Four Greyhounds to play against Russians

When the Ontario Hockey League hosts Team Russia in the annual Subway Super Series, four members of the Soo Greyhounds will be involved.

Greyhounds coach Mike Stapleton, defenceman Ryan Sproul and forwards Nick Cousins and Andrew Fritsch will suit up for Team OHL when they take to the ice in Sault Ste. Marie on Nov. 14. In Sault Ste. Marie, Greyhounds Athletic Therapist Richard Rotenberg and Equipment Manager Spanky Robinson will also be involved with the team.

“It’s quite an honour to be selected to represent your league and then to have three kids who are pretty deserving play on the team is very exciting,” said Stapleton. “And for the other kids as a group they get to showcase themselves for Hockey Canada for the World Juniors. It’s a great stage and an exciting time.”

Stapleton added that the event is an opportunity for Sault Ste. Marie hockey fans as well.

“It’s an exciting time for the people of the Sault as well to see some of the best players in Canada and get to see some of the players from Russia who will also be playing in the World Junior tournament at Christmas.”

For Fritsch, the opportunity came as a bit of a surprise when he got the call from Greyhounds GM Kyle Dubas.

“It’s an honour (to be involved),” said Fritsch, drafted by the NHL’s Phoenix Coyotes. “I wasn’t really paying too much attention to it. When I got the call yesterday (from Dubas), it was just unbelievable.”

For Sproul, a Detroit Red Wings prospect, the event will be his first opportunity to compete for a spot on a Canadian National team as the event helps play a role in determining who is invited to the Canadian National Junior Team selection camp in December.

“For me, I’ve never had any opportunity to play for Team Canada so for (Hockey Canada) to be watching us for the tournament is huge,” said Sproul.

Cousins, a 2011 draft pick of the Philadelphia Flyers, is the only one of the three players who has prior experience playing for Canada at the international level and is looking forward to playing with some of the OHL’s elite.

“Instead of playing against a lot of the best players in the OHL, it’s an opportunity to play with them all on one team. It’s exciting and I can’t wait to meet some of the guys and play with some of the best players in the OHL,” Cousins said.

The Team OHL roster in Sault Ste Marie will be:

Goaltenders: JP Anderson (Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors); Scott Wedgewood (Plymouth Whalers)

Defencemen: Dougie Hamilton (Niagara IceDogs); Ryan Murphy (Kitchener Rangers); Jamie Oleksiak (Saginaw Spirit); Stuart Percy (Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors); Matthew Petgrave (Owen Sound Attack); Ryan Sproul (Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds)

Forwards: Riley Brace (Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors); Sam Carrick (Brampton Battalion); Daniel Catenacci (Owen Sound Attack); Nick Cousins (Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds); Andrew Fritsch (Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds); Freddie Hamilton (Niagara IceDogs); Mitchell Heard (Plymouth Whalers); Greg McKegg (Erie Otters); Tanner Pearson (Barrie Colts); Brett Ritchie (Sarnia Sting); Michael Sgarbossa (Sudbury Wolves); Ryan Spooner (Kingston Frontenacs); Ryan Strome (Niagara IceDogs)

Of the group, five players – D. Hamilton, Pearson, Spooner, Ritchie and Strome – will compete in the game in Ottawa prior to playing in the game in Sault Ste. Marie.

The OHL rosters were gathered by a selection committee that included Brampton Battalion GM/Coach Stan Butler and London Knights GM Mark Hunter in conjunction with Hockey Canada Head Scout Kevin Prendergrast.

The six-game series between the CHL and a team of Russian players kicks off on Nov. 7 in Victoriaville, Quebec. Each of the three CHL leagues – the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, the OHL and the Western Hockey League – host two games.

The QMJHL roster was announced on Monday while the WHL has scheduled to

The full schedule is as follows:

Game 1 – Monday November 7 at Victoriaville, QC Game 2 – Wednesday November 9 at Quebec City, QC Game 3 – Thursday November 10 at Ottawa, ON Game 4 – Monday November 14 at Sault Ste. Marie, ON Game 5 – Wednesday November 16 at Regina, SK Game 6 – Thursday November 17 at Moose Jaw, SK