A season that brought big improvements and impressive performances out of key pieces have the Hanover Barons believing they're ready to become a big player in the Pollock Division.
The Barons nicely rebounded after a disastrous 2017-18 campaign, finishing 4th in the division and putting up solid team stats. The Barons scored the fewest goals (127), but were buoyed by a great defensive effort (135 goals against, 4th overall), and otherworldly goaltending. Head Coach Bobby Kirby did a masterful job, earning himself Coach of the Year for the division. Hanover believe they have stocked up and injected more offensive punch, and if the defense and goalies hold up again, there's no reason they can't be a top 3 team.
Up front, Hanover will be led by sensational Pollock Rookie of the Year Mark Aljoe, who looked dominant at times down the stretch and into the playoffs, finishing the year with 31 points, and his 18 goals were second on the team to leading scorer Brandon Richardson, who had 19 (38 total points). Unfortunately, age has caught up with Richardson so he can't return, but Luke Hoelscher will be back after a great stint last year that saw him pot 17 points in 17 games, as will brother Brock (7 points in just 16 games). Luke will be a top end talent for this year's Barons. Impressive and speedy youngster Tyson Lina will also be back after posting 16 points last year, and that total should rise quite a bit with more time on the top unit and first power play. New faces include Grey-Bruce Highlander product Ryan Goetz, Fusion Midget player Kyle Detweiller and fellow Fusion Midget star Bryan Richardson. Detweiller and Richardson both won an OHF Championship last year, and all 3 new faces are quick and skilled, but most importantly, they can score. Also, the Barons made a big splash in landing Jr. B Elmira veteran Zach Cameron. Cameron is a physical forward who will help set the tone, and he scored 33 points last year on a highly competitive team. The Barons have added a ton of scoring punch. They hope it pays off.
On defense, the Barons should be able to take another big step forward, too, with a rock solid returning cast that could end up being a top blueline. Veteran Brock Phillips is back after a tremendous career year which saw him score 33 points in 33 games and provide great defensive awareness for the Barons, especially on special teams. He's as good an all-around defender as you can find at this level. Phillips is joined by returning vet Quinton Maddock, a big punishing defender who can skate very well for a big man, and who punched in 14 points in just 22 games. Derek Cornfield will be back as well to provide a formidable top 3 defenders for Hanover (23 points), supplemented by young players like Hunter Volden and Ethan Hebel. Coach Bobby Kirby was Coach of the Year for good reason, as he took the offensive struggles of the team in stride and turned them into an airtight group. He can do that again.
In goal, Hanover will be led by young superstar Brendon Landry. Landry was arguably their best player down the stretch and posted excellent stats for a young goalie at this level. He was also arguably the MVP pick if Wingham's Carter Collinson hadn't had a monster year. Landry went 10-11-2 with a 2.85 GAA and a standout .913 save percentage. He's big, mobile and takes away tons of net, and his rebound control is fantastic. He can also make great passes, and can play the puck quite well for a young goaltender. He will be the horse once more this year and is my early pick for MVP. Coach Kirby says at the time of writing that a backup hasn't been decided on, but Jacob Adams has been getting some looks in pre-season and may be an early favourite to win the job.
The Hanover Barons took a big step forward, and I expect more strides in the same direction. I see a top 3 team here, and the talent is finally there up front to do far more damage to opponents scoreboards. The offense looks dangerous, the defense look like a top end group at both ends, and they have a superstar goalie. Let's see if they can put it all together. The Barons get their season underway next Friday, September 13th at home against Kincardine.