Two Greyhounds to compete against Russia (updated)

A pair of Soo Greyhounds will be a part of Team OHL when they take on Team Russia in the CHL Subway Super Series in mid-November.

The Ontario Hockey League announced today the league rosters for the six-game event that features a team made up of players eligible for the Russian National Junior Team taking on teams from each of the Canadian Hockey League’s three member leagues.

On Team OHL, Soo Greyhounds defenceman Darnell Nurse and forward Jared McCann will both be a part of the event.

Nurse will play in both games in Ontario – on Nov. 13 in Peterborough and Nov. 17 in Kingston – while McCann will play in the game in Kingston.

Nurse is back in the OHL after being reassigned by the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers to the Greyhounds, where he is expected to be in action during this week’s three-game homestand.

“On defence, mobility is going to be critical (including) hockey sense and the ability to move the puck,” Guelph Storm General Manager Mike Kelly, who is part of the team selection committee, said. “Hockey Canada has also relied heavily on having some shutdown defencemen and people who can take specific roles.”

Nurse was a part of Hockey Canada’s development camp in the summer.

McCann missed part of training camp, as well as the Vancouver Canucks training camp, and the start of the OHL season due to mono. McCann has four goals and nine points in six games this season.

Niagara IceDogs forward Brendan Perlini, whose family lives in Sault Ste. Marie was not named to the OHL rosters due to injury.

The OHL roster for the game in Peterborough includes:

Goaltenders: Mackenzie Blackwood (Barrie), Spencer Martin (Mississauga)
Defencemen: Chris Bigras (Owen Sound), Ben Harpur (Guelph), Roland McKeown (Kingston), Darnell Nurse (Sault Ste. Marie), Alex Peters (Plymouth), Matthew Spencer (Peterborough)
Forwards: Nick Baptiste (Sudbury), Tyler Bertuzzi (Guelph), Michael Dal Colle (Oshawa), Jason Dickinson (Guelph), Max Domi (London), Robby Fabbri (Guelph), Hunter Garlent (Peterborough), Travis Konecny (Ottawa), Connor McDavid (Erie), Zach Nastasiuk (Owen Sound), Nick Paul (North Bay), Nick Ritchie (Peterborough)

The roster for the Kingston game includes

Goaltenders: Mackenzie Blackwood (Barrie), Spencer Martin (Mississauga)
Defencemen: Chris Bigras (Owen Sound), Roland McKeown (Kingston), Darnell Nurse (Sault Ste. Marie), Jordan Subban (Belleville), Mitchell Vande Sompel (Oshawa), Kyle Wood (North Bay)
Forwards: Lawson Crouse (Kingston), Michael Dal Colle (Oshawa), Remi Elie (Belleville), Max Domi (London), Josh Ho-Sang (Windsor), Brendan Lemieux (Barrie), Mitchell Marner (London), Jared McCann (Sault Ste. Marie), Zach Nastasiuk (Owen Sound), Nick Paul (North Bay), Nick Ritchie (Peterborough), Dylan Strome (Erie), Carter Verhaeghe (Niagara), Spencer Watson (Kingston)

“You start out with a larger group than what we’ve finally committed to,” said Owen Sound General Manager Dale DeGray, also part of the selection committee. “It’s a strong group at all positions. When you look at it, you’ve got to come down to some kids that are really going to represent the OHL so we’re highly competitive. That’s what it comes down to is looking at individuals and how they will fit into the mix of games.”

The CHL Subway Super Series opens on Nov. 10 in Saskatoon, Sask.

“From a Hockey Canada standpoint, these games are very important,” said Hockey Canada Head Scout Ryan Jankowski. “We’ve seen most of these players in our program at some point so we’ve got a really good base on these players. This finalizes our evaluation process for our World Junior squad with the camp roster being named about two weeks after these games. This is a last impression we get on these players. What we’re looking for is who raises their game and who can play the international competition, especially this year when it relates to the small ice.”

The series continues on Nov. 11 in Brandon, Man before shifting to Ontario. The series wraps up with games in Bathurst, NB on Nov. 18 and Rimouski, Que. On Nov. 20.

File photo of Darnell Nurse by Kenneth Armstrong/SooToday