By Tyler Brown/ Director of Social Media Wellington Dukes
If Tuesday night was any indicator of what the future holds for the Wellington Dukes, the team has a lot to look forward to in the coming years. Five members of the Dukes played in Game 1 of the OJHL’s Zach Hyman Prospects Series held in Trenton.
Dukes goaltender Royden Smith was given the start for Team Red and was outstanding stopping 21 of 22 shots and picking up the win. The 16 year old from Toronto, Ontario is a Kingston Frontenacs 5th round – 92nd overall – draft pick in 2025 OHL Priority Draft. Smith mentioned how exciting it was to play in Game 1 of the Zach Hyman Prospects Series. “It was super exciting to play and see the talent of guys my own age in the OJ. I’m looking forward to the next game.”
Christian Armstrong, had a strong game for Team Red picking up 2 goals, 1 assist. The 17 year old from Toronto, Ontario was a 4th round – 67th overall – draft pick by the Barrie Colts in the 2024 OHL Priority Draft.
Liam Campbell continued his strong start in the OJHL by picking up 2 assists for Team Red. Campbell was acquired from the Chatham Maroons of the GOHL in early October and has been a key offensive contributor for the Dukes. The 17 year old from Elginburg, Ontario was a 7th round – 141st overall – draft pick by the Saginaw Spirit in the 2024 OHL Priority Draft.
Defenseman Justin Doak was on the losing side but had a strong game for Team Grey collecting 2 assists and was named Team Grey Player of the Game. The 17 year old Kingston, Ontario product is in his 2nd Junior A season after playing 30 games last year with the Iroquois Falls Storm of the NOJHL. Doak spoke very highly of Game 1 of the event and gave praise to the OJHL and Hyman family. “It was an awesome, competitive experience. Everything was top notch from the host arena, fans, coaches, uniforms – which the league ensured was professional, right down to the name bars. I am honoured to be a part of it and thanks to the Hyman family and the OJHL.”
Jorden Davis played a solid defensive game for Team Red but did not factor into the scoring. The 17 year old from Luskville, Quebec native has been a steady presence on the Dukes back end early in the season.
Dukes staff were also well represented at the event with Head coach/GM Jacob Panetta and assistant coach Darcy Murphy on the bench for Team Grey. Dukes athletic physiotherapist Caitlin McCuaig was part of the event and will be a trainer for all 3 East game.
Panetta was impressed with the skill that was on display by the Dukes players and gave credit to the OJHL for holding an event like this to showcase the young stars in the league. “It was great to see an event like this put on by the league. It’s very important to put the leagues development front and center and show just how many amazing prospect we have. Wellington’s extremely lucky to have a lot of those prospects and it was great to see them in action. I thought they all played great and it was awesome to see contribution from all of them. It was also a lot of fun to coach against some of our players. I hope the players can take this experience and continue to shine in regular season play. All in all I thought it was a great start to the event and I’m very proud of the guys for representing Wellington well on and off the ice!”
16 year old forward, Lorne Miles was named as an OJHL East Alternate for the event but did not play in Game 1.
The Prospects Series will feature six teams competing in a round-robin format followed by a championship game. Selected players will play on three teams representing OJHL East and three teams representing OJHL West. Following the round robin, the top two teams will advance to the championship game at the TD Civic Centre, hosted by the OHL’s Brantford Bulldogs.
