Solid core returning for Meteors
The Fort Erie Meteors head into training camp with a strong nucleus of players returning from last season’s Golden Horseshoe championship squad.
“We’re going to have 14 returning players, a good group coming back,” Meteors general manager/coach Nik Passero said. “Most of leadership group is back — we’ll be ready to go come September.”
The Meteors, who dropped a 3-2 decision to the St. Marys Lincolns in late April and were eliminated from the Sutherland Cup round-robin playoffs, were back on the ice about a month later for a spring rookie camp.
“It was really good,” Passero said. “We were full. We signed a couple of kids and then have really been off the ice for the most part, just a skate here or there.”
The Meteors, coming off their most memorable season in franchise history with a team record 36 wins in the regular season and dramatic Game 7 win at Caledonia for their first Golden Horseshoe Conference championship, open main camp Aug. 20.
“There are some jobs open, I would say probably less than usual, but we do have a good group of returning guys,” Passero said. “There are definitely some spots open and we’re always looking to get better.”
Passero said competition for players this off season was fierce.
“I think you just have to sign the best players. If you think guys can help you, you have to jump on them. There are a lot of good coaches and GMs in this league and we’re all fighting for the same guys. You just have to make sure you know what you want and go after it.”
Having such a successful season helped weed out prospective players.
“We got less calls because the riff-raff, the bottom tier guys look past you,” he said. “We used to get tons of calls but it hasn’t been as hectic this summer as you would think. The better guys are the ones interested, so that’s nice.”
Among the notable newcomers are Colton Radford, Ben Arnold, Ethan Pepperall and goaltender Finn Moffett.
Radford is a 16-year-old forward who had 19 goals and 30 points in 30 games playing for the Huron Perth Lakers U16 AAA team last year.
Arnold is a 17-year-old defenceman from St. Catharines who was selected in the 11th round by the Niagara IceDogs in the 2023 OHL Priority Selection and played last season with the Burlington Eagles U18 AAA squad.
Pepperall is 17-year-old Niagara Falls native who had 14 goals and 26 points for the Southern Tier Admirals U18 AAA squad last season.
Moffett is a 17-year-old St. Catharines native who was selected by the IceDogs in the 10th round of the 2023 OHL draft and played last season at Ridley College.
The Meteors kick off their exhibition season Friday, Aug. 23 at Port Colborne. They will also host Stratford, Sunday, Aug. 25 at 3 p.m. and Port Colborne, Wednesday, Aug. 28 at 7 p.m. before travelling to Stratford Friday, Aug. 30. The Mets are also entered into a tournament at St. Andrew’s College in early September.
Their regular season opener in Saturday, Sept. 14 versus Caledon.
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