SPIRIT IMPRESSED BY 16-YEAR-OLD'S ‘HIGH HOCKEY IQ’
The Stouffville Spirit has confirmed the signing of defenceman Nolan Collins ahead of the 2020-21 Ontario Junior Hockey League season
Collins, a 16-year-old from Whitby, was the Sudbury Wolves’ fifth-round pick in the Ontario Hockey League Priority Selection this past spring. The Wolves are the Spirit’s OHL affiliate.
Collins, who had 10 goals and 25 assists in 29 games with the Whitby Wildcats U16 team last season, describes himself as a well-rounded defenceman who can take care of his own end and help to generate offence when required — and the now 6-foot-3, 185-pounder figures he’ll be even better at both, after a busy off-season.
“My off-ice training has been great this season,” Collins told the Sudbury Star. “it has gone up to the next level from where it was last year and I have been in the gym ever since the last season ended, so I’m a lot stronger, and I’m working on skills with different types of coaches.”
“Everybody has been in the same boat, not playing games, just working on skills, so everyone will be a little rusty when we get back, but I’m hoping it’s not going to be a waste of a year, that we’re going to be playing and we’ll be able to develop as players.”
Collins was signed by the Spirit as an affiliate player last season.
“We AP'd Nolan last year after seeing his impressive play at the Silver Stick (In Whitby last December),” said Spirit assistant GM Thayne Hallyburton. “A goal against London sticks out where he snuck in off the right point to the hash marks and the luck found him, like it does top players, and he buried it. That IQ is not common in defenders.”
“We also love his size and his skating ability. Spirit fans are gonna come out of their seats when he starts up the ice with the puck. We are excited to bring Nolan in and excited for Sudbury who got amazing value in this pick.”
The OJHL is aiming to begin the pandemic-delayed 2020-21 season in early January.
The Spirit was preparing for the second round of the league playoffs when junior hockey in Canada was shut down by COVID-19 last March.
