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Wolves, Paper Kings strike affiliate deal

Sudbury’s OHL franchise says it is excited to team up with Espanola team to develop some young talent
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The Sudbury Wolves have announced they’ve entered into an affiliation agreement with the Espanola Paper Kings.

The deal with the NOJHL franchise formerly known as the Espanola Express takes effect for the upcoming 2022-2023 season.

“Espanola has done a great job over the past few seasons in developing players for the next level of hockey,” said Wolves GM Rob Papineau. “Having a place for us to develop some of our young players in the North is very important to us. Espanola is a terrific community with all the services to support the players both on and off the ice. It is just a short drive down Highway 17 and Espanola has a rich hockey history that we look forward to building on with the Paper Kings this season.”

Paper Kings owner Jason Rapcewicz said he, too, is excited by the agreement.

“The Espanola Paper Kings are excited to enter into an affiliation agreement with the Sudbury Wolves,” Rapcewicz, who is also Espanola’s head coach, said. “The Wolves organization does a great job at identifying high-end hockey players and we are excited that they have entrusted us in assisting with the development process.”

Espanola rebranded itself from the Express to the Paper Kings this summer. They kick off their season with a home opener on Sept. 9. Kings GM Marc Gagnon is pleased to partner with the Wolves and Sudbury.

“Sudbury is a great hockey town, and we are looking forward to the special relationship we will have  with the club,” Gagnon said. 

Three members of the Paper Kings — Atley Gringorten, Kobe Braham and Graydon Guthrie — are expected to attend the Wolves training camp next week.


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