Blackhawks continue to develop
When Scott Barnes took over the Thorold Blackhawks four years ago, he envisioned running an organization that put development first.
“I get more enjoyment out of moving kids on than winning a junior B championship,” Barnes said. “I’m in the hockey development business. That’s what I’ve been doing for 15 years since I stopped playing pro. I knew kids coming in are so good at younger ages now, they can play.
“I get a really good enjoyment out of seeing players move on and up levels and take advantage of that.”
Barnes has done exactly that so far, moving on dozens of players to higher levels of hockey.
The numbers this year have been particularly impressive with 10 players from last season’s team confirmed who are moving up the hockey ladder.
“In my head, I had maybe six or seven (moving up), said Barnes, a 41-year-old Dunnville native. “We lost a couple more than I thought we were going to and a couple of key guys I wasn’t anticipating but I was already planning on replenishing the team. I had already started the process. We were ahead of the game.”
Moving up from the 2019/20 Blackhawks are Nick Gidney and Nicholas Rubino (Mirimachi), Devon Thibodeau (Carlton Place), Alex Blanchard (Rockland), Rylee Hlusiak (Hawkesbury), Joel Chauvin (Trenton), Mario Zitella (Brampton), Chase Grsic (Brantford), Owen Holmes (Georgetown) and Brett Bressette (Erie).
“This is exactly the mold and the direction we wanted to go,” Barnes said. “When I was playing junior B, we didn’t have guys telling us maybe you could go here or do this next year. It’s exactly why I got the team, to help kids in that way.”
Barnes feels this philosophy may be the way of the future for the Golden Horseshoe.
“I think there are players everywhere to put a competitive team together,” he said. “I’m never worried. I think someone is going to win this league with a team full of 17-year-olds in the near future. I feel that’s the direction we’re going as a league.
“I feel it’s a great direction. I believe it’s a development league and our reputation is definitely getting out there as a place where we move guys on.”
Having said that, Barnes won’t close the door on a 20-year-old under the right circumstances.
“I have no problems having an older guy on my team but I still want that older guy to have ambitions to play at the next level.”
Barnes said a number of factors come into play as to why he has been able to ice a competitive team — the Blackhawks finished with a solid 26-20-2-2 mark last season — despite a high turnover of players each season.
“Kids talk so much now. You could be in North Bay and have a buddy playing for the Thorold Blackhawks and see his Instagram or Twitter. I have kids coming in who are buddies of players who were here before and are leaving,” he said. “It’s another way to recruit players.”
Barnes has also tapped into help from students enrolled in the Sport Management program at Brock.
“I’ve gotten some kids who have added to our scouting staff. They want experience and have done some really good work for us. They have done the leg work to give us some idea who’s out there,” he said.
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