca]

I'm with you on the "not wanting to live in Toronto", but lots of people do.

And they're all crazy. I don't think you could pay me enough to live in Toronto or Montreal or any other big city. Heck, Moncton is getting almost too big for me some days. After all, I'm still a (partially) reformed farm boy.

 

[AdamMcg83]

I didn't realize that they were D3. Fully agree with you.

This might be a case of the AUS guys forgetting what it's like to have to build programs in Ontario! We shouldn't assume that a DIII NCAA transfer won't make an impact - there are a tonne of talented kids that forego major junior for the NCAA, only to get passed over by bigger programs. Then, once they get down to the states, their D3 "full ride" isn't as full as they think.
One example, by the way: now-NHL Linesman Andrew Smith was a high-end Jr B player who went the SUNY route for a year. When he came back north and joined Waterloo, he scored 21 goals in 42 career games.

 

[AUS Fan]

This might be a case of the AUS guys forgetting what it's like to have to build programs in Ontario! We shouldn't assume that a DIII NCAA transfer won't make an impact - there are a tonne of talented kids that forego major junior for the NCAA, only to get passed over by bigger programs. Then, once they get down to the states, their D3 "full ride" isn't as full as they think.
One example, by the way: now-NHL Linesman Andrew Smith was a high-end Jr B player who went the SUNY route for a year. When he came back north and joined Waterloo, he scored 21 goals in 42 career games.

Sorry. My intent wasn't to disparage all D3 players, but to point out the "obvious" - that Jr B, D3, a lot of Jr A players aren't "as good" as CHL players. That's a fact. There will always be the exception but 95% of those players don't make an impact on most teams. A team like TMU who are hosting the Nationals could do better.

Having said all this, I'll keep and eye on these guys and see how they do once the puck drops.

 

[AdamMcg83]

Sorry. My intent wasn't to disparage all D3 players, but to point out the "obvious" - that Jr B, D3, a lot of Jr A players aren't "as good" as CHL players. That's a fact. There will always be the exception but 95% of those players don't make an impact on most teams. A team like TMU who are hosting the Nationals could do better.

Having said all this, I'll keep and eye on these guys and see how they do once the puck drops.

Totally understandable point! And that's very true - players from the D3/Jr A/Jr B ranks are often less impactful than those coming from the CHL.
I did a poor job conveying my larger point, which is that those players often make more of an impact in the OUA than the AUS, because the CHL grad ratio is way higher out east. So, while non-CHL grads might make less of an impact on the conference you're most familiar with, I think those players might have more of a chance to be impactful on an OUA team.

 

[MiamiHockeyII]

This might be a case of the AUS guys forgetting what it's like to have to build programs in Ontario! We shouldn't assume that a DIII NCAA transfer won't make an impact - there are a tonne of talented kids that forego major junior for the NCAA, only to get passed over by bigger programs. Then, once they get down to the states, their D3 "full ride" isn't as full as they think.
One example, by the way: now-NHL Linesman Andrew Smith was a high-end Jr B player who went the SUNY route for a year. When he came back north and joined Waterloo, he scored 21 goals in 42 career games.

I'm not an AUS guy - I've been involved in building multiple OUA rosters, including rosters that competed at the UCup.

What you say about Jr A/B players going DIII has some merit, and there are a very select few who return to USports. But, with all due respect to Andrew Smith - who did not win a single OUA playoff game in his 2 years at Waterloo - they are not the types of players who move the needle at the UCup. I would challenge you to find a single player who fit that bill and even played in the UCup.

Many UCup contenders have a smattering of veteran ex Jr A players in depth roles (ex-SJHLer Evan Vossen scored the UCup OT winning goal for McGill). I know that many good players come from Jr A/B, but my point was that it's odd for Ryerson to bring in those types of players as the 26th and 27th guys on a roster hosting the UCup. Better players exist, and you don't need to be Mensa to attend TMU.

There are always exceptions to rules. NHLer Mathieu Darche was a walk-on at McGill, NHLer Bracken Kearns walked on at UCalgary ... but each of those guys scored zero goals in their first USports campaign.

Point being, NCAA DIII is one tier below USports, and two tiers below the UCup. We could all be grossly underestimating these players, but I'd willingly bet that neither even plays in the UCup.

 

[hockeyinsiderusports]

I'm not an AUS guy - I've been involved in building multiple OUA rosters, including rosters that competed at the UCup.

What you say about Jr A/B players going DIII has some merit, and there are a very select few who return to USports. But, with all due respect to Andrew Smith - who did not win a single OUA playoff game in his 2 years at Waterloo - they are not the types of players who move the needle at the UCup. I would challenge you to find a single player who fit that bill and even played in the UCup.

Many UCup contenders have a smattering of veteran ex Jr A players in depth roles (ex-SJHLer Evan Vossen scored the UCup OT winning goal for McGill). I know that many good players come from Jr A/B, but my point was that it's odd for Ryerson to bring in those types of players as the 26th and 27th guys on a roster hosting the UCup. Better players exist, and you don't need to be Mensa to attend TMU.

There are always exceptions to rules. NHLer Mathieu Darche was a walk-on at McGill, NHLer Bracken Kearns walked on at UCalgary ... but each of those guys scored zero goals in their first USports campaign.

Point being, NCAA DIII is one tier below USports, and two tiers below the UCup. We could all be grossly underestimating these players, but I'd willingly bet that neither even plays in the UCup.

A lot of top end talent are in coast at this moment, therefore, a lot teams had to fill needs wherever they could find talent /bodies etc.

Ontario schools will always play second fiddle to Aus for many reason on “chl “ player recruitment/market!

As for TMU they had 4 rumour commitments from players who are in echl to start year!

I Expect a lot of “returning chl grads “ to return in December this year

 

[dm8895]

A lot of top end talent are in coast at this moment, therefore, a lot teams had to fill needs wherever they could find talent /bodies etc.

Ontario schools will always play second fiddle to Aus for many reason on “chl “ player recruitment/market!

As for TMU they had 4 rumour commitments from players who are in echl to start year!

I Expect a lot of “returning chl grads “ to return in December this year

Patrick Grandmaitre was talking about trying to find project players especially early in the rebuild of the program in tier 2 and US Junior leagues that by year 4 can be at the level of a CHL grad, how a lot of teams have to recruit based off of what the player could be by year 3-4 and not what they are immediately. We are all kind of in a bubble in the AUS where we think it’s normal for a team like Dal to be full of 50+ point CHL’ers .
Lakehead is a good example of a team that has limited CHL players but are very creative with who they take. I watched Spencer Blackwell play a ton in Jr.A and you could tell the talent was their but very few AUS teams would consider him as an option and now look what he’s doing.