After a season defending their first ever title ended in disappointment trying to defend said title, the Mitchell Hawks are looking forward to chasing down the Pollock Division crown they lost last year.
GM Scott Bridge had a busy summer, having to replace some of the remaining holdovers from the 2022 championship team. Following a second place finish this year that saw the Hawks put out the best defence in the league with just 101 goals allowed, Mitchell will still have a great returning cast to try and climb the mountain all over again. With Assistant Coach Holdyn Lansink moving to the Listowel Cyclones bench, and legendary coach Louis Livingston retiring (is it REALLY over Louis?), a change on the bench is coming as longtime assistant Ken Jacklin takes over as bench boss. It will be more of the same under Ken, who's one of the sharpest hockey minds and strategists around.
Not returning this year is captain and soul of the team, Mark Cassidy. A 41 point season continued his elite 200 foot game, as Cassidy showed heart and leadership combined with skills that were equally as sharp when scoring as they were taking key draws and shutting down opposing team's top lines. He will be a hard guy to replace. Dynamic scorer Tyson Hall also aged out, following another great year that saw him score 32 points. He was a fixture on the power play and won a lot of key face offs. Brayden Burdett, who made a habit of scoring huge clutch goals, also departs following a 31 point year. Charlie Rankin, a smash mouth defender who made every opponent pay for cutting in near him, will also not be back due to age, rounding out a veteran core in Mitchell that will be tough to replace. Other players who could have returned but won't for various reasons include hard hitting forward Jared LeSouder, who's defensive acumen will be missed. Aidan McMann, a gritty defenceman, also won't return as he heads up north for school. Nolan Gagnier, following a solid 23 point outing, was moved out in a deal with Goderich. Caleb Musselman, who is at school in London, was moved to North Middlesex. Isaac Sturgeon, an OA this year, was dealt to the Lucan Irish to play closer to home in London. This is plenty of turnover, but, there's lots of retuning guys to be excited about alongside a rush of new signings.
Up front, the Hawks will return second leading point getter Andrew Gysbers, who had 38 points and led the team in goals with 20. His shot is as good as any sniper in the division and with more weight put on him offensively, he could crack 30 for sure. Joining Gysbers are two impressive rookies from last year who each had 16 points in Jonathan Tenhag and Hayden Hessel, who GM Bridge says will both be relied on to up their production and help invigorate the goals output. Talbot Geiger, a 9 point rookie from last year, will also get a healthy dose of increased ice time allowing him to show off his impressive wheels. Dawson Dietz, yet another rookie from last year, also looks to take a jump up the lineup following a 6 point outing further down the lines last year. Both of those guys are Mitchell natives and have a lot of pride in the team and representing their hometown. Ben Tenhag, Jonathan's older brother, was acquired in a deal with Mount Forest. Ben, a 20-year-old this year, put up 23 points for the title winning Pats last year and will instantly be a go-to-guy for this Mitchell group. Ethan Pearce, brought in from Goderich in the Gagnier deal, had 20 points last year for the Flyers and will also be a key contributor as a veteran. The Hawks will also, as always, welcome some local minor hockey products into the team, including from the Stratford Minor Hockey program, to supplement a solid looking lineup with a good mix of young and old.
Defensively, Mitchell was stifling last year as the best team at shutting opponents down. It could very well be the same story this year. Returning is top scoring defender Callan Ferguson, whose 30 points in 36 games puts him among the best offensive blueliners in the league. He will be counted on for monstrous minutes in all situations, and as one of the best conditioned guys around, he will handle it no problem. He's joined by second year defender Brayden Vosper, who showed he could more than handle the rough and tumble nature of the league last year with some punishing hits. Brady Brezynskie, who can fly with the puck on his stick, also comes back to help do damage on special teams after an 18 point outing in only 33 games. He can take a big leap forward in terms of points, but his defensive recoveries and ability to skate with anyone makes him so valuable in his own zone. Cole Baier, a rookie this year out of the vaunted Huron Perth Lakers program, is an exciting prospect that comes in as a 17-year-old with a lot of offensive upside. Carter Coates, a Listowel Cyclone last year, also comes in via trade to offer more veteran grit and defensive stability. Carter Musselman rounds out a great defensive group that can easily challenge for top defensive team again. Musselman, a third year Hawk, can play forward when needed, speaking to his extremely high hockey IQ and ability to help out in any situation. Callum McMann, a brusing defender and excellent leader who always sets the tone physically, will be back and, will serve as captain. This is a very intimidating blue line that the Hawks will ice this season.
In goal, standout starter Josh Jacklin returns after a sparkling season. Jacklin went 14-10-2-2 with a 2.56 GAA and unreal .927 save percentage with 3 shutouts. He will challenge for goalie of the year and maybe even MVP, he's simply that good. Liam Griffin, a Stratford Minor Hockey product, will backup Jacklin. GM Bridge said he was high on his radar last year and he made sure to ink his signature for the season.
The Mitchell Hawks, despite losing a lot of what remained from their past title core, have retooled and stacked up a team with a lot of potential at every position. One thing is for sure, they aren't going to be fun to play against again this season.
For a full interview with Mitchell Hawks GM Scott Bridge, click here courtesy of the Instigating with Clarkey and Drury show:
