The Sudbury Wolves announced the signing of highly-touted defenseman Matthew Mania (4.25), who was originally committed to play in the USHL for Fargo this season. He appeared in four games. for the Force before jumping to the OHL.
NZ has Mania ranked as the No. 18 2005-born player in the U.S.
Last season, Mania suited up for Team USA at the U17 Five Nations Tournament where he picked up 1 goal and three assists in 4 games and captured the gold medal. During the 2020-21 season, Mania also played for the North Jersey Avalanche 16U AAA.
“Mania is a big, strong, physical, two-way defenseman out of NJ Avalanche where he won a national championship this past season playing up a year with the U16’s,” said NZ scouts. “He was an NTDP Invite Camp snub and soon after signed a tender with Fargo Force and made a strong case here why he deserved to be in that camp. He’s got imposing size and strength and looks 2 or 3 years older than most of the players in the camp. He snaps passes off like a junior player, he has a heavy shot from the point and can play a highly physical, mean brand of hockey in his own end, particularly around his net front.”
The London Knights signed their third-round draft pick from the 2021 OHL Priority Selection, defenseman Carsen Lloyd (3.75).
Lloyd played the 2019-2020 season for the North York Rangers U16 AAA of the GTHL. The Toronto Ontario native tallied 9 points over 33 games. This season Lloyd has been with the Georgetown Raiders of the OJHL where in 13 games Lloyd has 3 assists.
The Knights also signed their No. 12 overall pick from the 2021 CHL Import Draft, Ruslan Gazizov (4.25).
Gazizov played for Russia in the Hlinka Gretzky Cup where he had 10 points in five games and helped his team to a tournament championship.
Rodion Tatarenko (3.75) has signed a standard player’s agreement, including an education package, with the North Bay Battalion. The Battalion chose centre Tatarenko in the ninth round of the 2020 OHL Priority Selection.
Tatarenko, six-foot-two and 184 pounds, is playing this season with the Powassan Voodoos, the Battalion’s junior A affiliate in the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League. He leads Powassan in scoring with nine goals and eight assists for 17 points in 13 games.
“Rodion is highly skilled and was able to show how dangerous he can be, able to get zone entry and attack the net on the rush,” said NZ scouts. “He has good offensive instincts and capable of getting teammates involved.”
Defenseman Gavin Ewles signed with the Ottawa 67’s. Ewles arrives to the team by way of the Barrie Colts AAA program. He is also a product of the York Simcoe Express. Ewles has suited up for the Pembroke Lumber Kings of the CCHL and through the opening 11 games of the 2021-2022 season, the Barrie native has tallied two assists.
The Oshawa Generals signed two defensemen, Thomas Stewart (3.75) and Nikita Parfenyuk.
Stewart was acquired from the Barrie Colts on October 1. He was drafted by the Colts in the 8th round of the 2019 OHL priority selection, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic never broke the roster in Barrie. Since joining the Generals, Stewart has appeared in all seven games this season, scoring three assists.
Parfenyuk is an import from Belarus. This season he has played 14 games, nine with Yunost Minsk and five with Yunior Minsk. In those games, the 6-foot-3 defender registered three assists.
He also played five games for the Belarus national team at the U18 World Junior Championship in 2021.
