The North Bay U16 AAA Trappers are back in place and ready to compete for a Great North U18 AAA League title in 2024-25.
North Bay AAA fluctuates yearly in its efforts to ice a team for both divisions.
The 2007 age group struggled to a last place finish in 2022-23 in a season where the U18 AAA Trappers captured the league title.
A year before, the 2006 Trappers contended for the league title and finished ahead of its U18 AAA Trappers brothers in the league standings in 2021-22.
It's expected the 2009 group led by experienced coached Jeff Mancini, Richard Rochefort and former AAA Trapper Joe Whittet will be ready to compete when the puck drops for real this weekend.
Mancini believes his team will need to be aggressive and compete hard to contend with the older competition.
"It goes back to that old adage of time and space," the articulate Mancini stated.
"There is very little of it, right? And whether you have a really skilled player, skilled defender, with great stick on puck, or great checking and angling, or if you have a bigger, physically more imposing player, both those types of players take away time and space, and we're going to have to adjust to that," he said.
"I think the very first drill we did, when we first started in July getting these kids on the ice, was puck protection, and now we're working on trying to move that puck in a timely fashion.
As young Trappers, Mancini says he wants his players to hunt for pucks. We want to showcase them playing on their toes," he said.
"So whether that's a system that's super aggressive on a four check, or whether that's a super aggressive neutral zone four check, or, you know, a really strong defensive zone, we want to play on our toes. That's our goal. I think there is a time and place to maybe, you know, contain and keep people on the outside and be somewhat passive. But we want to let these kids hunt, get on the attack, showcase what they can do, but also showcase their effort level. You mean, they're AAA players. We believe there are some of the top AAA players in northern Ontario. Let's see what they can do when they're playing on their toes."
See related: New look U18 AAA Trappers preparing for 2024-25 season
Matt Rabideau, the team general manager, has an impressive resume including time as an assistant general manager with the North Bay Battalion when the club moved from Brampton to North Bay in 2013.
He says the team includes a handful of out of town players from Sudbury, Timmins and Sault Ste. Marie to compliment a solid core of North Bay area players.
"This is a good opportunity and gives them a great chance to cut their teeth against kids that are going to be older, bigger, stronger, faster, and hopefully it helps them see where they are in their development," said Rabideau.
The team is led up front by two high compete forwards in Owen Smith and Cedar Montreuil. Montreuil got a taste of Great North U18 action last season as an affiliate player for the North Bay U18 AAA Trappers.
The U16s open up the season Saturday night against the Sudbury U18 AAA Wolves and then head back to North Bay to clash with the U18 AAA Trappers Sunday afternoon at 3:30 p.m. at North Bay Memorial Gardens.
