Devin Shoreman (left) and Cole Patey are co-captains of the Lindsay Muskies this season. (Photos by Ed McPherson and Tim Bates / OJHL Images)
Ontario Junior Hockey League resident writer Ron Valentine is profiling the 2023-24 team captains across The OJ.
BY RON VALENTINE
Lindsay Muskies’ head coach Brendan O’Grady calls his co-captains for the 2023-24 season the ‘glue’ and the ‘warrior’.
O’Grady says Cole Patey is the ‘glue’: “He is the ultimate team guy, he is very vocal in the room and always wants his teammates to be successful. He plays bigger than he is and has a huge heart.”
Devin Shoreman is the ‘warrior’: “He takes on the whole world, he did it in our exhibition games. He demands from himself first. He’s vocal on the bench and always picks guys up. Life lessons have made him stronger. I’m excited to have them both lead us into uncharted waters this year.”
The Muskies finished eight points out of a playoff spot last season in the OJHL’s old South/East Conference and both players are eager to be a part of the playoff push this time around.
The 9-8-0-2 Muskies are on their way. They are tied for seventh place in the 12-team East Conference. If the playoffs began today, the fish are in.
They’ll be tested this weekend when they visit the top two teams in the East, the conference-leading Markham Royals Friday and the No. 2 Trenton Golden Hawks Sunday.
Cole Patey, from Utterson ON, is honoured to be leading the club on and off the ice: ” I played my minor hockey first in Huntsville and then with the North-Central Predators out of Rama. Devin was my teammate, so we are very familiar with each other and we will make a good leadership combination. I’ve been lucky to have played games in the OHL with the Peterborough Petes who drafted me in Round 6 in 2019. This season, I feel I am quicker and smarter and I’m looking forward to making a contribution on and off the ice. The hockey culture here in Lindsay is very important to us and we want to reward the fans with a long playoff run this season.”
“I’m looking to personally put some good numbers on the board in my last junior season as well as working again with our coaching staff to play our systems thoroughly. Also, I get a great satisfaction in working on the penalty-kill. I think we have a really strong back-end led by Devin along with Gavin Keller, Dylan Coers and Alexis Gonzales-Lambert and a top-notch goalie back with us in Ethan Fraser. Devin is going to make a big impact and along with that we have some new younger guys who have impressed me with their quickness and hockey sense.”
Patey has two goals and six assists in 14 games this season.
Devin, prior to this season, played on the blueline with the Elliot Lake Red Wings (now Vikings again) and the Sudbury Cubs in the NOJHL. He is a two-sport guy: “I’ve always played both lacrosse and hockey and my goal is to play both sports at the university level, probably in Canada, where the seasons don’t overlap. I’ve played junior lacrosse in Barrie and Burlington.”
“I’m super happy to be a co-captain with Cole. With his experience here, he will be the captain at home games. After playing in the NOJHL I really wanted to come to the OJHL and we talked to a lot of teams, including some in the GTA, but I’m really a small town guy and we selected Lindsay because of the size of the town and the hockey culture here. I’ve had a letter pretty well my whole career so I’m comfortable in the role as a leader.”
“I felt very comfortable right away here, there are a lot of new faces this season and when you add those to our returning players it looks very positive to me. I’m a very open guy who is always willing to help with any concerns. I like to have fun but when it’s game time I get really serious. The key to me is that everyone has to be accountable to himself and everyone else on the team. I get a big kick out of shutting down the opposition’s top line but I also want to be able to create more offense.”
Shoreman has scored four times and added two assists in 17 games.
The Muskies have three assistant captains: defenceman Gavin Keller, a native of Rocky River, Ohio, who is in his second and final season in Lindsay; fellow blueliner Alexis- Gonzales Lambert, from Montreal PQ who is in his third season in a Muskie uniform and; forward Owen McNamara, 18, from Aurora ON.
“It’s great to have these guys as part of our leadership team and although he is not an official ‘A’ our goalkeeper Ethan Fraser is a big leader in our room as well,” Shoreman told the OJHL.
The captaincy combination of a well-known name with the Muskies and a new face, both with strong leadership skills might just be what this storied franchise needs to propel them into the postseason.
So far, so good.
Follow Ron Valentine on X @ronandlynda
