The Board of Directors of the Chatham Sports Hall of Fame named the latest slate of inductees on Sunday.
The list includes a solid showing of hockey-related athletes with two individual skaters and one team.
The full list of inductees this year is as follows:
Athlete - Modern - Derek Whitson - sledge hockey
Derek Whitson began his sledge hockey career at the age of 11, with the Chatham Sledgehammers.
In 2007, Whitson won the World Junior Sledge hockey championship with Team Ontario.
In World Sledge Challenge competition, he won three gold medals, three silver medals, and one bronze medal over an eight-year period. He has also represented Canada twice in the Paralympics, coming in fourth in Vancouver 2010 and bringing home a bronze medal from Sochi 2014.
Whitson is a multi-sport athlete. Despite going into the Hall for sledge hockey he is also an award-winning golfer and has represented Canada multiple times at the World Para Soccer Championships.
Outside of sport, Whitson has worked as a recreational assistant at the Children's Treatment Centre in Chatham.
Athlete - Legend - Al Hinnegan - hockey
Al Hinnegan is the first Chatham player to receive an NCAA Division 1 hockey scholarship. With that, he became a four-year member of the University of Michigan Wolverines hockey team.
In both the 1960-61 and 1961-62 seasons Hinnegan's team became the Big Ten Conference champions.
In his senior season, Hinnegan played alongside Red Berenson, who he has called the best player he's ever played with. Hinnegan also received the Yost Honor Award that season; an award given for a U of M student's moral character, scholastic success, initiative capacity and leadership in intercollegiate athletics.
From 1991-95, Hinnegan was the Salary Arbitrator for the National Hockey League (NHL). During that time, he negotiated salaries for stars such as Joe Sakic, Larry Murphy, and Bobby Smith.
Builder - Bruno Casanova - baseball
Bruna Casanova played professional baseball in the St. Louis Cardinals minor system from 1948-50.
Casanova transitioned into Intercounty baseball in 1951; he was on the St. Thomas Elgins championship team in 1954.
In the late 1950s and early 60s, Casanova worked as a supervisor for the Chatham minor baseball association. During those years, he both coached minor baseball and played himself.
Casanova passed away in 1993.
Team - 1998-99 Major Atom ‘AAA’ Cyclones
The '98-'99 Major Atom 'AAA' Cyclones reached the Ontario Hockey Federation (OHF) semifinals after winning the Ontario Alliance Hockey League regular season and championships.
The team also won both the 'AAA' Wayne Gretzky International Tournament and 'AAA' North American International Silver Stick tournament.
The team's players include Max Van Hooren, Josh Johnston, Wes Cunningham, Kelly Stokley, Brady Morrison, Korey Carter, John Aitken, Michael Roelofsen, Ryan Tempich, Brandon Kellam, Blake Millar, Cody Evers, Steven Peach, Trevor Hay, Meghan Agosta, Dave Wieringa, Eric Stemmler, Mitchell High, and Tyler Roeszler.
Of that roster, Mike Roelofsen, Wes Cunningham, and Brady Morrison played in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL).
Meghan Agosta is a four-time Olympian, she brought home three gold medals with the Canadian Women's Hockey Team.
The induction ceremony will take place on September 28, 2023.
