Busy summer for Falcons
The St. Catharines Falcons are busy building for next season.
General manager Frank Girhiny has already signed several players and is on the hunt for more to round out the roster.
“Within the next couple of weeks we’ll have all our returning veterans signed,” Girhiny said. “It will leave us about five or six spots open before we get into training camp.”
Already signed from last season are Carson Edwardson and Andrew Sommerville.
“We have a number of returning players, so we’re good that way. It’s a matter of filling in some spots,” Girhiny said. “We also have to get a couple of top-six forwards. We’re working to get that going.”
Newcomers signed include: forward Adam Cherapacha from the Oakville midgets; forward Michael Santini from the Hamilton Junior Bulldogs; forward Trent Glenney from the Niagara North Stars and defencemen Carter Geoffroy and Jonah Boria from the North Stars.
Gone from last season are graduates Mike Masotti, Christian Girhiny, Nicholas Boehmer, Kyle West and Dakota Miskolczi. As well, forward Jacob Roach signed a deal with the Guelph Storm and defenceman Tanner Brown was dealt to the Melville Millionaires of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League.
Goaltenders Noah Battaglia (Dalhousie University) and Jack McGovern (Prince George Spruce Kings of the British Columbia Junior League) have also moved one.
“That’s a good move for him,” Girhiny said of McGovern’s move. “I would hope to have a goalie signed and a deal completed for a goalie in the next couple of weeks.”
As well, forwards Dawson McKinney (Oshawa) and Ethan Sims (Niagara IceDogs) could be make the jump to the Ontario Hockey League.
“We’re about 60 per cent full so we have to fill about 40 per cent. That will happen from now until training camp,” Girhiny said.
Girhiny said he would likely have more of the roster settled but issues with how players are able to move between the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League and the Ontario Junior Hockey League has made moving players more difficult.
“I think probably we would be a little bit better but the agreement with the OJHL is different now,” Girhiny said. “It’s really slowing the process down. I probably would have had three or four guys signed now but because of the negotiations, it makes it a lot slower. It will get done but it just take time.”
GOJHL teams now must negotiate individual release amounts for players from the OJHL. In the past, GOJHL teams could acquire up to three players for a standard $1,500 fee. OJHL can pick up as many GOJHL players as they want for $1,500 per player.
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