The hype surrounding the Sudbury Wolves rookie camp will hit a feverish pitch on Saturday around 3 p.m. this Saturday, as fans will get their first chance to see first overall pick John McFarland.
The six-foot-one, 190-pound forward has created a buzz in the city after being selected first overall in the 2008 OHL Priority Draft, and has fans are anxious to see him work his magic on the ice.
The camp is a two-day event at the Countryside Arena. On Saturday, the Wolves Community Club will host a barbeque from 1:30 to 3 p.m. The players hit the ice from 3 to 3:50 p.m. for a practice, followed by an hour-long scrimmage starting at 4 p.m.
On Sunday, there will be another scrimmage, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
A total of 27 players will showcase their skills.
"It's an exciting time because we feel we have a really strong group of players coming here who have great skill and competitive spirit," Wolves head coach and GM Mike Foligno said. "It's a great experience for these players to compete against their peers and be part of an OHL practice and scrimmage. This is their first taste of what the OHL is all about."
McFarland is easily one of the most talked about players coming into the Wolves organization in history. The buzz surrounding him alone has caused a big spike in fan interest in the Wolves club.
"He's a special player...very mature, understands the work ethic involved and he wants to be the best," Foligno said. "There really is a big buzz with him...he's the type of player who brings that kind of attention."
McFarland isn't the only player expected to bring fans out of their seats to gasp at the potential pure artistry being weaved on the ice this weekend.
Second round pick, defenceman Nick Quinn, is sure to tantalize fans with his high degree of skill. Quinn reminds Foligno of a NHL defenceman because of his composure and puck talents.
"Nick is a real top notch player too," Foligno said. "He plays with his head up all the time...he has great vision and a is a real presence on the ice."
The camp will also feature its share of local players, including five players from the Sudbury Nickel Capital Wolves - Denis Restoule, Lenny Talarico, Kenton Valliant, Kyllian Kirkwood and Ryan Sidun.
"We invited these players from the national AAA midget championship team because we felt they earned the opportunity to come to an OHL camp," Foligno said.
The camp also has Northern Ontario well covered as players from Sault Ste. Marie, Hearst and Thunder Bay will be competing.
There's also a strong international flavour to the camp with three Americans coming into show what they're made of. (Nickel Capital Wolves defenceman Sidun is also an American.)
Big defenceman Kevin Lind is coming in from Chicago. He was a ninth round selection in 2008, but was rated as one of the top defenders in the draft. Most OHL clubs backed off on Lind as he has multiple offers from NCAA Division I schools and hadn't confirmed his intentions. It didn't stop Sudbury from taking him and they hope the camp will make him choose the OHL route.
"Kevin is a highly rated player too...he's physical and very smart with the puck," Foligno said about the six-foot-one, 180-pound defenceman.
Travis Ney, a former teammate of Marcus Foligno, and Dylan Fox, both from Pennsylvania, are the other Americans coming to camp.
Camp notes:
- 17 players drafted from 2008 will attend
- Jordan Brohman, a draft pick from 2007, will attend his first
rookie camp. He missed last year's camp due to the death of
his father.
- Craig Rylett, a goalie draft pick from 2007, will also attend
his first camp.
