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Around the ECJLL - Hurricanes Preview
2016-05-04
The Southwest Hurricanes locked up their 4th championship in a row in 2015 - can they do it again this year? Click READ MORE for a preview of the Canes for 2016.
Colin Beiswanger
2015 was business as usual for the Halifax Southwest Hurricanes, securing their fourth straight ECJLL Championship. They had six players in the Top 25 in ECJLL scoring, but registered an impressive 84 goals against over 15 games, an average 5.6 goals against per game.
The Hurricanes are fortunate this year, losing only one significant piece on offence (more on that later), and returning many of their star defensive players that held off the hard charging Marley Lions over the course of the five game ECJLL Finals to close out the 2015 season. They also are bringing in some homegrown talent that could see significant playing time early on in their rookie seasons.
Offseason Transactions
SW sends Peter Smith to Wolves for Dillon Odrowski
SW sends Matt Mayer, Gus Doane and Braeden Drysdale to NW for 2017 1st round MUFLL pick and a conditional 2018 MUFLL pick.
Also, previous MUFLL picks that they acquired rights to this summer:
Acquired Brett McGuire from St Catherine’s
Acquired Sam Domachevski from Mississauga Tomahawks
The Hurricanes were relatively quiet this offseason, and why wouldn’t they be? They bring back most of the talent that got them to the finals last year, and are bringing on some exceptional rookie and MUFLL imports to fill out the squad.
Graduating Players
Luke Byrne is a significant loss for the Hurricanes, scoring 11 pts (6G 5A) over the course of nine games last season, and being hold goalless in the 2016 playoffs, however tallying 5 assists in six playoff games. The Hurricanes are also graduating John Dale and Jeff Leonard.
Most notably the Hurricanes are losing Captain Nate Allen, who had 44 PTS (25G 19A) in 14 games played last season, on top of 30 PTS (16G 14A) in eight playoff games.
Draft Picks
The Hurricanes, beneficiaries of a strong association program, parted ways with many draft picks in this year’s draft. They did however pick up Brennan Shebib in the third round, a Halifax West High alumni who played on the runner up Warriors team this past weekend at the Halifax High School BoxLa tournament.
It’s worth noting that Mackenzie Faulkner is the first ever female drafted into the ECJLL.
Rookie and Young Impact Players
The Hurricanes are adding three promising rookies who will be given opportunities to make plays early on in their rookie seasons. Will Holmes, Kirk Drabble, and Jonah Glazebrook come in with considerable provincial team experience, and will be expected to replicate the success they had in minor levels over the course of this season and beyond.
Holmes lead the team with 52 pts (32G 20A) in 16 games at the Midget Select level, while Drabble and (17G 17A) and Glazebrook (9G 7A) also have the capability to put the ball in the net this season. Drabble has been a sponge at every level he has played, and there is no doubt he will be called upon to provide a leadership presence early on in his Junior years.
Holmes had an exceptional debut in the ECJLL Spring Jam over the weekend, notching 4G 1A in three games played. The right side of the offence will benefit from Holmes’ presence, with Nate Allen finishing his ECJLL career in 2015.
According to team GM Jon Goguen, the Hurricanes also have two MUFLL selections trying out for the team. Brett McGuire and Sam Domachevski were both acquired from St Catherine’s and Mississauga, and will be competing for roster spots on an already stacked Canes squad. McGuire had 14 goals in 10 games and Domachevski had 10 goals and 3 assists in 10 games for the MUFLL Champion Dalhousie Tigers.
Southwest will also be bringing back four of their top six scorers in Max McBride, Reilly Letterick, Luke Smelter, and Brian Huyghue. This group has been the foundation of a lethal offence, coming second in goals for last season with 181.
Coaching Staff
One of the biggest stories of the off-season came as Jon Goguen decided to step down as Head Coach of the Hurricanes. This came as the Canes had just secured their fourth straight ECJLL Championship. Goguen will be staying on as GM, but leaves the team in good hands with assistant’s Jamie Dunbar, Connor DuBreuil, and Mark Falkenham returning. The Head Coaching vacancy will be filled by Colin Algee, who currently plays for the Arrows of the NSSLL, and has been an assistant with the team.
Season Outlook
It would be foolish not to consider the Southwest Hurricanes as front-runners to win the ECJLL Championship once again in 2016. Their offence is prolific, and has rookie replacements for the massive losses of Alex Pace and Nate Allen.
ECJLL Rookie of the Year Alex Pace will not be part of the squad as he pursues his ambitions in Ontario, but that is not to say that this team will not replicate the success they had against the Dartmouth Bandits and Northwest Lions once again this season.
The Hurricanes biggest test will come on May 12th and 30th early in the season against the Darmtouth Bandits. The Bandits are bringing back much of their 2015 squad and, similar to the start of last season, will be coming out with something to prove after losing a devastating Game 5 in the semifinals against Northwest a year ago.
