McCann to provide Greyhounds with two-way threat

Jared McCann plans to give Soo Greyhounds fans a little bit of everything when he takes to the ice for the 2012-13 Ontario Hockey League season.

The 15-year-old has been called a “very electric player” with the ability to overtake a game with his speed and skill, but don’t think his defensive game is going to struggle because of that.

“I’m a two-way player,” said McCann. “I take pride in both ends of the ice. I care about my defensive game just as much as my offence. That’s really something I focused on and I think I really improved on it.”

McCann, selected fourth overall by the Greyhounds in the OHL Priority Selection in April, is in Sault Ste. Marie for the Greyhounds annual spring development camp, which opens with players checking in at the John Rhodes Community Centre on Friday afternoon.

At the time of the draft, Greyhounds GM Kyle Dubas said that McCann fit what the organization was looking for in a player.

“We don’t want to picking fourth overall very often any more but when you pick that high, you have to make them count,” Dubas said. “Jared just rose to the top in terms of what we’re looking for in terms of Greyhound players.”

McCann, who arrived in Sault Ste. Marie on Thursday afternoon, was impressed with the Essar Centre during his first look at his new home rink/

“It’s unbelievable,” McCann said of the Essar Centre. “It’s huge, bigger than any arena I’ve played in. I can’t wait to be playing out there one day.”

McCann scored 42 goals and 79 points in 40 games with the London Knights Gold minor midget team.

Drafted while a member of the Knights minor midget team, McCann grew up and played his minor hockey in Stratford before spending four years in the Huron-Perth Lakers AAA program. After two years in the Elgin-Middlesex Chiefs program and a year in Lambeth (London-area), the McCann family moved to London, where Jared would play his minor midget season.

“(In London) I really learned that I could play in any situation and against any team,” McCann said of his experience with the minor midget Knights. “I could take over a game when I had the chance to and I really improved on a lot of things skill-wise.”

McCann, who officially signed with the Greyhounds on Thursday afternoon, gets his first taste of OHL hockey when players undergo physical testing to open up the Greyhounds 2012 spring development camp on Friday evening.