New Rock captain Tenzin Nyman, watching a play develop with goalie Graham Gee during this exhibition contest against the Gold Miners in Kirkland Lake, is the elder statesman on a veteran Timmins blue-line that looks to be one of the NOJHL squad’s strengths heading into the 2024-25 campaign. THOMAS PERRY/THE DAILY PRESS jpg, TD, apsmc
A Rock-solid blue-line should help Timmins find success when the puck drops on the 2024-25 NOJHL regular-season campaign in Powassan on Friday, Sept. 13.
Thomas Perry
The Daily Press/Postmedia Network
Five of the eight D-men currently on the roster were with the squad last season, while two of the others saw time as affiliate players, providing plenty of stability on the back end.
“Any time you have the majority of your guys returning, it is easier to hit the ground running,” said Rock coach and general manager Brandon Perry.
“(With the affiliates), we consider we have seven guys returning back there and we added a great piece in Braedyn Cyr, so we have a great D corps.”
The one thing the group may be lacking is an offensively gifted blue-liner who can step in and quarterback the power play, but the coach is confident his new captain can grow into that role.
“Tenzin (Nyman) will start in that spot,” Perry said. “He has earned that right and it will be up to him to stay there. Obviously, he has got to produce, but we have three or four guys back there who can do it.”
Nyman, the right-shot, Maple Ridge, B.C., product who is entering his third and final Junior ‘A’ campaign in the maroon, gold and white.
Nyman came to the Rock at the start of the 2022-23 season (48, 1-10-11, 6) along with his older brother Kenyon.
During the 2023-24 campaign (54, 3-24-27, 19), the younger Nyman showed steady growth at both ends of the ice.
As a result, he will wear the C in the upcoming season, taking over from the now-departed Felix Cadieux-Fredette as the Rock’s captain.
Officially listed at 6-2 and 173 pounds, Nyman has been paired with Cyr for much of the exhibition season, on the Rock’s top D pair.
“That’s the way we will start, right now,” Perry said, when asked if the combination will likely continue when the puck drops on the regular season.
“It will all depend on games, it will all depend on matchups, because we will want some of our young guys, like (Zach) Secord, play with older guys (like Nyman and Cyr) at times, to see how he fits in, but to start, that’s the way it will be.
“It may change, game to game, depending on our match ups.”
Other than Nyman and Cyr, fans can expect to see a mix and match of the Rock’s remaining blue-liners, especially early in the season.
“They can all play and they all probably played together at some point last season at some point, based on all the injuries we had,” Perry said.
“It is just going to be a matter of who is playing well, who is having a good night, stuff like that.”
Nyman likes what he has seen from the Rock blue-line throughout training camp and five exhibition contests.
“I am really excited,” he said. “We are pretty deep right now in terms of D-men. We have got a lot of returning guys.”
In terms of his own game, Nyman just wants to keep doing the things he does best, while growing into the leadership role that led to the team naming him captain for 2024-25.
“I want to encourage the boys to be the best they can be every day,” he said.
The veteran blue-liner agrees having so many returnees on the back end should provide the Rock with a head start early in the season, since they are already familiar with the team’s systems.
“The boys are already picking things up real fast, in terms of systems,” Nyman said.
“That’s really good to see, especially in the young guys. They work really hard. Our systems are pretty self-explanatory, not too hard, but they work. They are very efficient.”
While Nyman is looking forward to getting to quarterback the Rock power play this season, he remains committed to continuing to develop on the defensive side of the puck, as well.
Everything, including defensive partners, is subject to change, but Nyman indicated he enjoyed getting to play with Cyr for much of the exhibition season.
“He is a physical player who likes to get up in the play a lot and he skates with the puck well and he communicates well, so playing with him was definitely good,” Nyman said.
“Hopefully, we can keep things going and see where we end up.”
With so many players — not just blue-liners — back, Nyman is confident the Rock will once again find themselves at, or near, the top the NOJHL standings.
“Definitely, going into the Cottage Cup Showcase we were a little shaky, not playing as hard as we could, but we had a little sit-down and just kind of talked about what it really means to win and how to want it,” he said.
“After that, we came out with a win against Collingwood (the defending Centennial Cup champions) and we were really pumped.”
The Rock were eventually eliminated in the showcase’s quarterfinals, but acquitted themselves quite well against some of the top Junior ‘A’ teams in the country.
Like Nyman, Cyr stands 6-2 and weighs in at a near identical 170 pounds, but he shoots left.
