The Hanover Barons are seeking more consistency for the 2016-17 Junior C season, says Team President Brent Meyers.
After entering the 2015-16 campaign with plenty of optimism, the Barons stumbled out of the gate, managing to finish with a 14-22 record, going an identical 7-11 at home and on the road. That was good for 6th place. With a team bringing back a large majority of their veterans, and with high end offensive skill, the Barons are looking to have a much-improved campaign for this upcoming season.
Up front, the story will remain the same on offense. Justin Graham, known as "Shifty" to team mates, will bring his high end offensive skill back with running mate Jared Kuntz. Graham and Kuntz had 50 and 49 points respectively last year, allowing them to finish 5th-6th in the scoring race. Also returning will be depth scoring forward Brodie Lemay, who had a very respectable 32 points in 36 games. Sophomore Noah Johnson, who impressed with 20 points in 35 games as a rookie, will also look to further pad his stats and help the Barons improve upon an already potent offense.
On defense, high scoring D-man Tanner Mighton will anchor the blue line that at times lacked consistency last year, through no fault of his own. Mighton had a stellar 32 points in 36 games, and is always a key cog in the power play in Hanover. The loss of the steady Mitchell Pike will sting, and losing Lucas Johnson will further hurt the Barons depth, but big improvements are expected from Derek Williams and Carson Ivel. President Brent Meyers says he sees those two players making bigger impacts this year. Another huge boost will come from the return of Colten Culbert, who was sensational as a rookie for the Barons 2 seasons ago. He spent time in Junior B with Elmira, and returns with his great skating and puck rushing game to help boost the D corps at P&H Centre.
In net, last year's 23 game work-horse Cody Van der Hiede returns to man the crease. His veteran presence will be much appreciated, and he's a Hanover native with plenty of home town pride. Back-up Gord Walmsley will be missed, but the team feels that Noah Leis is more than capable of taking some of the workload off Van der Hiede, whose .901 save percentage was very impressive based on the 686 saves he was called into action for.
For more on the outlook for the Barons' 2016-17 aspirations, enjoy the full length interview with Team President Brent Meyers:
[audio wav="http://blackburnnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/BRENT-MEYERS-BARONS.wav"][/audio]