POWASSAN VOODOOS JR. A Hockey Club
Media Update
Release date: Saturday, Sept. 3, 2016
A summer of development for the Powassan Voodoos
POWASSAN, Ont. — The Powassan Voodoos of the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League continue to be part of an impressive development path for its players since the team got its start in the summer of 2014.
A total of three Voodoos from the 40-win 2015-16 version of the NOJHL club have signed OHL contracts in early September.
Voodoos NOJHL CCM Hockey first team all-star goaltender Garrett Forrest inked an OHL deal with the Flint Firebirds after the Battalion prospect was traded from North Bay to Flint for overage goalie and former Dallas Stars draft pick Brent Moran in late August.
Then on the final day of Battalion training camp, two more Voodoos signed OHL deals as forward Daniel Walker and local North Bay defenceman Eric Allair inked contracts with the North Bay Battalion.
Both players came from midget AAA and played a season with the Voodoos as 16-year-olds.
Allair, who also played affiliate games with the Voodoos in 14-15, recorded 17 assists in 51 games last year with the NOJHL club.
Walker made a lot of progress in his junior year and the big power forward finished with 14 goals and 10 assists for 24 points in 49 games last year.
Meantime earlier this summer a pair of Voodoos players who spent part of the 2014-15 campaign as affiliates with the Voodoos had their dreams come to reality.
Goaltender Colton Point, who played in five games with the Voodoos coming up from the North Bay Midget AAA Trappers and practiced with the team during the season, was drafted 128th overall by the Dallas Stars in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft.
Point, who played for the Carleton Place Canadians last season, felt affiliating with the Voodoos helped his development.
“Affiliating with the Voodoos was a great experience, it introduced me to the pace of jr a hockey,” stated Point.
“Powassan gave me a good amount of ice time and it really helped me be more prepared for my next season.”
Justin Brazeau joined Point with the Voodoos that season where he dressed in 10 games including five playoff contests for the Voodoos.
The 2014 14th round pick by the Battalion, made the jump to the OHL in the fall of 2015 and after a solid rookie campaign in the ‘O’ he was an invite to the Detroit Red Wings Development Camp this summer.
“The NOJHL was a great way to help me develop my game and prepare for the next level,” admitted the 6’5” Brazeau.
“The NOJHL really help me adjust to a faster pace game and play against older guys who are more physical. Having played in the NOJHL made the adjustment to the OHL that much easier from having the experience of playing a high level of junior in the NOJHL to draw from.”
All that news was great for the Voodoos program which also saw forward Daniel Golba (University of Wisconsin-Superior) and defenceman Nicky Grose (Utica College) both get commitments from NCAA Division III programs in the spring.
With all the young talent on the 2016-2017 squad, who knows how many will be making the development jump next year.
