Great Lakes Junior C: The Graduates

With each of Chatham-Kent’s Great Lakes Junior C hockey teams eliminated from the postseason, CKSN is looking back at the season that was in a 3-part series focusing on graduating players, rookies, and each team’s outlook for next season.

Here is a run down of the overage players each local team will be saying goodbye to this season:

Blenheim Blades

Ben Pataki – One of the longest standing players in Junior hockey locally, Pataki finished the season as the Blenheim Blades’ captain. In his 6 seasons of Junior hockey, Pataki started with the Wallaceburg Lakers, then spent two and a half years in Junior B with the Chatham Maroons, before finishing his career in Blenheim. The defender from Wallaceburg has close to 300 Junior hockey games, playoff and regular season to his resume.

For the Blades, next seasons overage crop provides a program. The team has six 1994 born players – Corbin Hagerman, Klinton Kenney, Derek Muzzatti, Dylan Smith, Kirk McKillop, Bryan Boersma – who all figured prominently into the team’s success this season.

Dresden Kings

The Dresden Kings’ blueline will be younger next season without veteran Jim McKinlay, who started the season as Dresden’s captain before an injury, and Graham Smyth. McKinlay of Morpeth, played five Junior seasons, including a year and a half of Junior B with the Lambton Shores Predators, while the remainder were with the Kings. McKinlay is widely considered one of the best defenseman in the Great Lakes and will be greatly missed by the Kings. Smyth, a physical, big bodied defender has been a mainstay on the Kings blueline as well.

Next season, the Kings have a strong crop of 1994 born players, and all being core members of their roster. Dresden’s 1994 group includes goaltender Scott Tricker, Derek Daly, captain Derek Van Every, and Taylor Sisson.

Wallaceburg Lakers

Captain Lucais Meyskens highlights Wallaceburg’s overage crop. The heart and soul of Wallaceburg’s team, Meyskens, a Wallaceburg product, will be sorely missed from an already inexperienced forward corps. Meyskens spent four full seasons in a Lakers uniform. Also graduating with Meyskens are Evan Weidenbach of St. Clair, Michigan, and Chatham’s Jordan Eagan. Both have spent multiple seasons in a Lakers sweater.

Wallaceburg has only two 1994 born players, Mike Brown and Alex Ritchie, both of whom are eligible to return next season.

Wheatley Sharks

The Wheatley Sharks, who struggled in the season’s second half, will be one of the teams hardest hit by their graduating crop of 1993 players. Captain Jimmy Ciacelli, who was second on the Sharks in scoring and was the team’s MVP candidate will be gone, as will their top scoring defender Mike Reid. Behind them, starting goaltender Connor MacKinnon and veteran Brendon Anger will graduate as well.

Next season, the Sharks 1994 group includes top defender Brian Johnson, Shawn Hope, Brett Bowman, Lucas Raffoul, and Jesse Margerison, meaning one of that group will not be returning, likely Margerison who played only 9 games with the Sharks this season.

CKSN would like to congratulate these players on your Junior career and wish you all the best in the next stage of life.