The Saugeen Shores Winterhawks have set their roster for the 10th season in franchise history.
From an October 5 media release, the Winterhawks will open the 2016/17 season at home on October 14 with two players who have been with the club since the inaugural season, Captain Greg Thede and the franchise all-time leading scorer, Brent MacDermid.
Thede is the only captain in franchise history, guiding the Winterhawks to four championships and is the franchise leader in games played, suiting up for 193 regular season games over nine seasons.
MacDermid also joined the Winterhawks for the inaugural season in 2007/08, and has been at, or near, the top of the team's scoring lists every season since then. He has scored more goals (150) and more points (290) than any other player in Winterhawks history.
Also returning this season are incumbent forwards Curtis Johnston, Trent Hawke, Andy Mitchell, Andy Fracz, Blake Underwood, Alex Penner, Chris King, Justin Ainslie and Jay Thomson.
Newly signed players joining the forward ranks are Michael Johnstone, Alex Kuntz, Shelby Simmons, James McHaig and Justin Mathias.
Johnstone, 26, is a native of Southampton and brings international experience to the Winterhawks. The 6'3" forward has played the past five seasons in Austria and Germany. Prior to that, he played Jr. C with the Kincardine Bulldogs, Jr. B with the Owen Sound Greys and Jr. A with the Collingwood Blues and Cobourg Cougars. He is currently employed by the Ontario Hockey League.
Kuntz, 23, is a Mildmay native who played four seasons of Jr. C split between the Hanover Barons and the Wingham Ironmen, scoring 149 points in 101 career games. He lead Western Jr. C in assists in 2014/15, and helped lead Wingham to a league championship in 2013/14.
Simmons, 24, played three seasons of Jr. C with stops in Mount Forest, Hanover and Goderich. The Tiverton native now resides in Port Elgin and is employed by OPG.
McHaig, 25, is beginning his second stint with the Winterhawks. The Port Elgin native played 25 games for the Winterhawks from 2011-2013. The 6'3", 225-lb forward also played Jr. C for the Walkerton Hawks and Jr. B for the Owen Sound Greys. He is currently employed by Areva.
Matthias, 35, is a native of Powassan, Ont. and played senior AAA hockey with the Cobourg Lynx. The 6'0", 220-lb Mathias is currently employed by Meridian Credit Union in Port Elgin.
Joining Thede on the blueline are returning defencemen Nick Quaid, Trevor Smith, Brendon Haefling, Brett Brophy and Mike Smailes, while Port Elgin native Adam Little has signed with the team.
Little, 27, played his minor hockey in Saugeen Shores before playing AAA with the Grey-Bruce Highlanders, Jr. B with the Owen Sound Greys and Jr. C with the Mooretown Flags.
The Winterhawks will have a new look in the crease this season, with only Blake Sinclair returning from last season. The Guelph native was 3-0-0 with a 1.66 goals-against average in the regular season, and followed that up with excellent play in the playoffs, helping the Winterhawks to the league semi-finals.
Goaltenders Jeff Flagler, Richard Harris and Matt Tutin have also signed for this season.
Flagler, 23, is an Owen Sound native who played Jr. C with the Walkerton Hawks, as well Jr. B with Owen Sound, Cambridge & Guelph. Following his junior career, Jeff played three seasons for SUNY-Fredonia of the NCAA.
Harris first joined the Winterhawks in 2007/08 and has been with the team periodically since then, also suiting up for the Shallow Lake Crushers and Wiarton Redmen during his senior career. Harris also played Jr. C for the Wiarton Wolves.
Tutin is an Owen Sound native who has past senior hockey experience with the Shallow Lake Crushers.
The Winterhawks open the 2016/17 season on October 14 when they host the Petrolia Squires for the first time ever, with an 8:30 p.m. start time at The Plex.
