Timmins Rock forward Kaeden McArthur flips a shot up and over the crossbar behind Gold Miners goalie Caleb Whitson as linemates Reece Liu and Brant Romaniuk (behind the net) look on during an NOJHL exhibition game in Kirkland Lake on Aug. 25. Romaniuk (23 goals) and McArthur (22 goals) are the two highest scoring returning Rock forwards, while Liu is one of the new additions to the lineup. THOMAS PERRY/THE DAILY PRESS jpg, TD, apsmc
Only two NOJHL teams — the Greater Sudbury Cubs and Blind River Beavers — scored more goals than the Timmins Rock last season.
Thomas Perry
The Daily Press/Postmedia Network
But with Mason Svarich (40 goals), Harry Clark (36 goals) and Liam Wells (30 goals) having used up their Junior ‘A’ eligibility, the Rock will be challenged to match the 272 tallies they put up in 2023-24.
That trio accounted to nearly half of the Rock’s goal total, leaving some pretty big skates to fill.
Rock coach and general manager Brandon Perry isn’t too concerned, however, about his squad’s ability to put the puck in the net in 2024-25.
“We have some good, talented players still left in our locker room, including Brant Romaniuk, who is a (soon-to-be) 17 year old now who had a fantastic season as a rookie,” he said.
“(Kaeden) McArthur is as talented as they come in terms of forwards in our league and we have got a lot of young guys, like Ryan Armitage, who are playing really well, and Ryno (Hayden Rynard), (Lucas) Lowe, (Jack) Kelly and (Thomas) Beard, who we will be looking to, to do more.
“It is going to be tough. I think that was the worry this summer, how are we going to score goals? But based on the exhibition games, I think we are going to be okay.
“We might have to rely heavily on defence and goaltending, but I think there are some guys in our lineup who are going to step up and score some goals.”
Leading the way will be the Rock’s two returning 20-plus goal scorers, Romaniuk and McArthur.
Romaniuk scored 23 goals and finished with 57 point as a 16-year-old rookie in 2023-24.
He won’t turn 17 until Oct. 4 and he was also one of the Rock’s top playoff performers (11, 8-5-13, 4).
At 5-9 and 170 pounds, the right-shot Timmins product, is far from the biggest player on the Rock roster, but his combination of speed, skill and an accurate shot should lead to continued success in his second full season in the NOJHL.
“We did lose a lot of goals from last year, but we still have a lot with the guys coming back,” Romaniuk said.
“I am more mature now, a little bit older, so I think I can step into that role (as a goal scorer) even more now.”
Coming off a 23-goal campaign, Romaniuk hasn’t set any goals in terms of how many he might contribute in 2024-25.
“The team and winning comes first, obviously,” he said. “I am just going to take things game by game and see where things go. Last year, I started slow, so I just want to stay consistent from game to game.”
Last season, Romaniuk spent a good chunk of the campaign patrolling the wing with Svarich and Clark, which allowed him to learn from two of the best players in the NOJHL.
“(In the exhibition season), I have been playing with K-Mac (McArthur) and (Reece) Liu,” he said.
“We played good in K.L. and we are looking to keep working hard every day and bring that into games.”
McArthur notched 22 goals and picked up 46 points last season, despite being limited to just 44 games due to a series of injuries.
The 6-2 and 172-pound left-shot Timmins product also enjoyed a strong playoff in 2024 (11, 3-4-7, 8).
He enters 2024-25 with two years of NOJHL experience under his belt, having split the 2022-23 campaign between the Beavers (12, 3-4-7, 2) and the Rock (23, 8-9-17, 6).
Lowe, known early on in his Rock career as a defensive specialist, is coming off career highs in goals (17), assists (30) and points (47).
The 5-10, 165-pound, left-shot, 2005-birth-year Toronto product, was solid in the 2024 playoffs (11, 2-6-8, 12), as well.
Beard is another Rock forward who put up career numbers in goals (16), assists (21) and points (37) in 2023-24. He also recorded solid numbers in the 2024 playoffs (11, 2-4-6, 6).
