Teams in the Provincial Junior C Hockey League are gearing up for the season ahead. Training camps for all 63 clubs from Amherstburg to Amherstview are now underway.
The Jets have been scrimmaging all summer long at the W.J Henderson Arena in hopes of taking that next step in the Tod Division standings.
Last year, Denis Duchesne’s club finished in fourth place but upset the division-winning Napanee Raiders in a seven set thriller. The Raiders had lost only two games all season.
The Jets then lost four games to one to the Port Hope Panthers in the championship division final.
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“We’ll try to take it one step further,” said veteran forward Joey Mayer.
The 21-year-old Sydenham native will be playing in his fourth and final year of Junior C hockey as an overage player. He was the team’s leading scorer last season with 31 goals. He added nine more in the postseason.
“I’ll do everything I can to help this club succeed,” added the Greater Kingston graduate.
“Our team is looking really good right now. We’ve got a lot of returning players and have brought some new kids on board. We know Napanee has all the star power but we beat them last year and feel we can do it again.”
Napanee will certainly be the team to beat this season. The Raiders are going all out to win the Clarence (Tubby) Schmaltz trophy.
General manager Adam Bramburger pulled off a blockbuster trade over the summer.
He acquired Evan Foley, Cam Harris and Dayton Kent from the defending champions, the Port Hope Panthers. They combined for 73 goals.
Also returning for his final season of junior hockey is Ryan Casselman. He led the league in scoring last year with 117 points. That total included 48 goals.
The six-team Tod Division includes Napanee, Amherstview, and Port Hope along with the Picton Pirates, Campbellford Rebels and Gananoque Islanders.
Port Hope has won the division title four years in a row.
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