Within the realm of AAA hockey, free player movement can be a double-edged sword.

An exodus of some local talent is a reality for most if not all of the six squads that cover the U12 to U18 age group in Sudbury. It’s a minor hockey landscape that can easily be fraught with frustration for some parents – which makes the addition of people with more of an outside, over-arching perspective potentially a highly beneficial thing.

Now 35 years old, former OUA defenceman and Sudbury Wolves’ draft pick Elliott Richardson inherits a U15 AAA team that is dealing with all of the above at least as much if not more than his fellow head coaches within the SMHA AAA Wolves contingent.

The son of a long-time local coach and scout, Richardson is also not the least bit delusional regarding his outlook for the 2026-2027 campaign. “We’re not going to be one of the top-notch AAA teams in Ontario, obviously,” he said. “The goal is to elevate the whole age group.”

“It’s almost like an eight month hockey school. We’ve got eight months to get better and see where some of these kids can take it.”

With so many youngsters experiencing AAA hockey for the very first time, Richardson and his staff of assistant coach Hunter Brazier, goalie coach Miguel Audet, skills coach Ryan Johnston and trainer Dan Mead have already formulated a direction for early season progress.

“For us, it is going to be a skill development year, all year,” said Richardson. “We’re going to mix in tons of skill drills, right off the hop. And then you have to mix in some systems stuff too. Being honest, I am assuming we might not have the puck a whole lot, at times, so defensive structure is number one.”

“We need to learn how to defend and not panic in our own end and work on getting the puck back. We’ll need a solid forecheck too, learning how to pressure the puck. We’re not even looking at a power play until mid to later September.”

Where some might long to guide a team of truly elite provincial AAA talent – and it is likely fair to say that Elliott Richardson would not turn down such an opportunity – there is an inherent challenge that offers some side benefits to the landscape of this particular collection of Sudbury and area youngsters.

“There is almost no expectation – and that’s kind of nice,” he said. “Let’s see the growth, see how much we can grow. That’s the exciting part. We don’t even know what the ceiling is for these players – and that is the beauty of this. By the end of the year, we’re going to shock some teams.”

A handful of exhibition games this month will supplement plenty of September practice ice-times leading into the Peterborough Petes IceFest Tournament in mid-October. “We’re here with a group of kids that want to be here,” said Richardson. “We want to compete; we want good games.”

The 2026-2027 Sudbury U15 AAA Wolves roster is constructed with goaltenders Louka Gravel and Carter Leclair, defensemen Dylan Campeau, Lucas McCrory, Gareth Mead, Grayson Quenneville, Evander Shawana and Noah Zelionka and forwards Cordell Bouwmeester, Mario Bubalo, Matheos Carriere, Matthew Christakos, Oliver Frantz, Massimo Gianfrancesco, Dallas Marunchuk, Wesley Paré and Ashton McLean.

Moving up with a core of talent that he guided with the Copper Cliff U11 AA Reds one year ago, Peter Michelutti Jr might be the only local AAA head coach who actually inhereted some additional talent with an unexpected move to the area this summer.

That said, he has coached at this level long enough to know not to read too much into the fact that both the Copper Cliff and Sault Ste Marie U11 AA entries last year ranked among the best in the province, with the Sudbury Wolves chase group actually upsetting the favourites at the year-end Tournament of Champions.

“There is an adjustment period to see where you fit in,” said Michelutti. “I think we can have some success – but what does success mean when you are going from AA to AAA, especially playing against teams that have played AAA the past few years. A successful year, right now for us, is to get everyone aligned and adjusted to the quicker pace of hockey at the AAA level.”

“The biggest problem in northern Ontario is when expecations are too high and then you get frustration,” he added. “Focus on the fact that you will learn, you will grow, you will develop – and not on whether you are ranked in a certain position in Ontario.”

That said, where some local U11 AA teams have transitioned with almost an unchanged lineup to the U12 AAA environment in years gone by, Michelutti is thrilled at the endless possibilities that exist with his new roster. “Of our 16 skaters, eight are new to our team,” he said. “The one thing that really gets me excited is the players from the Sudbury team that beat us at the end of last year.”

“You’re talking about a team that maybe did not win quite as much (initially) but then has grown and learned how to win by the end of the year. Bringing those two groups together, it gets everybody excited.”

A strong proponent of trusting the process versus a results-driven mindset only, especially at U12, Michelutti has seen what works or does not work in terms of preparing young hockey prospects for what is clearly a marathon and not a sprint in the AAA ranks.

“The messaging with the players is that it’s not about wins and losses, it’s how you are competing, how you are playing, how you are getting better. Just concentrate on working hard and doing the fundamentals right until you really start growing as a team.”

Like the U15 local NOHL entry, the U12 AAA Wolves are looking to mix in a few pre-season games with their practices this month, leading into the Border City Cup Memorial Tournament in Windsor from September 25th to 27th, joining a field that also features the Windsor Spitfires, Barrie Colts, Burlington Eagles, Halton Hurricanes, Soo Jr Greyhounds and Sun County Panthers.

Ames Desjardins, Bo Michelutti, Cruz McHugh, Dexter Osterby, Easton Weiman, Easton Desjardins, Elliot Burton, Grayson Vaillancourt, Hudson Reipas, Lincoln Levesque, Madden Albert, Malachi Dawson, Nico Orazi-Dagostino, Nico Gianfrancesco, Patrick Wing, Raleigh Hysen, Sonny Larochelle and Spencer Walker have asembled to represent Sudbury and area at the 2015 age bracket this winter.