Cyclones Alum Hurtubise Signs With Lambton Shores

The Chatham-Kent Cyclones Minor Midget ‘AAA’ team may have had the best goaltending in Ontario last year, a fact that was made even clearer this weekend as Anthony Hurtubise signed with the GOJHL’s Lambton Shores Predators Junior B team.

“It it such a great feeling to be able to play at this level as a 16-year-old, especially since you can only have a few,” said Hurtubise of signing with the Predators.

“This year I would like to prove that I am capable of playing at this level and compete then for the starting goalie position,” the netminder added. “I would also like to develop my abilities in this league to eventually make the jump to the OHL.”

A Sarnia product, Hurtubise was a 5th round draft pick, 285th overall by the Windsor Spitfires in last year’s OHL Priority Selection Draft and had an impressive training camp with the team before returning to the Lambton Shores Predators.

Predators coach Don Dickson, who is also a Windsor Spitfires scout, has been impressed by Hurtubise throughout camp and the preseason.

“Anthony was good in his first OHL camp with Windsor and was very poised through his audition with the Predators,” says Dickson. “He is solid technically and has been getting stronger through camp, blanking Lasalle in the third period Saturday. He is only going to get better. He is a very positive, likeable local player who simply earned his spot.”

Hurtubise played 17 regular season games for the Chatham-Kent Cyclones last season, collecting a 3-10-4 record with a 2.92 goals against average and 0.893 save percentage, along with one shutout. In the playoffs, Hurtubise stepped up his game, going 4-2-2 with 3 shutouts, a 2.13 goals against average, and 0.932 save percentage.

The other half of last year’s Cyclones netminding tandem, Joseph Raaymakers, has signed and will play in the OHL with the Soo Greyhounds.