After many long years of being a consistent title contender, and often title winner, the Walkerton Hawks have had some tougher seasons of late.
Despite still being a competitive team, the Hawks have had recent seasons plagued by injury, player unavailability, and seemingly at times a disinterest in being the best team possible. Walkerton aim to change that this year under new GM Chum McAskil and new Head Coach Brad Tiley, who both return to the Hawks after a long spell away. The Hawks are going younger as they retool on the fly, and it should help vault them back up the standings.
Offensively, Walkerton fell off from recent seasons last year, scoring the third fewest goals (136). However, they still possess excellent scorers, and will have a great returning cast burning to improve on last year. Top scorers Spencer Elder and Gary Mantz have both moved on, but team captain and all around great player Justin Donnelly will return to lead the Hawks. Donnelly had another solid season last year (31 points) and despite not being elite at anything, he's just rock solid at every aspect of the game. Brady Stewart will be given every opportunity to seize top line minutes after scoring 24 points last year, and Ryan Shaw is eligible to return, too after scoring 18 points in a shortened season due to school commitments. Another 20 point scorer in Owen Torrie also returns (23 points), and GM Chum McAskil is also excited about new faces like Kyle Durrer from the South Bruce Midget program. Durrer scored the shootout winner in the OFSAA Championship for Sacred Heart High, and has a clutch gene and nose for the net.
The blue line will see a bit of an overhaul for Walkerton, but there is a solid returning cast mixed with a youth movement as GM Chum McAskil works his 3-year plan. Defensively last year the Hawks were okay, allowing the 3rd most goals at 179. Sturdy defender Brenden Welsh has aged out, meaning Austin Vanwyck will be the de facto number 1 after scoring 15 points last year while providing a sturdy and physical defensive presence. The youth will get opportunities right away, including youngster Jordan Borth, who also played for the OFSAA champs from Sacred Heart last year. Both McAskil and Head Coach Brad Tiley are really high on his puck moving and rushing ability. Grey-Bruce Highlanders product Reid Vandolder also will get a chance to prove his worth, as he looks to be a solid stay at home defender who can quickly strip pucks from opponents and get it up ice to forwards in flight. Vandolder has the potential to be a top end defender at this level, and he actually played in 6 games for the Hawks last year, amassing 2 assists. The Hawks are leaning on young guys to hopefully build a league leading blue line in a couple seasons.
In the crease, the Hawks are able to return sensational crease guardian Matthew Donnelly, brother of captain Justin. Just 2 years ago, Matthew was Rookie of the Year, and remains one of the top Jr. C goalies in the entire league. Despite having a weaker defense last year, Donnelly was able to amass a 10-19-1 record in a staggering 31 appearances, with 1 shutout, a 3.68 GAA and a solid .896 save percentage. Very impressive numbers considering the much higher volume of shots he faced compared to year one. He is the backbone of this team and their hopes for playoff glory are heavily resting on his shoulders. For my money, the best glove hand in the division, by the way.
Overall, the Walkerton Hawks are hoping this year can be stage 1 of a rebuilding process that sees them become the dominant power of the Pollock Division once more. They have great young pieces supplemented by hard working veterans at every position, and how far they go will depend on a healthy season for once, and how quickly the youth infusion takes hold of the league. The Hawks open the year Friday, September 13th at home against Mitchell at 8:20 pm. For more on the upcoming Walkerton Hawks season, check out the full length interview below with GM Chum McAskil:
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