Sudbury Kal Tire Jr. Wolves coach Bryan Verreault recently gave all of his players a full weekend off — a chance to enjoy a little extra time with family and friends. For 17-year-old rookie Jason Lacroix, the break provided a welcomed chance to catch his breath and take stock of all that had occurred over the past three months.
A graduate of the Hearst Elans Midget hockey program and long-time resident of the Hearst area, Lacroix first garnered some attention on the local scene after sending in his application to attend the inaugural Sudbury Wolves free agent camp this past August.
“One of my old coaches told me about the free agent camp, so I sent in my application,” he said.
Looking to make an impression and find a way to stand out under the watchful eye of Wolves head coach Trent Cull, Lacroix came to Sudbury with an idea of how he might best showcase his particular skill set.
“I had to play physical, finish my checks, get the puck out of my zone and throw pucks at the net,” Lacroix said.
Despite the jump in the speed of the game, it was mission accomplished for the soft-spoken teen, who is much more comfortable conversing in French than in English.
We see great improvement in him each and every day, on and off the ice.
Bryan Verreault,
Jr. Wolves head coach
Thankfully, there is a universality to the language of hockey, and in that sense, Lacroix spoke volumes, earning an invitation to the Sudbury Wolves training camp and impressing the team enough to find his way into a pair of exhibition encounters.
In the end, Lacroix fell just on the wrong side of the bubble, but was close enough to making the team that the Wolves inquired about a possible affiliation with the Jr. Wolves.
“His mom and his dad, and Jason himself, thought that for his development, it was great for him to stay here and play in Sudbury,” Verreault said.
The proximity to the OHL club would make Lacroix an easy call-up for emergency injuries and suspensions, as well as providing the young prospect with an opportunity to practice with the “big team” on the occasional basis.
Lacroix took the move in stride, confident that he could return to the OHL as he continues to follow the advice of Wolves management.
“They told me to just keep doing what I was doing in tryouts,” he said.
It was pretty sound advice that seems to be paying off. Averaging nearly a point per game, Lacroix is earning rave reviews from Verreault.
“We see great improvement in him each and every day, on and off the ice,” noted the one-time coach of the Sudbury Wolves.
“He plays a strong game along the boards, he’s tough in the offensive zone, he takes care of business in his zone and he’s a really good team player.”
But it wasn’t only local hockey officials who were taking notice of Jason Lacroix.
In late October, the power forward with a scoring touch was named to the Canada East roster for the 2010 World Junior A Challenge that took place in Penticton, B.C. from Nov. 8 to 14.
In fact, he was the only player named from the NOJHL.
“My coaches with Sudbury told me about the event, and then Team Canada phoned me to ask me if I wanted to play,” Lacroix said. “I said yes right away. It was awesome, a great experience.”
Canada East advanced to the championship final before falling to the United States (6-4). Though his role on the team involved relatively limited ice time, Lacroix said he watched and learned — a quality he continues to exhibit on a weekly basis with the Jr. Wolves.
“He understands the game well and wants to get better at it,” Verreault said.
And despite travelling some six hours or so to make it back home during his recent weekend off, Lacroix is starting to feel at ease in Sudbury, according to his current coach.
“He’s from northern Ontario, he’s played at some of the rinks we play in, and I think that helped make his decision to come here a little easier,” Verreault said.
And with all that has happened since August, it’s not likely a decision Lacroix regrets.
Randy Pascal is the founder of SudburySports.com and a contributing sports editor for Northern Life.
