Sports Editorial: Tough decisions as cut-down approaches for Greyhounds

The Soo Greyhounds continue to prepare for the annual Luke Williams Memorial Red vs. White game on Friday night at the Essar Centre with some decisions to be made afterwards.

Following the game, the Greyhounds plan to trim their training camp roster from the current 37 players to a more manageable number as they head into exhibition action.

On Wednesday Greyhounds coach Sheldon Keefe said the team didn?t have a firm number they wanted to cut down to heading into the exhibition season, but the team would likely get down under 30 players.

With up to 10 players heading to NHL rookie camps in mid-September, a few extra players will remain with the team for the time being but in the end, not many spots are available on the 2014-15 Greyhounds roster.

The team stands to have 18 players back from the 2013-14 Greyhounds team that win the Ontario Hockey League?s West Division title.

Most OHL teams tend to carry in the neighbourhood of 23 or 24 players during the regular season.

Essentially, that leaves the Greyhounds with up to five roster spots available for the new season.

With Brandon Halverson as the lone returning goaltender, one of those five spots will go to a goaltender. That spot is expected to be taken up by 2014 draft pick Joseph Raaymakers.

With seven defencemen returning, spots are limited on the blueline and a move could be made as another of those five spots will be taken up by 2014 CHL Import Draft pick Gustav Bouramman.

Up front, the team has 10 players returning. The team has seven prospects signed who are forwards, including Gabe Guertler and Anthony Salinitri. Guertler, drafted in 2012, is 19 and signed with the team over the summer after spending last season at the University of Minnesota. Salinitri is the Greyhounds top pick from the 2014 OHL draft.

Both are likely to fill spots on the Greyhounds roster, conceivably leaving one more roster spot available to the five remaining forwards who are signed, which includes 2013 picks Hayden Verbeek and Zach Senyshyn.

Add to the group the likes of Tim Gettinger, Boris Katchouk and Jack Kopacka and the decisions on the final forwards to make the team could be the toughest decisions as the new season gets started.