Young forward proves a contender in AAA ranks

I still clearly recall my conversation with then peewee AAA coach Mike Brunette about his young Sudbury Wolves team. At the time, he raved about a player, certainly not known for his scoring prowess, but who brought so much else to the table.

Over the past few years, Nickel City Sons Midget AAA forward Alex Bottigoni has developed a scoring touch, trailing only one other player in the Great North Midget League (GNML) scoring race. Those are lofty heights for a young man who played all of his pre-AAA hockey within the house league system in Capreol.

Bottigoni, 16, made the unusual jump straight from house league to AAA hockey in minor peewee, playing under coach Brunette.

“He was a great coach,” Bottigoni said. “He said I had a strong sense of hockey, but he taught me so many things that I never knew growing up.”

The young skater understood the learning curve would be steep, as he tried to feel comfortable at a level that was a step or two above what he had grown used to.

“I had to pay attention as much as I could because I was coming from house league to AAA,” Bottigoni said. “I was very focused in the changeroom, listening to everything they said.”

There can be incredible motivation in feeling like the underdog — the player who needs to raise his game just to belong. “Every shift, before I went on the ice, I would have to remind myself that the guys were no better than me, that I could compete with them.”

One great coaching experience lead to another for the outgoing youngster, who cracked the Nickel City Sons Major bantam lineup as an underage forward.

While the coaching style of Dave Berthelot might not suit absolutely every young hockey player under his tutelage, the knowledgeable, long-time bantam AAA coach provided just what Bottigoni needed.

“I enjoyed Dave Berthelot as a coach, because in practice, he was hard on us,” Bottigoni said with a smile. “I loved it — he led us to a championship.”

That would come in his second year with the Sons, a season in which his offensive game took a giant step forward.

After netting just three goals in 38 games as a minor bantam, Bottigoni exploded into the spotlight in his second year in the Northern Ontario Bantam Hockey League, finishing ninth in league scoring with 41 points in 40 games, including 18 goals.

“In my major bantam year, Dave Berthelot brought me into the room and said, ‘Bottigoni, we signed you as a shooter — you’re a goal scorer. Start scoring some goals for us.’”

Playing alongside current teammates Cody Gratton and Mitchell Byrne, Bottigoni changed his outlook on the role he could play, at least to some extent. “I just try and approach every shift thinking that I want to do something that helps the team — set up a goal, make a hit,” he said.

Playing as a minor midget in the GNML, Bottigoni posted decent numbers in 2009-2010, finishing eighth in team scoring with nine goals and 14 assists. As was the case with the Bantam Sons, the Capreol native enjoyed an even greater comfort while on the attack in his sophomore year.

Of course, being part of a team that is red hot in league play certainly doesn’t hurt. This year’s edition of the midget Nickel City team boasts an unblemished 14-0 mark in regular season play.

Bottigoni said there was a different feeling around the Sons from the moment they took to the ice in August. “This year, everybody wants it, everybody worked so hard in tryouts, crashing and banging every shift.”

Bottigoni and mates remain one of the top two contenders to represent the Northern Ontario Hockey Association at the all-Ontario Midget Championships next April.

Still, that might not mark the end of his success with the Sons. “I’m not sure whether I want to move up to the junior level next year. I might come back for one more year of midget hockey.”

Randy Pascal is the founder of SudburySports.com and a contributing sports editor for Northern Life.