The 2023-2024 edition of the Current River Storm feature a pair of players from Manitouwadge.
Brandon McKinnon and Blake Warren got their first taste of skating with the second-year Lakehead Junior Hockey League franchise at the Current River Arena this past Saturday.
“I loved the coaches [with the Nipigon Elks], but these guys really just love us, they put their life on the line for us and it's awesome,” McKinnon said after Saturday’s home opening victory over the Thunder Bay Bandits. “That was an awesome experience [to be on the home side]. I'm glad I got to be able to do that.”
McKinnon came to the Storm in a six-player deal in the summer that included teammates Gage Hordy and Steve Skerritt. The Elks received forwards James Coppock, Ian Zechner as well as Colton McLeod.
Eleven different players had at least a point in the 8-0 win as McKinnon collected an assist while Warren had a pair of helpers.
“Our team [has great] team chemistry and we all worked together great,” Warren stated. “I think once we get up [by so many goals], it's definitely [important] to just try to control the game. Stay disciplined and not retaliate.”
McKinnon, who will turn 20 on Dec. 6, played in three games last season with the Red Lake Miners, including the Jan. 29 match-up at Norwest Arena versus the Kam River Fighting Walleye.
He recalls it was an awesome experience, and chose to stay in Junior ‘B’ even though the Miners called again for his services.
Warren, when asked whether other teams called for his services, noted “I did talk to a couple of [other] teams but [Head Coach] Robbie [Untinen] definitely was the most convincing. He really welcomed me, and made me [feel] really comfortable with the team. [I realized that] this is exactly [who I wanted to play for].”
Manitouwadge is nearly in the middle of both Thunder Bay (336 kilometres to the east) and Sault Ste Marie (378 kilometres to the northwest).
The incorporated township gets its name from the Ojibwe word Manidoowaazh, which means "Cave of the Great Spirit".
Both McKinnon and Warren said a lot of kids from Manitouwadge would play hockey in either Marathon, which is nearly 100 kilometres southwest away, or they would make the longer drive to Schreiber.
Manitouwadge, which became an incorporated township in 1975, has produced former Columbus Blue Jackets head coach Mike Babcock as well NHLer Mike Moher, who was selected in the sixth round of the 1982 draft by the New Jersey Devils.
Moher played minor hockey in Schreiber and had stops in Sudbury, Kitchener and Wichita, Kans., before suiting up in nine games with the Devils during the 1982-1983 season.
All five Lakehead junior teams qualify for the playoffs with the fourth and fifth seeds playing a best-of-three quarterfinal.
The winner will face off with the top seed in the league semifinals with the other two teams engaging in a best of seven series.
The league winner advances to the Central Canada Cup.
