Flora ecstatic to be an IceDog
Things could not have worked out any better for Justin Flora at the 2025 Ontario Hockey League Priority Selection.
The 16-year-old winger was hoping to be selected, but got to have his cake and it eat too when he was chosen by the Niagara IceDogs in ninth round (172nd overall).
“I didn’t really know where exactly when I was going to go but I always had the IceDogs as a team that I really wanted to go to,” he said. “I grew up watching them going to playoff games and seeing the experience. I always had a thought of going to that team, so hearing them call my name was something I was really excited about.
“It’s been a dream come true. I’ve been dreaming about this since I was a kid. So finally hearing my name being called is something I’ve been looking forward to. It’s just a surreal, surreal experience for me.”
IceDogs director of scouting Adam Henrich was thrilled to be able to select Flora.
“He’s a prolific goal scorer. He’s a little undersized, but competes and he’s growing,” Henrich said. “Maybe he’ll compete for a spot next year here. He moved to Toronto to play hockey and he carried that team on any given night.
“We’re really happy with him.”
Flora, who had a solid season with 20 goals and 36 points for the North York Rangers, realizes the work has only just begun.
“Right now, the main focus is strength and speed, trying to compete with the older guys,” he said. “It’s going to be a big change from AAA to the junior, so I have to prepare myself physically and mentally.”
Helping him will be order brother former Fort Erie Meteor Jaden Flora, who played this season with the Buffalo Junior Sabres of the Provincial Junior Hockey League and was selected by the IceDogs last year in the U18 draft.
“He’s lived through it,” Justin Flora said. “He’s played a year of junior already so he’s been preparing me, helping me along the way. We’ve been working out together and he’s teaching me little things that I’m going to need to know going through the junior experience.
“So he’s been a big, big supporter for me and a big help.”
Justin Flora plans to do his best to crack the IceDogs roster this fall.
“My main focus is gonna try to make the IceDogs. I’m gonna work my hardest at the camp see how things work out but if I don’t make the team, I’m going try to go play junior B somewhere, maybe go junior A, OJHL. I have a couple teams in the works right now, so hopefully everything works out well and I could go play junior.”
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