It's a big weekend for Minor Midget hockey in Ontario with the Annual Toronto Titans Tournament.
The tournament is a very popular one for Ontario Hockey League scouts, with all 20 teams expected to be well represented this weekend. They'll be watching the Lambton Junior Sting closely, as they have a handful of guys who could hear their name called at next year's draft.
Head Coach Alex McFadden, who has coached the 2002 age group for four seasons, says the guys have been looking forward to this year for a while.
"There's a lot of nervous excitement, we'll do what we can to keep those nerves down a bit," he says. "The message has been consistent, go out and play our game, if we do the little things we've been working on over the summer and the last couple years then the rest will take care of itself."
Jr Sting Major Bantams win the 2016 Little Caesars Earlybird tournament.
The 2002 age group had a fairly successful season in Major Bantam last year, winning the 2016 Little Caesars Earlybird tournament.
With a bit of added pressure this year, McFadden says the coaching staff has talked with the players about the draft to try and keep them focused on each shift, rather than what could happen at the end of the season.
"We've mentioned it to them a couple times, about what some of the teams will be looking for and how to get yourself noticed. In most cases what's good for the team usually benefits the individual as well," says McFadden. "We try not to talk about it too much because they'll start thinking about it too much and it becomes a distraction, and they stop focusing on what they need to do on the ice."
McFadden says scouts have taken an interest in several players on his team, in particular Blake Butler, who will likely hear his name called in the first few rounds. He says it's great for the program.
"We have some local guys and a couple guys from out of town that absolutely have a chance of getting picked, even one guy who could be taken in the first round," he says. "That's great for the Junior Sting program, I don't think there has been a Lambton first rounder in the OHL since Curtis Crombeen."
Crombeen was selected ninth overall by the Owen Sound Attack in the 2009 draft. Prior to that, Dustin Jeffrey was selected in the first round of the 2004 OHL draft after a standout season with the Junior Sting.
McFadden says the team is a fairly tight group, with a majority of them having played together the last four seasons. He says six of the players have been together since their Minor Atom season.
The Minor Midgets will open their regular season schedule with three home games next weekend at Progressive Auto Sales Arena. They host Sun County at 7pm September 15, Cambridge at 3pm September 16, and Huron-Perth at 3pm September 17.
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Lambton Junior Sting Minor Midget Roster:
Lambton Junior Sting Toronto Titans tournament schedule.