The Rock will be hoping to see similar improvements from the 2005-birth-year, right-shot, 6-0, 165-pound South Porcupine product.
Rynard scored a career-high 13 goals and produced a career-high 26 points in 2023-24, matching his career best in assists, with 13, as well.
Like Lowe, Rynard was mainly known for his defensive abilities prior to last season.
At 6-3 and 190 pounds, the 2004-birth-year Courtice product is one of the biggest players on the Rock roster.
Armitage (52, 9-9-18, 21) just missed hitting double figures in goals and the 20-point plateau during his first full season in a Rock uniform.
The 6-0, 190-pound, left-shot, 2006-birth-year Timmins product, was also solid in the 2024 playoffs (11, 3-1-4, 0).
Kelly has perhaps the most upside of all the returning Rock forwards after posting solid numbers in 2023-24 (29, 8-14-22, 4) and the 2024 playoffs (11, 3-2-5, 2).
The 6-2, 165-pound, left-shot, 2004-birth-year Madoc product, came to the Rock with NOJHL experience (2022-23 Powassan Voodoos), when he was acquired last season from the OJHL’s Cobourg Cougars in exchange for a player development fee on Dec. 5.
A pair of right-shooting 2005-birth-year forwards showed flashes of offensive skill in limited minutes in 2023-24.
Jaden Lyons (54, 8-11-19, 39), a 5-11, 145-pound Markham product, showed blazing speed.
At 5-11 and 165 pounds, Stony Plains, Alta., product Henry McLellan (37, 5-7-12, 14) had a tougher time cracking the lineup on a regular basis during his rookie campaign.
Timmins Majors (GNU18L) grad Travis Poan (1, 1-0-1, 2) made the most of his one appearance in the Rock lineup as an affiliate player in 2023-24 and he will be looking to build upon that as a full-time player this season.
The 6-1, 185-pound, left-shot, 2006-birth-year Timmins product was one-third of the Majors’ top line last season, so he has the potential to be able to help pick up some of the slack offensively.
To help bolster the attack, the Rock added four more newcomers, as well.
Alexis Tremblay scored a goal in his first exhibition game with the Rock, helping them beat the Gold Miners 9-2 in Kirkland Lake.
The 5-11, 155-pound, right-shot, 2006-birth-year Alma, Que., product comes to the Rock from the CSJV Black Vees U18, where he split time between their entries in the NAPrepHL U18 (regular season, 20, 14-5-19, 6; playoffs, 4, 4-2-6, 2) and USPHL Elite (12, 4-9-13, 4).
“I think I am a fast, pretty skilled forward,” Tremblay said, when asked what Rock fans can expect to see from his this season.
“I am pretty good offensively, but I can play defence, too.”
In terms of his offensive game, Tremblay feels he is “a better set up guy,” than a goal scorer, “but I can put the puck in the net, too.”
Tremblay likes what he has seen of his new city so far and he has been impressive with his teammates, as well.
“I think we are going to have a good team this year,” he said.
Tremblay notes his teammates have really gone out of their way to make him feel included.
Early on, he has been playing on a line with Lyons and Armitage.
Meanwhile, Ryan Boon comes to the Rock by way of the Ontario Hockey Academy Prep’s entries in the CSSHLE U18 (regular season, 21, 5-13-18, 4; playoffs, 5, 0-1-1, 2) and PPHL 18U (regular season, 9, 0-1-1, 0; playoffs, 4, 0-0-0, 0).
The 5-10, 178-pound, right-shot, 2006-birth-year Chateauguay, Que., product had a goal during one of the Rock’s Cottage Cup Showcase contests.
“I am a player who likes to move a lot with the puck and I like to pass a lot,” Boon said, when asked what Rock fans can expect to see from him this season.
“When I was younger, I would try to pattern my game after (long-time Montreal Canadiens forward) Brendan Gallagher. Then, when I got older, I really started to watch (Pittsburgh Penguins superstar) Sidney Crosby and how he skated.”
Like most of the new Rock players, Boon didn’t know any of his teammates prior to arriving in Timmins.
