SUCCESS on the ice along with solid marks in the classroom has earned a player from the Lakehead an opportunity to attend school and play collegiate hockey in the U.S.
Thunder Bay Kings alumnus Justin Paul has committed to attend St. Lawrence University (ECAC) on NCAA Division I scholarship starting in the fall of the 2021-22 season.
The 19-year-old assistant captain with Ontario Junior Hockey League’s Georgetown Raiders is a forward, who is now in his second year with that club and third overall in the OJHL where he boasts 126 points in 163 games played, including having 50 tallies to his credit.
Paul recently attended the Team Canada East Selection Camp in Cornwall, Ont., and hopes his play earns him a spot on that team’s roster that will compete in the upcoming World Junior A Challenge, this December in Dawson Creek, B.C.
That four-nation international event, that runs Dec. 7-15, will feature Canada East, Canada West, Russia, the U.S. and the Czech Republic taking part.
WELL DESERVING: Set to be inducted into the Northwestern Ontario Sports Hall of Fame later this month, Bill Houlder was one of the finest defencemen from Thunder Bay to ever to suit up in the National Hockey League.
A veteran of 846 NHL contests, the rock-steady blueliner saw action in 17 seasons in the league overall making stops in Washington, Buffalo, Anaheim, St. Louis, Tampa Bay, San Jose and Nashville, where he spent his final four years.
He was also an American Hockey League first-team all-star in 1990-91 and garnered Top Defenceman laurels and earned another first-team all-star nod in the International Hockey League for his on-ice efforts during the 1992-93 campaign.
Among defencemen from the city and region, only Hockey Hall of Fame Honoured Member Chris Pronger (1,167) and Lee Fogolin Jr. (924) played more NHL contests than Houlder, who presently sits 194th all-time among all NHL D.
Current New York Rangers D-man Marc Staal is on the verge of passing Houlder on the local NHL games played list though as he’ll enter the 2019-20 season just seven outings shy of his 847 league outing.
Hornepayne product Mike McEwen rounds out the Top among area rearguards in games played with 716.
Points wise, just Pronger (698), McEwen (404), Gary Bergman (367) and Norm Maciver (285) collected more goals and assists than Houlder.
Of the 59 career tallies Houlder notched, 15 were game-winners.
Only Pronger (27) had more difference makers in the local group from the region that skated in the NHL.
For more information on the NWOSHF induction dinner and ceremonies, visit their website at nwosportshalloffame.com.
10TH YEAR: After a successful playing career, Trevor Letowski has settled in nicely as a coach in the Ontario Hockey League.
The former NHLer is gearing up to commence his 10th season as a coach in the OHL, which includes six as head coach and three as an associate behind the bench.
Letowski also requires 10 more games to reach the 300 plateau as a head coach as he prepares to lead his Windsor Spitfires into the upcoming OHL campaign.
He also helped the Spitfires capture the Memorial Cup back in 2017.
Letowski is also just the second person in Canadian World Junior Hockey Championship history to win a gold medal as both a player and a coach.
He was part of the Canadian contingent that mined gold at the 1997 World Junior Championship held in Switzerland.
As an assistant, he guided Canada to another WJHC crown in 2018.
He joins Marc Habschied as the only duo to accomplish this feat.