The Rookies: New School, New Town
The Essar Center in Sault Ste. Marie is one of the “new” surroundings Chatham-Kent’s OHL rookies have had to adapt to this season –
When Chatham’s Joseph Raaymakers and Brady Pataki of Wallaceburg left home this summer to play for the Soo Greyhounds and Sudbury Wolves respectively, those challenges were waiting, however, each young prospect has hit the ground running.
“It’s been great living in the Sault, it really feels like home now,” says Joseph Raaymakers, a 2nd round selection of the Greyhounds this year who is serving as the teams backup to NHL draft pick Brandon Halverson. “The fans, my school and my billets are great.”
“I like living in Sudbury so far, my billets are great and I’m starting to feel at home,” echoed Brady Pataki, a 4th round pick of Sudbury, who has been playing a regular shift with the Wolves early in the season.
Attending small schools like Raaymakers’ Ecole Secondaire de Pain Court, and Pataki’s Wallaceburg District Secondary School, where they new everyone, and stepping into a completely new school could also have been seen as a hurdle. Both athletes however took the move in stride, and found the transition surprisingly easy.
“Going to a new school was an easy transition for me,” says Raaymakers. “Notre Dame has the same feel as ESPC, the teachers and the students are all very nice and welcoming.”
“Switching schools is always hard, leaving some of your friends, but I’ve meet some good people here at Lasalle,” said Pataki of leaving Wallaceburg and moving to his new school in Sudbury.
So what does challenge these young hockey players? Despite their resiliency, being away from home, and balancing on ice and in the classroom responsibilities, has taken time, but as with anything these gifted athletes do, they’re learning quickly.
“Playing in the OHL is a challenge in itself, but getting school work in on time with little time to get it done has been the biggest challenge so far,” says Pataki, “but the teachers have been reasonable with us.”
From teachers, to coaches, and family from home, the support for Pataki and Raaymakers, and other young rookies like them, is always present, despite being in a new town and new school, to ensure they can compete to their best of their abilities.
“Just getting used to not seeing family and friends that you’ve grown up with everyday is an adjustment,” says Raaymakers, “but they’re just a call or a text away. Everything has been set and laid out for us we just have to worry about doing our best.”
The Rookies will be a season long feature following 16-year-olds Joseph Raaymakers and Brady Pataki as they enter the Ontario Hockey League. The Rookies will chronicle what it’s like to be an OHL rookie, moving away from home. We’ll follow all aspects of Raaymakers and Pataki’s lives, both on and off the ice, throughout their rookie seasons. Chatham’s Raaymakers, a goaltender plays for the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, while Wallaceburg’s Pataki, a forward, plays for the Sudbury Wolves.