An Oakville product, Cyr will have one more year of Junior ‘A’ eligibility following the 2024-25 campaign.
He was acquired from the GOJHL’s Caledon Bombers (regular season, 45, 3-7-10, 46; playoffs, 4, 0-0-0, 12) on Aug. 10, in exchange for a player development fee.
“I go out there and try to play both sides of the puck and battle hard,” Cyr said.
“I like to join in the rush and try to help our team get scoring opportunities.”
Cyr enjoyed the chance to play with Nyman during the exhibition season, but indicated he would be just as comfortable with any of the Rock’s other six D-men, as well.
“Obviously, I am new here, so I am getting used to playing with everybody,” he said.
“We are still trying to see where everybody fits.”
Cyr is looking forward to playing in front of upwards of 1,000 fans a game once the puck drops on the Rock’s regular-season home schedule later this month.
“It is going to be fun, I have been hearing from all the guys how much the place gets hopping, so I am really excited to get the energy going.”
Cyr is a late convert to the blue-line, after playing much of his minor hockey career as a forward.
“I was always a Connor McDavid, Sidney Crosby, the classics, fan when I was growing up, but as I have transitioned to defence, it has become more of Quinn Hughes, Cale Makar, they are my two favourite guys,” he said.
Traditionally, making the move from the back end to forward tends to be easier than the transition Cyr has made, but he feels it has been fairly smooth.
“I think playing defence fits my style of play a bit more,” he said.
“It helps me see the ice a bit more and it gives me a little bit more time with the puck. “
Prior to joining the Rock, Cyr didn’t know any of his new teammates, but he has found them to be quite welcoming.
“They have treated me right and we are all getting along together really well,” he said.
For much of the exhibition season, the Rock’s No. 2 D pairing consisted of Ethan Albert and Thomas Sefton.
Albert, a 6-1 and 190-pound left-shot Ottawa product was acquired by the Rock (19, 0-5-5, 13) from the MHL’s Yarmouth Mariners on Dec. 4, 2023) and he was a solid performer in the 2024 playoffs (11, 0-0-0, 4).
Like Cyr, Albert has one more of Junior ‘A’ eligibility following the 2024-25 campaign.
Sefton, a 5-11, 190-pound, left-shot North Bay product, should be no stranger to Rock fans, either, as he saw action during the 2024 playoffs (7, 0-3-3, 0) as an affiliate player.
The Rock acquired his rights from the GOJHL’s Pelham Panthers (45, 4-13-17, 55) in exchange for a player development fee, on July 12.
Prior to joining the Rock as an affiliate player for the 2024 playoffs, Sefton had NOJHL experience with the Powassan Voodoos (2021-22, 4, 0-1-1, 0; 2022-23, 4, 0-0-0, 0) and the Elliot Lake Red Wings (45, 4-7-11, 17).
Like Nyman, Elijah Pool followed an older brother to Timmins, joining the Rock for the 2023-24 campaign (46, 1-16-17, 58).
The 5-11, 185-pound, right-shot, St. Albert, Alta., product had a solid 2024 playoffs (7, 0-2-2, 10), as well.
Since 2024-25 is his final year of Junior ‘A’ eligibility, Pool will be aiming to help the Rock capture another NOJHL championship.
Ayden Trottier and Sam Gallagher are a pair of 2005-birth-year defenders who are entering their second campaigns on the Rock blue-line.
Trottier is the younger brother of Rock shot-blocking legend Kyle Trottier, who went to back-to-back Centennial Cup championships, first with the Soo Thunderbirds and then the Rock.
The younger Trottier, also a Kapuskasing product, is coming off a solid 2023-24 rookie campaign (37, 0-11-11, 8).
Officially listed at 5-9 and 150 pounds, the left-shot D-man is far from the biggest body on the Rock blue-line, but makes up for lack of size with his skating ability.
While Gallagher was born in Bangkok, Thailand, he was raised in Timmins and had plenty of hockey under his belt before joining the Rock in 2023-24 (38, 2-11-13, 16).
The 5-10, 165-pound, left-shot defender will be looking to build upon the success he enjoyed as a rookie last season.
Rounding out the Rock blue-line contingent is Timmins Majors (GNU18L) graduate Secord, who saw plenty of time with his new team as an affiliate player in 2023-24 (10, 0-4-4, 8) and the 2024 playoffs (2, 0-0-0, 0).
Secord, a 2006-birth-year left-shot defender who stands 6-0 and weighs in at 175 pounds, enjoyed a solid season with the Majors (35, 0-25-25, 78).
