AAA hockey coach Trevor Blanchard cited this as a very unofficial stat - but one which stuck with him just the same.

According to one of the parents from the 2025-2026 Sudbury U13 AAA Wolves team that posted a season record of 29-28-4, no less than 16 of their 28 losses came by just one goal.

It's small wonder that as he prepares to make the move with his team as they welcome the challenge that is full-scale body checking next year, he is thrilled to bring aboard what he hopes will be a little bit more punch to his offense.

Timmins natives Liam Baxter and Matteo Come have decided to stick with their age group while making the jump to "AAA" while Sudbury female hockey standout Ally Hebert returns to the Wolves after spending a year suiting up with the North Bay "AAA" Trappers.

All of that said, Blanchard knows exactly what his team is or is not.

"We're not a team that can play that run and gun style like some of those high end teams in the GTA (Greater Toronto Area)," said Blanchard. "We had two very strong, capable goaltenders - so we focused on building from there."

"We played a really smart puck possession game," he added. "Whenever we needed to get ride of the puck, we put it in an area where we thought we could go and get it. We tried to eliminate turnovers."

With coaching experience at almost every level of local hockey, outside of the OHL (though Blanchard did play more than 230 games in the league), the graduate of Concordia University admitted that many of his acquaintances in the sport were a little surprised when he decided to make his way back to the U13 AAA coaching ranks one year ago.

"I wanted to start getting players a little earlier in their development curve, focusing on individual skill development and have them ready for team tactics a little earlier," said Blanchard.

That said, the U14 year brings about a new twist, as anyone who has navigated the minor hockey landscape in the past decade or two is well aware.

"The other new thing for us this year is the introduction of body checking," noted Blanchard. "The game is going to change. We will be teaching them how to take time and space away, how to angle, using the body in a positive way - and taking a body check."

The remainder of the 2026-2027 Sudbury U14 AAA Wolves roster will consist of Tate Cunningham, Trent Morris, Tyler Suomu, Jongwoo Ro, Jordy Albert, Kaesen Adair, Karson Ferguson, Ben Sabourin, Cali Creary, Carter Kuczma, Coltan Walker, Fisher Lemieux, Jack Stone and Jarrett Marshall.

Joining Trevor Blanchard on the coaching staff are assistant coaches Claude Blanchard, Steve Fraser, Evan Purcell and Nolan Cardinal (the last two of which are also players that Blanchard has previously coached), trainer B.J. Adair and team manager Megan Cunningham.