The general manager of the Sarnia Sting is disappointed the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) club won't be competing in the postseason, but is optimistic for the future.
The Sting placed 18th of 20 teams, ending the season with a record of 22-33-6-7.
Dylan Seca is pleased by the progress he saw with the team this year.
"When we look at Alessandro Di Iorio, Beckham Edwards, Ryan Brown, Hughston Hurt and the progression of James Barr down the stretch and some of the great hockey he played, and some other players that are on the way, it's an exciting time," said Seca.
The Sting missed the playoffs by just two points.
Seca said it hurt to have a combined 13 overtime and shootout losses.
"I think that's probably the point where I am relatively bitter still, truthfully," he said. "It's knowing that there's a handful, at least eight points, that were left on the table. Throughout the course of the season you're not going to win them all, but there's a few that I can reference where I know we had the game in hand and then allowed the team to crawl in and score to tie it late and then we lose the game in OT or a shootout."
Seca said he'll be looking to add some complementary players during the offseason.
"That's my mandate is to find players, around our league and outside of it, that we'll sprinkle in throughout the course of the summer so that when training camp comes we're ready to go," said Seca. "There are some big shoes to fill."
Seca said the Sting's staff has been at this week's OHL Cup Tournament to scout some future talent.
"These are some final viewings, a lot of the heavy lifting has already been completed as far as who the players are," he said. "There's some final evaluations on them and their game and their character."
At least three Sting players won't be returning next season.
Overagers Tyson Doucette, Zach Filak and Nick Surzycia were all honoured during a ceremony before the Sting's final game, a 5-2 win over Flint.
Doucette is heading to Colgate University, in New York, for the 2025-26 hockey season while Filak has committed to the University of Vermont.
The OHL's draft lottery was scheduled for Wednesday night, and the Sting had a 20 per cent chance of securing the first overall pick.
The first three rounds of this year's Priority Selection will take place on Friday, April 11 with rounds four through 15 set for Saturday, April 12.
The Sting chose forward Alessandro Di Iorio with the second overall pick in 2024.