It’s getting harder and harder to track young local hockey talent with every passing year.

A couple of decades ago, it was merely a matter of figuring out which aged-out midgets (or those maybe a year or two younger) had bolted from the north in search of greener junior hockey pastures in southern Ontario.

These days, the exodus can occur as early as the U12 season, the first year of AAA competition in the boys ranks within the NOHA. At U16 AAA (boys) and U18 AA (girls) age brackets, it’s become pretty much a given that at least a small handful leave Sudbury as we try and tap into word of mouth and such to get some sort of a feel for the lay of the land of the new season.

(as has been mentioned before, given that there is no easy way to track local talent once they leave Sudbury, it should not come as a shock that not every single out-of-town prospect is listed here – that is not the intent of this column; that said, any information regarding teenagers not mentioned is welcomed by to Randy Pascal at info@sudburysports.com)

Adjustments are many for those northern kids typically heading south.

For talented draft eligible (OHL) forward Dacey Dupuis, the fact that former Sudbury teammate Owen Angus joins him at his new billet home in the GTA is a definite plus. Not to mention the fact that he already had connections with a Markham Majors program which earned silver medals at the U15 AAA All-Ontario Championships last spring (with Dupuis, Angus and the balance of the Sudbury Wolves crew sliding into fifth place, falling short of their semi-final objective).

“They (Markham) have always been a winning team and they play the right way,” said Dupuis, a 15 year-old who is noted for his offensive flair and playmaking abilities. “Just watching them in tournament or playing against them, they always have a great system.”

“They play a really good team game.”

Other than Angus, Dupuis would know his new teammates only by name as he left for his earliest of 2025-2026 practice sessions last month. “I’m just going to keep doing what I have been doing, keep talking,” he said. “Not everybody is good at communicating. I think it’s something that has been working so hopefully it can translate into having more success.”

For as much as it was not the least bit unusual to find Dupuis’ name in the goal scoring department as his Sudbury AAA crew aged up through the ranks (the Nickel City U13 AAA Sons won silver at the all-Ontario playdowns in Thunder Bay in April of 2023), the young man who moves from his french high-school (E.S. Macdonald-Cartier) to Everest Academy believes there is still more than he can give in this department.

“I want to work on being faster and quicker up ice, being able to beat guys and get my shot off quickly,” said Dupuis. “I feel like I haven’t been shooting enough. I have a pretty good shot and a quick release. I have to start using it more.”

Joining Dupuis and Angus in taking their game south this winter are U15 AAA Wolves teammates Cooper Niquet and Ty Imbeau, both with the York Simcoe Express. Preston Hebert (nephew to long-time NHLer Derek MacKenzie) will also be one to watch, having cracked the roster of the Toronto U16 AAA Marlboros as an underager after starring with the Sudbury U14 AAA Wolves last year.

On the girls side of the equation, the numbers are even higher, with the likes of Kalia Pharand (Mississauga Hurricanes), Adrielle Charette (Barrie Sharks) and Olivia Carriere (Cambridge Rivulettes) all returning back to the OWHL – and all having committed to NCAA programs.

That, of U Sports, of course is the end goal for the young women such as Alexa Labrecque and Sophie Gauld (both with the Toronto Aeros), Sadie Frantz (joining Charette in Barrie), Sarah McKechnie (Southwest Wildcats) and the North York Storm trio of Kaitlyn Earl, Makayla Dunn (committed to Nipissing) and Laryssa Mayer. (still trying to locate Whitney Basso on line)

Back to the lads for a second as both Gradie Dale and Sam Piette are off to the BioSteel Sports Academy in Windsor, signing on with their 18U program. And for as much as finding anything close to an overarching on-line presence that clearly identifies young hockey talent by their hometown and current team is essentially impossible, the transactions page of Elite Prospects always seems to come up with something interesting.

Case in point: Camilo Rodrigue-Melo began his AAA hockey career in 2011-2012 with the SMHA entry and continued to develop here for the next three years. He resurfaced (to my attention) in 2019-2020, suiting up with the Espanola Express of the NOJHL.

These days?

Well, lo and behold, the now 25 year-old defenseman is preparing for his 5th season of Division II hockey in Finland, moving from IFK Lepplax to Titaanit this fall. Of course, that same source of information also made note of the fact that former Wolves’ blueliner Andre Anania had signed on with the Allen Americans after lacing up for his first year in the ECHL with the Savannah Ghost Pirates.

This & That: In doing more Sudbury Sports Hall of Fame research, I came across the following gem – in May of 1965, Nickel District Collegiate played host to the first ever high-school girls track and field championship in Sudbury. A few days later, the boys were hosting their 24th annual city championships.

Individual aggregate champions at that inaugural meet were seniors Sue Macksymczuk (Sudbury High) and Roslyn Wilson (Nickel District Collegiate) as well as junior champion Tasie McCullough (Lockerby Composite).

Sudbury Rockhounds rock solid netminder Mason Robertson was awarded the Centennial Award as the top goaltender in the OLA (Ontario Lacrosse Association) U22 A Division this summer.

Kicking off tournament play with an appearance at the Stoney Creek U18 AA Showcase this weekend, coach André Brunette and the Sudbury Lady Wolves dropped a 3-1 decision to Team Illinois on Friday morning, with Culver Academy, the Belleville Bearcats and Scarborough Sharks all on the docket ahead.

With six affiliated players dressed for the pre-season game with the Blind River Beavers, it’s a given that the early January lineup for the Greater Sudbury Cubs is likely to bear little resemblance to the team that took to the ice last night at Countryside Arena. Still, it was interesting to note that Wolves prospects Mateo Beites (goaltender) and Jonathan Varela (defenceman) were both part of the mix.