Midwestern

2018-19 Pollock Division Preview: Mitchell Hawks

A tough regular season led to a frustrating playoff 1st round exit, and this year the Mitchell Hawks will be looking for a fresh start to try and once again become a Pollock Division contender.

The sweep at the hands of the Wingham Ironmen made the organization take a hard look at itself. Last year's coaching staff is gone, replaced and headed up now by former Hawk alumnus Daryl O'Connell. Former Walkerton Hawks Head Coach Bill Brown joined up in an assistant capacity as well, and his knowledge and high end coaching ability will be a welcome asset. After mustering a 4th place finish last year, tied with Wingham on 48 points but getting the edge in regulation wins, Mitchell is looking for a shakeup in basically every area of the ice, and the changes they've made with the brass and players should offer a new look. Despite new faces, some veterans will return to help move the team forward.

Offensively, the Hawks should be able to get a solid amount of goals up front. Leading scorers Derek Elliott and Blake Pickering aren't returning, but skilled power forward Jarett Bogdan will return to become the key offensive cog for the Hawks after a solid 34 point outing. The team is optimistic that dynamic puck wizard Nick Jung will be back, after he rejoined the Hawks mid-season last year to put up an impressive 13 points in just 10 games. Jung has the ability to raise the level of others, and is crafty with the puck anywhere on the ice, and if healthy, he could lead this team in scoring. Ethan Hill may also return, but he is trying out for Jr. B Stratford, but he could add another important layer to a potential top line after a 20 point outing. General Manager Kevin Ward is also very high on youngster Riley Kuepfer out of Listowel. Kuepfer is a skilled young forward who captained the Listowel Midget Rep team to an OMHA semi-final last year, and Ward thinks he could make a big and immediate impact. However, there are still some question marks in terms of depth scoring. With no Elliott or Pickering, and a trade that sent Dalton Smith to Schmaltz Cup champs Lakefield, the Hawks will need some internal growth and some key camp standouts to try and reignite this offense.

On the back end, the Hawks will also need to try and quickly patch together a new core, as captain and standout Mackinnon Hawkins was traded away to Tavistock. Hawkins led all Hawks blueliners with 22 points last year, but more than that he was a solid leader who played very well in his own zone. The team will get a boost from the return of sturdy defender Dylan Nafziger, who could have a breakout year after posting 10 points in only 14 games. Nafziger can easily slide into the power play quarterback role, and will be heavily relied on to play top minutes and shut down the other team's best lines. Joining Nafziger in returning is impressive youngster Brett Denny, who had a 17 point year and will only improve with more ice time. Denny is also adept at moving the puck and making the transition game easier for the forwards. Lucan Van Pelt is also back and will make his biggest impact on the penalty kill and his own end, where he can physically outwork forecheckers and keep opposing forwards honest with a hard nosed style. A few camp standouts have caught GM Kevin Ward's eye, and it will be interesting to see how the D-core comes together under the new Hawks regime.

In net, more questions plague the Hawks, as Curtis Laviolette was moved to PJHL Clarington, and Tyler Parr moved on as well after both goalies played extremely well in a platoon setup last year. However, Ward says that young prospect Braeden Ellis will now have the opportunity to take over the reigns. Ellis made one brief appearance for the Hawks last year, stopping all 11 shots he faced in a little over 20 minutes of action. He will need to take the bull by the horns and become a stout netminding presence right away, as there's really no one else in the system that can aid him if he falters. But Ward is confident after Ellis' camp performance that he can get hot right away and take over ably from the legacy left by Laviolette and Parr. Time will tell.

For more on the upcoming Mitchell Hawks year, here is the full interview with GM Kevin Ward:

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