2015 was business as usual for the Halifax Southwest Hurricanes, securing their fourth straight ECJLL Championship. They had six players in the Top 25 in ECJLL scoring, but registered an impressive 84 goals against over 15 games, an average 5.6 goals against per game.
The Hurricanes are fortunate this year, losing only one significant piece on offence (more on that later), and returning many of their star defensive players that held off the hard charging Marley Lions over the course of the five game ECJLL Finals to close out the 2015 season. They also are bringing in some homegrown talent that could see significant playing time early on in their rookie seasons.
Offseason Transactions
SW sends Peter Smith to Wolves for Dillon Odrowski
SW sends Matt Mayer, Gus Doane and Braeden Drysdale to NW for 2017 1st round MUFLL pick and a conditional 2018 MUFLL pick.
Also, previous MUFLL picks that they acquired rights to this summer:
Acquired Brett McGuire from St Catherine’s
Acquired Sam Domachevski from Mississauga Tomahawks
The Hurricanes were relatively quiet this offseason, and why wouldn’t they be? They bring back most of the talent that got them to the finals last year, and are bringing on some exceptional rookie and MUFLL imports to fill out the squad.
Graduating Players
Luke Byrne is a significant loss for the Hurricanes, scoring 11 pts (6G 5A) over the course of nine games last season, and being hold goalless in the 2016 playoffs, however tallying 5 assists in six playoff games. The Hurricanes are also graduating John Dale and Jeff Leonard.
Most notably the Hurricanes are losing Captain Nate Allen, who had 44 PTS (25G 19A) in 14 games played last season, on top of 30 PTS (16G 14A) in eight playoff games.
Draft Picks
| Round | Pick | Name | Association |
| 3 | 5 (16) | Brennan Shebib | St. Margaret’s Storm |
| 4 | 5 (21) | Blake Christmas | Cape Breton Lacrosse |
| 5 | 5 (26) | Mackenzie Faulkner | HNW Rebels |
The Hurricanes, beneficiaries of a strong association program, parted ways with many draft picks in this year’s draft. They did however pick up Brennan Shebib in the third round, a Halifax West High alumni who played on the runner up Warriors team this past weekend at the Halifax High School BoxLa tournament.
It’s worth noting that Mackenzie Faulkner is the first ever female drafted into the ECJLL.
Rookie and Young Impact Players
The Hurricanes are adding three promising rookies who will be given opportunities to make plays early on in their rookie seasons. Will Holmes, Kirk Drabble, and Jonah Glazebrook come in with considerable provincial team experience, and will be expected to replicate the success they had in minor levels over the course of this season and beyond.
Holmes lead the team with 52 pts (32G 20A) in 16 games at the Midget Select level, while Drabble and (17G 17A) and Glazebrook (9G 7A) also have the capability to put the ball in the net this season. Drabble has been a sponge at every level he has played, and there is no doubt he will be called upon to provide a leadership presence early on in his Junior years.
Holmes had an exceptional debut in the ECJLL Spring Jam over the weekend, notching 4G 1A in three games played. The right side of the offence will benefit from Holmes’ presence, with Nate Allen finishing his ECJLL career in 2015.
According to team GM Jon Goguen, the Hurricanes also have two MUFLL selections trying out for the team. Brett McGuire and Sam Domachevski were both acquired from St Catherine’s and Mississauga, and will be competing for roster spots on an already stacked Canes squad. McGuire had 14 goals in 10 games and Domachevski had 10 goals and 3 assists in 10 games for the MUFLL Champion Dalhousie Tigers.
Southwest will also be bringing back four of their top six scorers in Max McBride, Reilly Letterick, Luke Smelter, and Brian Huyghue. This group has been the foundation of a lethal offence, coming second in goals for last season with 181.
Coaching Staff
One of the biggest stories of the off-season came as Jon Goguen decided to step down as Head Coach of the Hurricanes. This came as the Canes had just secured their fourth straight ECJLL Championship. Goguen will be staying on as GM, but leaves the team in good hands with assistant’s Jamie Dunbar, Connor DuBreuil, and Mark Falkenham returning. The Head Coaching vacancy will be filled by Colin Algee, who currently plays for the Arrows of the NSSLL, and has been an assistant with the team.
Season Outlook
It would be foolish not to consider the Southwest Hurricanes as front-runners to win the ECJLL Championship once again in 2016. Their offence is prolific, and has rookie replacements for the massive losses of Alex Pace and Nate Allen.
ECJLL Rookie of the Year Alex Pace will not be part of the squad as he pursues his ambitions in Ontario, but that is not to say that this team will not replicate the success they had against the Dartmouth Bandits and Northwest Lions once again this season.
The Hurricanes biggest test will come on May 12th and 30th early in the season against the Darmtouth Bandits. The Bandits are bringing back much of their 2015 squad and, similar to the start of last season, will be coming out with something to prove after losing a devastating Game 5 in the semifinals against Northwest a year ago.