Veteran leadership is often at the core of team success and last year's Patriots had more than its fair share. Jason Fortier, who inherited the role of general manager for this season, and new assistant GM Ryan Daniels have been working to re-stock the cupboards in all positions, and the forward corps is no exception.
That being said, the guys that do return have experience at the highest levels of Junior 'A' hockey, and armed with that knowledge, this Toronto club will be a pushover for nobody.
The first guy of note coming back is Jacob Hayhurst, a guy whose game I cannot help but get excited about when I discuss it. Hayhurst was so mature so quickly from the start of the season that by the RBC Cup he was playing with such a high amount of confidence that he hardly looked like a rookie all. In the post-season there were times that he was dominating players four years older than him and by using his speed, intelligence and skill, he was a key piece in the Patriots' game plan of wearing down the opposition over the course of 60 minutes. Now he's back and almost certain to get a big role in the Toronto club overall, something I expect him to be able to handle well.
Marcus Rose is so well respected and liked by the Patriots' brass that he is his own category of player in their estimation (example: when Toronto acquired Chris Maione this off-season from Jr. 'B' Brampton, they said: "he's a Rosey type of player"...high praise). Rose can play on any type of line, in any situation, and thrive. He plays his heart out, he can skate and his skill is maybe as underrated as anybody's in the OJHL. There is no doubt that his competitiveness and intangibles rubbed off on Hayhurst, with whom he played most of the season, and that chemistry is a huge plus for the club. Rose has not been given a real big offensive role in his two previous seasons with the team, though he has demonstrated his ability in the attacking zone, so it will be interesting to see what happens when Coach Fortier asks him to take that step (which I am assuming he will). If you were to ask me to bet on it, I'd say Rosey is poised for a great year.
How good can Nick Ursitti be? That is likely to be a hot topic around the Patriots entering this year. The speedy winger was fantastic at the RBC Cup and in my view was the Toronto player that raised his stock the most at that event. He dealt with some injuries last year and then took his time to find his groove, but with thatt kind of speed and intensity he can be a very effective junior player. A great kid as well, so I expect far bigger things for Nick than many pundits heading into the year.
Luke Carter and Quinn Syrydiuk are other extremely high character guys with loads of passion. It really is amazing how much they both flip a switch from being immensely friendly people off the ice to angry pitbulls on it. They both scored some big goals and played understated key roles for the club last year, so it'll be interesting to see which way they go this year.
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