The Timmins Rock have acquired blue-liner Kenyon Nyman from the SIJHL’s Red Lake Miners in exchange for a player development fee. He will join former Red Lake forwards Brady Harroun and Ethan Pool, acquired by the Rock in late July, with his new squad. SUBMITTED PHOTO
The Timmins Rock’s quest to find a quarterback for the power play led them back to a familiar trading partner.
Thomas Perry
The Daily Press/Postmedia Network
After acquiring forwards Brady Harroun and Ethan Pool from Red Lake in late July, the Rock once again hooked up with the Miners to acquire another Superior International Junior Hockey League champion, 2002-birth-year blue-liner Kenyon Nyman, in exchange for a player development fee.
“That’s definitely what we have been looking for,” said Rock coach and general manager Brandon Perry, describing the championship pedigree of the three former Miners.
“Recruiting players with character is really important to us.
“Acquiring guys who have won and have experience playing for a national championship is invaluable, in my opinion.”
Nyman (37, 4-32-36, 4), a 6-3, 194-pound, right-shooting blue-liner, averaged nearly a point per game during the 2021-22 campaign with the Miners.
A Maple Ridge, BC, product, Nyman (11, 1-5-6, 7) continued his strong play during a playoff run that saw the Miners capture the 2022 SIJHL championship.
Nyman (4, 0-1-1, 0) and his Red Lake teammates finished with a record of 0-4-0 during the 2022 Centennial Cup tournament, but Rock coach and general manager Brandon Perry is hoping the experience he gained will translate into victories for his new squad when the 2022-23 NOJHL campaign gets underway next month.
He joined the Miners during the COVID-19 shortened 2020-21 campaign (3, 0-0-0, 2).
Prior to that, Nyman (37, 1-2-3, 4) was with the PIJHL’s Ridge Meadows Flames.
“(Quarterbacking the power play) is a need we wanted to address, after losing Dutkier (Cameron Dutkiewicz) and we think we have done it with this kid,” Perry said.
“We still have Felix Cadieux-Fredette, who is going to be a big part of one of the (power-play) units, but we are hoping Kenyon can fill the void on the other unit.”
While Nyman is a big body on the back end, he has proven he can play a solid defensive game without making frequent trips to the penalty box.
“He has an incredible reach,” Perry said.
“I watched a ton of his games at the Centennial Cup championship and he also has good foot speed and good gap control.
“He is a very good player and unless I am mistaken he only had four penalty minutes last season.
“We can’t wait to get him in here and see him in our system.”
Nyman will be joining a Rock blue-liner that will also include newly signed D-men Jackson Hildebrand, David MacDonald and Kyle Garland, as well as holdovers Cadieux-Fredette (47, 0-14-14, 36) and Chase Longhurst (37, 3-9-12, 10).
Hildebrand, a 2003-birth-year, 6-0, 176-pound, left-shooting blue-liner, comes to the Rock by way of the GMHL’s Durham Roadrunners (Regular season: 5, 0-1-1, 2; playoffs: 17, 0-1-1, 18).
The Mt. Clemens, MI, product also spent time with the HPHL 18U’s Honeybaked ‘AAA’ squad (12, 0-1-1, 5) and its Honeybaked 18U ‘AAA’
affiliate (25, 1-3-4, 14).
“Hildebrand is a good young player and a fantastic skater,” Perry said.
“He was at our (tryout) camp in June and we really liked what we saw from him.”
MacDonald, a 2003-birth-year, 5-10, 181-pound, right-shooting defender spent the 2021-22 campaign with the NA3HL’s Wausau Cyclones (39, 1-6-7, 67).
The Florence, KY, native spent the 2020-21 campaign with the NA3HL’s Wausau River Wolves (38, 1-5-6, 70).
“MacDonald has Junior experience,” Perry said.
“He is a good skater and he is quick, but the biggest thing that stood out about him during our June camp is how hard he competes.
“So, both of these American kids are really good skaters and we really liked the compete level of both.
“We think they are going to fit in really well with our group.”
Meanwhile, Garland, a 2004-birth-year, 6-1, 174-pound, left-shooting blue-liner, joins the Rock from the NLU18MHL’s East Coast Blizzard U18 ‘AAA’ squad (regular season: 29, 0-15-15, 28; playoffs: 6, 3-1-4, 20) — the same team that produced current Rock forward Liam Kelly.
It was the second season with the Blizzard (2020-21, regular season: 21, 2-4-6, 16; playoffs: 9, 0-3-3, 12) for the Goose Bay, NL, product.
“He is a big, mobile defenceman,” Perry said.
“He is strong, he is physical and we think we are going to have a good spot for him here.
“We are excited about all three of these guys because they are going to complement our older guys.”
The Rock have also confirmed the return of forward Nicholas Frederick (33, 9-15-24, 16) for the 2022-23 campaign.
A 6-0, 185-pound, left-shooting North Vancouver, BC, product, Frederick was acquired from the MJHL’s Dauphin Kings on Oct. 7.
It was in the 2022 playoffs (11, 5-5-10, 4) that Frederick’s impact was felt the most, however, as he averaged close to a point a game.
The Rock are scheduled to hit the ice on Aug. 22, although unlike previous seasons it won’t be a training camp, as the squad has been pretty well selected.
“Most of our roster is complete and with the (2022 Cottage Cup) tournament in Collingwood, starting on Aug. 31, we are going to get straight down to work,” Perry said.
“We are confident in the work we have put in over the summer, with the 23 guys we have right now.”
The Cottage Cup will see the Rock face off against Trenton on Aug. 31, at 8:20 p.m., North York on Sept. 1, at 12:20 p.m., Milton on Sept. 1, at 3:20 p.m., Collingwood on Sept. 2, at 10:40 a.m., and Navan on Sept. 2, at 2 p.m.
They will then open up the NOJHL regular-season schedule with a home-and-home series against the Kirkland Lake Gold Miners.
The two East Division rivals will face off at the McIntyre Arena on Friday, Sept. 9, at 7:30 p.m., before meeting at the Joe Mavrinac Community Complex on Saturday, Sept. 10, at 7 p.m.
NOJHL NOTES — The East Division’s Cochrane Crunch have been quite active, as well. They have shipped blue-liner Mark Hill to the West Division’s Elliot Lake Red Wings, forward Ethan Ingram to the OJHL’s Caledon Admirals and forward Jake Alton to the MHL’s Amherst Ramblers … The West Division’s Espanola Paper Kings, formerly the Express, have acquire blue-liner Jonathan Lush from the PJHL’s Georgina Ice and forward Kyle Den Ouden from the PJHL’s Huntsville Otters. The Paper Kings have also named Marc Gagnon as the team’s new general manager … The West Division’s Soo Thunderbirds, defending NOJHL champions, have acquired forward Ethan Raduy from the MJHL’s Winnipeg Freeze.
