HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2018-01-11, Page 8PAGE 8. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, JANUARY 11, 2018.
Sports
Scrimgeour joins Junior select team for Vegas tourney
A unique experience
Ethan Scrimgeour joined the Canadian Premiere Junior Hockey League (CPJHL) Red select
team for the Western States Hockey League Shootout Showcase in Las Vegas in December.
Two other players from Scrimgeour's local team, the Seaforth Generals, were also named to
the select team to compete with opponents from across the world. Above, Scrimgeour, left, is
shown with fellow Generals -turned -Red players John Buckley, centre, and Travis Sloan, right,
sporting their team jerseys. Below, Scrimgeour poses with Red team coach Sylvain Cloutier,
left, and league president Stephane Laveault. (Photos submitted)
overtime and 4-3 against the Seattle
Totems," he said. "It was very
competitive hockey."
Scrimgeour said he wasn't slated
to play on the CPJHL Red team, but
he was picked up by coach Sylvain
Cloutier who also coaches the Essa
Stallions, a team the Generals face
off against in the CPJHL.
"I was a last-minute addition,"
Scrimgeour said. "The team needed
a player and the head coach
[Cloutier] asked my Dad if I would
play. It was a last-minute decision,
but it all worked out in the end."
Sylvain Cloutier may be a name
familiar to hockey fans as he was
drafted by the Detroit Red Wings in
the 1992 NHL Entry Draft,
eventually joining the Chicago
Blackhawks several years later. He
also played for the Guelph Storm in
the OHL from 1991 to 1994 where
he served as Captain.
Scrimgeour joined fellow
Generals John Buckley and Travis
Sloan, alongside players from across
the league for the tournament. At 16
years old, he was the youngest
player on the CPJHL Red team and
possibly the youngest at the
tournament. The experience was a
unique one, Scrimgeour said, adding
that playing for the Generals has also
been an eye-opening experience.
The CPJHL is not a part of the
Ontario Minor Hockey Association
and is instead sanctioned under the
United Hockey Union. With the
exception of a team from
Pennsylvania, the league is all -
Canadian.
"It's a good league, and a
competitive one," Scrimgeour said.
"The level of hockey is the same as
any Junior team and I'm really
enjoying myself."
Scrimgeour said he wasn't
interested in playing minor hockey
this year and, after going out for a
few practices with the Generals, he
said he was hooked on the style of
hockey and the style of camaraderie
the club provides.
"I've made a ton of friends in the
local community and you get the
experience of those long bus rides,"
he said. "You spend time with your
teammates, get to know each other
better and get to be a better team
because of it. It's a good opportunity
and I'm glad I took advantage of it."
The team practises three times a
week in Seaforth, and depending on
the weekend, could play one to three
games between Friday and Sunday
night.
"The CPJHL has really changed
my opinion on where I want to play,"
Scrimgeour said. "I was looking at
Junior C or Junior B, but I'm
considering this instead. It's
connected to the U.S. hockey
programs, which helps with
scholarships there. I haven't decided
where I'm going to play next year,
but the experience with the Generals
has made it a serious option for me
again next year."
The Generals are currently fourth
in their division with seven wins
over 27 games. The squad next takes
on the Essa Stallions in Seaforth on
Jan. 14. The puck drops at 7:30 p.m.
See histories and
historic photographs on
the Huron
History section of our
website
www.northhuron.on.ca
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By Denny Scott
The Citizen
Londesborough native and
Canadian Premier Junior Hockey
League (CPJHL) Seaforth Generals
player Ethan Scrimgeour recently
got the call to compete at the 2017-
2018 Western States Hockey League
Shootout Showcase in Las Vegas.
Scrimgeour was picked up by the
Canadian Premier Junior Hockey
League (CPJHL) Red team, one of
two select teams from the league put
together to compete at the
tournament.
The event ran from Dec. 19 to
Dec. 22 and Scrimgeour's team
faced off against competition from
the western United States and
beyond.
"The players are from all over the
world," Scrimgeour said. "There
were Swedish players, a ton from the
United States and a lot of local
players from the CPJHL. It was a
really diverse group"
Scrimgeour said there were
players at the tournament from Great
Britain and some who had taken part
in the recent IIHF World U20
Championship.
The tough competition resulted in
the CPJHL Red team not being able
to post a win, however each game
was close.
"We lost 6-3 against the West
Sound Warriors, 1-0 against the
Ontario [California] Avalanche and
they scored in the last 12 seconds, 2-
1 against the Lake Tahoe Icemen in
Sweaters
Bainton's
Old Mill
Downtown Blyth
519-523-4740
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Jan 16th 2018
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Welcoming all Grade 6 6 8
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Come see what Madill has to offer
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