“All the boys are great,” he said.
Early on, Boon has had a variety of linemates during the Cottage Cup Showcase.
“I love our team,” he said.
“We have a really good group of guys. The teams we were playing against down there were really fast and skilled.”
Fast and skilled pretty much describes this version of the Rock, as well.
“I found our structure was really good, as well,” Boon said. “I think that is going to help us win games.”
The coach liked what he saw from Tremblay and Boon throughout the exhibition action.
“Those guys are just workhorses and smart, tenacious players,” Perry said, describing what Tremblay and Boon bring to the Rock roster.
Officially listed at 5-8 and 130 pounds, Liu is one of the smallest players on the Rock’s 2024-25 roster, but he demonstrated a willingness to go to the net during exhibition action, regardless of the consequences.
That was certainly demonstrated during the Rock’s exhibition win in Kirkland Lake when he was the subject of one of the few highlights for Gold Miners fans as he was sent sailing through the air in front of the home team’s crease by a defender.
“Growing up, I was always the smallest kid on most of the teams, so I have gotten quite used to taking hits,” Liu said.
“You just have to get up and move on from it. There is always the next shift.”
When he was younger, Liu tried to pattern his game after some of the NHL players who overcame their size to become effective hockey players.
“Obviously, Johnny Gaudreau, who unfortunately passed away recently, was definitely someone I looked up to,” he said.
“Another guy I looked up too was Kailer Yamamoto, who was pretty small, as well. I learned a lot from them, watching them closely.”
The pace of play was something Liu noticed during his first taste of Junior ‘A’ action.
“The first game was a lot of fun, definitely a lot faster than what I am used to but I look forward to making some adjustments,” he said.
“We have a great bunch of guys in the locker room and I can’t wait for the season to start.”
The right-shot, 2006-birth-year Vancouver product comes to the Rock from the St. George’s School U18 Prep program of the CSSHL U18 (regular season, 29, 18-26-44, 4; playoffs, 3, 2-1-3, 0).
“I pride myself in playing both a good offensive and solid defensive game,” Liu said.
“(On offence), I see myself as a playmaker, especially given my size. I try to set up my teammates. With my size, I can’t be scared out there.”
The coach certainly likes what he has seen from Liu early on in his Rock career.
“He is the one who has the most upside, offensively, I would say,” Perry said.
“He reminds me a lot of an 18 year old Harry Clark.”
Finally, Aaron Shaw, who last suited up for the Schumacher Cubs, of the Timmins U18 Hockey League during the 2021-22 season, is attempting to make a comeback during his final year of Junior ‘A’ eligibility.
The 2004-birth-year forward put up some intriguing stats with the Cubs during that campaign (20, 19-11-30, 38) and he showed little rust while picking up an assist in the Rock’s win in Kirkland Lake.
“He is an incredibly smart player,” Perry said. “Our only concern with him is the pace of the game, since he hasn’t played in two years but we are going to give him a bit of time to catch up.
“He is really good underneath the hash marks in the O (offensive) Zone. He is strong on pucks. He has got quick hands and great vision.”
With five exhibition games under their belt, the coach still isn’t at the point where he was ready to pencil names into line combinations just yet.
“It is still a little early, but I think there are duos that are together and it’s just a matter of finding the right match for that third guy,” Perry said.
“We will keep trying combinations and find something that works.”
When it comes to defensive specialists up front, especially guys who can kill penalties, the Rock have a much clearer picture.
“There is not a better penalty killer in the league than Hayden Rynard and Thomas Beard kills a lot of penalties for us, Jack Kelly kills penalties for us, Ryan Armitage kills penalties for us,” Perry said.
“Some of those young guys have the ability to step up, as well, and fill some of those roles. That’s what we are hoping.”
The Rock will open the NOJHL regular season on the road, with a game against the Voodoos in Powassan on Friday and the Rapids in French River on Saturday.
They will then return to the friendly confines of the McIntyre Arena for the home opener on Friday, Sept. 21, when they will host the Voodoos, at 7 p.m.
