It’s no secret the Guelph Storm roster is getting younger.
With the trades of Cam Allen, Vilmer Alriksson and goaltender Brayden Gillespie – and likely more on the way out by the time Jan. 10 rolls around – the opportunity is ripe for the picking for the younger players who remain.
On Friday, 17-year-old goaltender Zach Jovanovski made a statement.
He stopped all 40 shots he faced for his first career OHL shutout in a 2-0 win over the Owen Sound Attack Friday.
“The boys played really well to keep the pucks to the outside, but I just kept my calm and just worried about the next shot,” he said following the win.
With Gillespie out the door, Jovanovski now forms a tandem with 16-year-old Colin Ellsworth.
Head coach Cory Stillman said the plan is to have the two of them in a 1A-1B situation, and give both goaltenders a chance to get starts.
“Our goal is to make the playoffs,” he said. “But (also) give the two young goalies experience and opportunities to play in big games this year.”
“We’ve got a great relationship,” Jovanovski said of Ellsworth. “We know each other, what we like on game days, how we are. No complaints, really happy with my goalie partner this year.”
Working with a younger team can be a challenge, but the Storm still has some veterans in the lineup. Namely Tommy Budnick, who scored in the first period of this one.
Reigning OHL rookie of the month Lev Katzin added an empty netter with eight seconds left.
Winning these low scoring games have been a rarity for Guelph. The Storm were 1-13-1-1 when scoring two or less heading into Friday. The lone win came against the Attack in just the second game of the season.
The task gets a bit tougher with the trade deadline looming, but Stillman has faith and confidence in the group to climb the standings.
“In a 19, 20-year-old league, your older guys can cover up for mistakes and you can hide players,” he said. “We’ve had meetings. We can’t hide anymore. You’re going to see ice time, you’re going to play against the top lines, you’re not just going to be in neutral zone draws. You’re going to have to come in our zone, defensive zone, offensive zone, you’re going to be counted on to play.
“As soon as we can get the consistency, you’ll see a big jump in our team.”
Speaking of the youth movement, defenceman Eric Frossard made his OHL debut for Guelph Friday.
The Notre Dame commit didn’t get on the scoresheet, but the Storm’s third round pick from 2024 plans to be around for a couple seasons.
“I have to obviously finish high school first before going to university,” said the 16-year-old, who is taking courses online and is in Grade 11.
He’s another big body, standing six-foot-four, and sees himself as a two-way defender who can chip in offensively.
Frossard grew up in London, and went to a number of Knights games as a kid. He said he models his game around Dallas Stars blueliner Miro Heiskanen, and also enjoys watching Colorado’s Cale Makar and Vancouver’s Quinn Hughes.
“I wouldn’t say I play exactly like them, but obviously it’s fun to learn from the best of the best,” he said.
“We’re bringing in a large body 16-year-old that’s very talented,” Stillman added “(He) hasn’t played a lot of hockey this year. He was injured for a bit, and then coming from the USHL, but we’ll see progress with him and he’ll be here for a while to play. The more he plays, the better he’ll get.”
Frossard, the goalie tandem and the rest of the Storm host Kitchener Sunday at 2:07 p.m.
