Wolves exhibition season will be wild

BY SCOTT HADDOW

To some sports people, there's five seasons in a year - spring, summer, fall, winter and hockey.

Even with summer holding a tight grip in the city, the hockey season is now upon us.

The Sudbury Wolves have opened their 2007 training camp, which basically signals the start of the hockey season.
The Wolves are in Copper Cliff at the McClelland Arena for camp.

This year's camp could prove to be one of the most interesting camps in recent history.

Not since head coach and GM Mike Foligno's first year has there been so many unanswered questions and open spots on the roster.

Gone are stalwarts such as defenders Marc Staal, Adam McQuaid and Jonathan D'Aversa, along with forwards Justin Donati, Akim Aliu, Devin DiDiomete and Andrew Self.

These warriors were part of the driving force behind Sudbury's eastern Conference Championship in the 2007 playoffs.

Yet, as with any year, the incoming replacements offer hope, if nothing else.

Here's my thoughts on some of the new players.

The Wolves are high on 2007 first round pick Daniel Maggio, a six-foot-three, 190-pound defenceman. Maggio, picked seventh overall, will be instantly thrown into the fire as one of the team's top defenders. He has skill as he put up 56 points in 59 games last season at the AAA midget level.

Fans shouldn't expect Maggio to have as big an impact as Marc Staal did when he was 16.

Staal was an instant star and showed poise beyond his years.

Maggio will be solid and will have a lot of playing time to learn the OHL ropes.

Sudbury's second pick in 2007, Marcus Foligno should also be a factor. Big and strong, the latest Foligno brings an awesome package of grit, toughness and skill. At six-foot-two and 190-pounds, Foligno could make a lot of noise right away. He plays a no-nonsense type of game and will battle for his teammates. He had 47 points and 114 penalty minutes in 43 AAA midget games overall with the Sudbury Nickel Capital Wolves.

Watch for third round pick Peter Hermenegildo to shake things up. The stocky defenceman brings size (five-foot-10 and 195-pounds) and a physical element to the blueline. A lot of scouts had him pegged as a first or second round pick. He could end up being a big steal for Sudbury.

It will be interesting to watch fourth round pick Brett Thompson work his magic.

Thompson played AAA midget for Sault Ste. Marie and was a top scorer in the GNML.

In the regular season, he finished fourth overall with 30 goals and 61 points in 36 games. He lead all playoff scorers with eight goals and 23 points in nine games as Sault Ste. Marie won the league championship.

Thompson is feisty and fast and could easily crack the line up with his edge.

I do have some concerns about camp. I am fascinated with the fact the Wolves didn't replace former assistant coach Bobby Jones. It's basically going to be Foligno and Bryan Verreault calling the shots on the bench and on the ice. It means there's one less highly qualified person on the ice with the young players. It could backfire on the team.

Sudbury lost a lot of toughness and didn't exactly replace it. Hockey people have long memories and Sudbury has been one of the toughest teams over the past few seasons. Teams will be looking to get some payback. Someone will have to emerge from camp as a true heavyweight to keep the competition honest every game this season.

Watch for guys like Stephen Miller, Gerome Giudice and Geoff Guimond take on a bigger role acting as enforcers for the team. Miller packs a knock out punch and Giudice and Guimond are excellent middleweights.

Needless to say, camp and the exhibition season is going to be wide open and wild.