By John DeCoste
The Advertiser/NovaNewsNow.com
With at least a dozen players from the 2006-2007 roster not returning this fall, it goes without saying that Acadia head hockey coach Darren Burns and his staff have their work cut out for them in terms of recruiting.
“We have a good nucleus of kids coming back, but at the same time, we have a lot of holes to fill,” Burns said recently. “The important thing is to bring in guys that are solid leaders and have a strong work ethic, to build on the successes of the past few years.”
He stressed that leadership is one of his top priorities. “Leadership is very important to me. Over the past few years, we’ve brought in some solid leaders who are willing to work hard, and we need to make sure that tradition continues.”
Burns already has six recruits – probably about half what he will need – who have made commitments to Acadia for the fall. “They all still need to fulfil the requirements of attending school here, but we’re confident there will be no problems with that.”
The list begins with Tyler Whitehead, a 5’11”, 200-pound Bedford native who played last season with Rouyn-Noranda in the QMJHL.
A “tough, physical two-way player, a strong power forward and a good team leader,” Whitehead is a character player who has the kind of work ethic Burns is looking for to complement returning players such as Blair Jarrett, Paul McFarland and David Lomas.
Returning for fifth year
With Lanny Ramage returning for a fifth year, Burns is hopeful this will be “the ideal learning situation” for goalie Mike Chaisson, who played two seasons with the Rimouski Oceanic before suiting up last year with the Junior A Pictou County Crushers.
“He’s a tremendous kid, a great leader – in fact, I feel he’s a lot like John Ceci in terms of technique. Having a veteran like Rammer to work with and have as a mentor is a great situation for a young goalie.”
Burns also likes the looks of Zach Furlotte, a defenseman who played last season with Acadie-Bathurst after serving as captain with the St. John’s Fog Devils two years ago.
“He’s a tough, stay-at-home defenseman, a solid kid with good mobility,” Burns said of the 6’1”, 200-pound Furlotte. These qualities will help an Acadia defense that will be missing such stalwarts as Kane Ludwar, Tyler Reid and Travis Young.
As well, Burns admitted he is “not 100 per cent sure” of the status of Brandon Roach, who made the AUHC all-Rookie team in his first year with the Axemen.
“I’d like to think he’d be back, but there’s a good possibility he may not be. I can’t say for sure,” he said. A pro career has always been high on Roach’s list of priorities, and he “had a great camp with Colorado last fall, and impressed a lot of people.”
If Roach ends up not returning, Burns will be looking for both Furlotte and veteran Pierre Mitsou to take on more of a role on the power play. He will also be looking to hopefully land “a top-flight guy for our back end who can help on the power play.”
Two more forwards
In addition to Whitehead, Burns already has commitments from two more forwards. J.M. Rizk is “a big, tough physical forward who plays a lot like Paul McFarland,” one of Acadia’s top freshmen forwards this past season.
Rizk played last season with the OHL Mississauga Ice Dogs after starting his junior career with the Kitchener Rangers, where, like Furlotte in St. John’s, he served as team captain. “I’m looking for leaders that are willing to work hard, and J.M. fits the bill.”
The final recruit committed so far is Zack McMillan, a forward who played last season with the Winnipeg Saints in the Manitoba Junior A league. His assistant coach there was former Axemen Russell Hogue, who according to Burns, “speaks very highly of him.”
Burns will no doubt be looking to strike lightning a second time like he did this past season with Scott Giles, a fairly-lightly-regarded recruit who turned out to be a real jewel as a two-way forward and especially killing penalties.
Burns readily admits his recruiting work for 2007-2008 is far from over, and that he has “been burning the phone lines at both ends” in his search for players. Fortunately, “it’s a pretty good recruiting year, with lots of really solid players out there.”
He added, “I can’t really remember having a year like this before, though I’ve known of programs that did. Fortunately, I’ve been through it before, though maybe not quite this drastic or all at once.”
He feels fortunate that the Axemen have a solid nucleus of character players coming back, which will only be better should Roach decide to return to Wolfville this fall.
“Having quality returning players to build around is the most exciting thing in a season with a lot of unknowns. It’s a good challenge,” he said, adding, “the kids coming in will likely get a a great opportunity for some significant playing time.”
