IceDogs bring in Crane for a lift
Thursday was moving day for Brody Crane.
The 19-year-old forward began the day as a member of the London Knights and was packing for a road trip to Windsor when he got a call asking him to come to the rink where he was told he was being shipped to the Niagara IceDogs.
“It’s different,” Crane said, following a 7-2 loss to the Sudbury Wolves at Meridian Centre. “I packed up my stuff and now I’m here.
“It was a long day but I’m happy I’m here.”
Crane, 19, was acquired in exchange for forward Christopher O’Flaherty and three draft picks — a third round in 2025 (Brantford), a third in 2027 (Niagara) and a fourth in 2026 (Flint).
Crane was drafted by the Knights in the fourth round, 62nd overall, in the 2020 OHL priority selection. His best season was the 2022/23 campaign where he collected 42 points in 68 games. He had two assists in 12 games this season and admitted a change of scenery might be the best thing for him.
“I’m a hometown kid so obviously it’s tough. I grew up watching London but I think it’s time for a new chapter for me,” he said. “I’m going to try and put some points up here and try and lead these guys to a couple of wins.
“We had a deep team with a lot of draft picks. I was playing a role for sure and definitely wanted more ice time and hopefully I can get that here.”
Crane played on a line with Michael Podolioukh and former Knight Ryan Humphrey and had a handful of quality chances to score, including a penalty shot in the second period.
“It would have been nice (to score) but I got a lot of chances out there and I feel a little free right now, being allowed some creativity and just playing my game,” he said.
Crane quickly fit into the dressing room where already knew several of his teammates who previously wore the green and gold of the Knights, the IceDogs’ favourite trading partner.
“I’m meeting everyone. It’s a nice area and half my team got traded here so it’s nice, easy to adapt,” he said.
IceDogs coach Ryan Kuwabara liked what he saw from Crane in his first game as an IceDog.
“We’re going to have to see where his strengths lie and stuff but I thought he had a good game tonight just being able to step in and make some plays and give us a little bit of a spark sometimes,” Kuwabara said.
The IceDogs outshot the Wolves 40-37 but once again had trouble finishing.
“It’s going to go in at some point,” Kuwabara said. “That’s the message I just told those guys. If we get that many shots, that many Grade A chances, we just have to make sure they go in. At the start of the game, we should have been up 2-0. We had three Grade A chances from the slot. We have to score those.
“We’re all gripping the stick really hard. They’re trying. You can see it out there. They’re working and we’re getting the opportunities, we just can seem to find the twine. Sometimes just get pucks to the net. You never know what’s going to happen. We put so much time and effort as a group into it and we’re just not seeing the results.”
The IceDogs fell to 3-7-4-1 and have now dropped four straight.
Ice cubes: Ethan Czata, Ryan Roobroeck, Ryan VanNetten and William Stewart did not dress for the IceDogs . . . Drew Gaulton, Trevor O’Dell, Devin Mauro, Ryan Pryce, Matthew Mania and Ethan Larmand were scratched for Sudbury.
STATS PACK
Wolves 7 IceDogs 2
Niagara’s Ivan Galiyanov and Sudbury’s Kocha Delic.
Niagara IceDogs: Zakary Lavoie (7); Ivan Galiyanov (1).
Sudbury Wolves: Kocha Delic (5, 6); Dalibor Dvorsky (4, 5); Alex Pharand (2); Andre Anania (1); Nolan Collins (1).
Game stats: Shots on goal: By Niagara on Jakub Vondras (40), by Sudbury on Marcus Vandenberg (37); Power plays: Niagara 0/3, Sudbury 0/1; Penalty minutes: Niagara 4, Sudbury 7.
Attendance: 2,984.
Next up: The IceDogs are in Brantford Friday and back home Saturday against Sault Ste. Marie at 7 p.m.
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