Spirit This Week: Caggiula is 6th grad to play in NHL
When Drake Caggiula skated at the American Airlines Arena in Dallas Saturday night he became the sixth Stouffville Spirit graduate to play in the NHL.
Caggiula, who starred for the Stouffville Spirit from 2010-12, made his big league debut for the Edmonton Oilers in a 5-2 win over the Dallas Stars on national TV.
Caggiula also picked up his first NHL point, assisting on Tyler Pitlick’s first-period goal.
“Nice to get the first game out of the way and the first one (point) early … nice confidence boost,” Caggiula told the Edmonton Journal.
“Dream come true getting your first game, obviously growing up you’re watching Hockey Night in Canada and all that stuff,” he said.
He also assisted in his second game, his home debut, a 5-0 win over the Chicago Blackhawks Monday.
Caggiula led the University of North Dakota to the 2016 NCAA Division 1 championship in April, and was named most outstanding player at the Frozen Four in Tampa, Fla.
As a 17-year-old, he was MVP of the Ontario Junior Hockey League playoffs in 2012, leading Stouffville to the Central Canadian championship final.
Other Spirit alumni who have played in the NHL:
Chris Tanev is the only other ex-Stouffville player in the big league currently. The Toronto resident only played four games for the Spirit between longer stints with the Durham (now Whitby) Fury in Oshawa and the now-defunct Markham Waxers.
He played one season of NCAA D1 pucks at RIT in Rochester before signing as a free agent with Vancouver Canucks in 2010.
The defenceman has logged 302 games in Vancouver.
He returned to Stouffville several times to play in the Hockey Night in Stouffville charity game.
His younger brother Brandon also took the Jr. A (Markham, Surrey) and NCAA (Providence) route to the NHL. He’s a forward with the Winnipeg Jets.
Will Acton skated in 33 games for Edmonton in 2013 and ’14. He played four seasons for his hometown Spirit before another four at Lake Superior State in the NCAA.
Acton also played in the Toronto Maple Leafs and Vancouver Canucks organizations. He’s in his second season with the Schwenningen Wild Wings in Germany’s top division.
The son of former NHL player and coach Keith Acton, his younger brother, Robert, is an assistant coach with the Spirit.
Mike Duco’s time with the Spirit (seven games) and in the NHL (18 games) was brief but his pro career has been lengthy.
Duco and his brother John were dealt to Stouffville from the Thornhill Islanders late in the 2003-04 season. He’d then play four seasons for the Kitchener Rangers in the Ontario Hockey League. Undrafted, he signed with the Florida Panthers as a free agent and saw NHL action with Florida and Vancouver. He also played in the ECHL and AHL and in Austria and Great Britain.
Now 29, he’s a player/assistant coach with Elmira in the ECHL.
His brother is head coach of the nationally-ranked men’s team at Ryerson University in Toronto.
Darren Archibald played 16 games with Vancouver in 2013-14. He starred for the Spirit in 2007-08 before graduating to the OHL’s Barrie Colts. The Newmarket native remains in the Canucks’ system, with their AHL Affiliate in Utica.
Trevor Carrick played two games last season with the Carolina Hurricanes, who selected him in the fourth round of the 2012 NHL draft. The Stouffville native played for the Spirit as a 16-year-old in 2010-11. The big defenceman is playing for the Hurricanes’ top farm team in Charlotte this season.
Other Spirit players drafted by NHL teams include: Mike Sullivan (Los Angeles), Kevin Jarman (Columbus), Corey Trivino (New York Islanders) and Ethan Werek (New York Rangers).
THIS WEEK: After losing their last three games to three of the heavyweights of the OJHL East (Wellington, Whitby and Trenton), the Spirit has fallen one point out of first place in the North.
They can reclaim the lead when they visit the Markham Royals Friday night. First-place Markham has played one more game than Stouffville.
The Spirit is home Saturday at 7:30 p.m. to the Kingston Voyageurs.
MEET THE SPIRIT: Come to Boston Pizza, Hwy. 48 and Hoover Park Drive, on Wednesday, Nov. 30, from 6 to 8 p.m. – and Meet the Spirit.
Admission is free. Talk to your favourite players.
This weekly feature is sponsored by Farmer Jack's in Stouffville and Sharon.
