There's a sense of optimism and excitement as the Sarnia Sting begin the 2024-25 Ontario Hockey League (OHL) campaign.
Their first game of the season is Friday night, at home to the Windsor Spitfires at Progressive Auto Sales Arena.
More of a buzz is surrounding the organization after they missed the playoffs this past season.
Armed with some fresh faces, including a number of talented rookies, this year's squad is poised to surprise some people around the league.
Head Coach Alan Letang said the new players are quickly becoming acclimated to their surroundings.
"I think they get more comfortable with their school schedules, they get more comfortable with our practice times, and start to manage their days a bit better," said Letang. "It doesn't seem like they're overloaded with too much stuff now. Everyone is settled in, and you get into a routine. I think our veterans have also done a great job coming back."
Letang said the expectations this year are higher than they were last season.
"Everyone has another year under their belt, and I'm looking forward to getting started," he said. "Exhibition is always exhibition. You want to play well, you want to show well but you're a little more intense and excited once the season starts. Now, it means something. That win puts two points on your side in the standings, and they start to keep track of goals and assists. We want to hit the ground running here and get off to a hot start."
Letang said taking on the Spitfires will be a good test.
He said they're a big, physical team.
"For us, it's just exiting our zone as quickly as we can and finding ways to get inside," said Letang. "They've got big D and big forwards, so we've got to move pucks and use our speed. We've got to get pucks to the net so those guys aren't blocking shots."
Letang said the hometown crowd at The Hive always energizes the team.
"The buzz has been around all summer, which is really nice," he said. "Even if you look at our exhibition games that were at home, the crowds were tremendous. It's nice seeing young families in the stands, and it's nice seeing young kids with signs waving their shirts in the crowd. It's a real nice atmosphere, and I think our guys are just super excited to get out there and play for our fans."
The Sarnia Sting's full schedule can be found by clicking here. (https://chl.ca/ohl/schedule/15/79/)
You'll be able to hear every Sting game, all season long, on 103.9FM and 1070 AM CHOK with Leigh Cunningham and Patrick DesRochers.
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New Additions:
C - JJ Franceschetti - From Toronto Patriots (OJHL)
C - Alessandro Di Iorio - SAR (2024) RD:1 (#2)
C - Beckham Edwards - SAR (2024) RD:3 (#46)
LW - Ruslan Karimov - Import - SAR (2024) RD:1 (#6)
LW - Ryan Chamberlain - SAR (2024) RD:5 (#101)
RW - Kaeden Johnston - From London Knights
D - Jack Bodin - Import - SAR (2024) RD:2 (#72)
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Departures:
C - Cooper Way (Overager - Went to U of Toronto)
C - Roman Kukumberg (Left to HC Slovan Bratislava)
LW - Kai Schwindt (Overager - AHL Charlotte Checkers)
LW - Dennis Lominac (Reassigned to QMJHL's St. John Sea Dogs)
RW - Marko Sikic (Overager - AHL Toronto Marlies)
RW - Sean Doherty (Traded to Niagara IceDogs)
D - Owen MacDonald (OJHL - Leamington Flyers)
D - Alex Cajkovic (Left to HK Poprad U20)
D - Tyler O'Toole (Traded to Oshawa Generals)
D - Duncan Schneider (OJHL - Cobourg Cougars)