Craig heads west
Michael Craig is taking a leap of faith and heading halfway across the country to continue his hockey career.
The 18-year-old St. Catharines native spent last season with the Buffalo Jr. Sabres of the Ontario Junior Hockey League, who loaned his services to the Nanaimo Clippers of the British Columbia Hockey League for the 2020/21 season.
The Jr. Sabres will not participate in the OJHL this season due to the border lockdown between Canada and the United States.
“Obviously, it’s a pretty different situation that everybody is in this year regarding COVID,” Craig said. “After careful consideration with former coaches and a lot of people and taking in their opinions, I just think going out west and going to Nanaimo is the best opportunity for me to be successful in the future.”
Craig, a mobile defenceman who collected four goals and 19 points in 51 games for the Jr. Sabres, is excited about the move.
“It’s going to be a whole new experience for me but I’m really looking forward to it,” he said. “It’s a top-of-the-class organization. They offer a lot of things that a lot of other leagues and teams can’t. Just the experience of living on your own and taking care of yourself, it’s really going to help me get prepared for the future.”
Craig, who began his junior career with the Thorold Blackhawks before moving to Buffalo, loved his time in the Queen City.
“I was looking forward to another good season in Buffalo,” he said. “The coaches were exceptional and we had a great group of guys over there but it’s out of everybody’s control. The next opportunity arose and I’m looking forward to taking advantage of it.
“I’ve always had a goal of playing in the BCHL. It’s a great league but things got shifted because of the pandemic.”
The Clippers are thrilled to be able to add Craig to their back end.
“With the departure of three high-end skilled defencemen from last year’s core group, we have been spending a lot of time finding the necessary replacements to ensure we have an elite-level defence core comparable to last year,” Clippers associate coach Colin Birkas said. “After watching some video and speaking to our scouts, we felt that Michael can step right into a top four role and add some offensive thrust from the back end. He is the last piece of the puzzle I believe. ”
Clippers head coach and vice-president Darren Naylor agreed.
“I am happy to add depth to our D-core for the coming season. Michael in a high-skill defenceman who makes good reads and smart plays. He is an elite level skater. I see him helping man the power play and adding a scoring threat from the back end.”
Craig feels playing in the BCHL will aid in his overall development.
“Every year I’m just trying to get better and take the next step up. I’m just trying to get better playing against higher level talent,” he said.
Craig, who graduated from St. Francis, indicted he will likely take some on-line university courses. He was selected by the Niagara IceDogs in the ninth round of the 2018 Ontario Hockey League draft but chose to keep his options open for a chance to secure a NCAA scholarship.
“Obviously, my goal is to still play college hockey. I’m just focused on playing every game to the best of my ability and everything else will take care of itself in the long run,” he said.
Craig has kept in shape this summer working out at Iron Performance Centre in St. Catharines.
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