NEWS

Ontario Junior Hockey League resident writer Ron Valentine is profiling the 2022-23 team captains of The OJ. (Photo by Amy Deroche / OJHL Images)

BY RON VALENTINE

LUCAS STANOJEVIC is now the captain of the Ontario Junior Hockey League's Aurora Tigers. Lucas was named an assistant captain at the start of the season and took over the 'C' when Connor Van Weelie was traded to the Toronto Junior Canadiens. 

Ajax native Lucas' road to the OJHL was different from most.

"I played AA hockey for four years for the Goulding Park Rangers in North York,” he told the OJHL.
When it was time for me to move up to AAA, I was set to go with the Toronto Nationals organization and I got a lot of help from coach Brett Punchard (Wexford Raiders 1992-93 and Bowling Green University) including a lot of on-ice work. Because of COVID-19 I never did get to play at the AAA level but we reached out to Jim Thomson, Governor of the Tigers, and that's how I became an OJer. I have to give a lot of credit to the coaches who believed in me, especially our coaching staff here in Aurora, especially head coach Greg Johnston, who is always ready to give advice and support."

"I had 13 points in my rookie season (2021-22) and it was really a big learning curve for me. This season, with a lot of new players on the team I was happy to be named an assistant captain and it was an honour to be given the 'C' after Connor was traded."

"It has been an up and down year for the team. Naturally, we would have liked to win a few more games, but we are well positioned now as the playoffs get closer. Personally I'm very happy with my season and I'm looking to surpass the 30-goal mark and see where I can go from there."

The 17-19-2-5 Tigers are in sixth place in the OJHL North-West Conference.

The captain easily leads the team in points with 29 goals and 23 assists in 43 games.

"I'm working on being a more vocal leader on and off the ice and it's the main part of my job to set the example for the guys with my play. It was an honour to be named to the OJHL All-Star team, it was a great experience being surrounded by the league's top players and playing with guys who are normally at the other end of the ice!"

"We have three very strong assistant captains here in Aurora. Joseph Martino is in his last year and played for the Patriots last season. He has been hit with a major injury and he wasn't able to start playing until December. He is a respected guy who is on a mission and he has scored some big goals for us. Peter Lopes is a defenceman who has one more season remaining. Like myself Peter played AA for Goulding Park. He is excellent defensively and an all-around positive guy. Matthew Godwin is a strong playmaker. He is very responsible on and off the ice. I'm very happy that these three are part of the leadership group."

Some self-evaluation by the captain.

"I guess I could be best described as a power forward. I like to be the first guy on the puck. I enjoy battling in front of the net plus I keep working on adding the skill element. While it's great to score goals I'm still concentrating on what it takes to become a more complete player."

"Though things have not always gone the way we wanted this season, we have the character guys on this club that will pull us through. Our goalie, Glen Crandall, is certainly up there with the best in the league. He has played the most minutes in the OJHLand he gives us the opportunity to win each game. We have relied on him, perhaps too much at times, and he thrives on work, makes high-quality saves and comes through for us game after game."

 "Like many players in the OJ my aim is to get an NCAA Division 1 scholarship but right now it's 'one game at a time', taking care of my body, working on my game and in my down time playing NHL '23 with some friends. I'm also an avid sports card collector."

With little experience behind him compared to most players, Lucas has made a big impression this season and the determined forward will continue to improve his game while working towards his goals.

Jim Thomson on Lucas: "I played A hockey all the way up as a youngster so I'm not afraid to develop AA players and we have had many in my time as owner in Aurora. Lucas' work ethic and hockey culture is why we signed him. Last season, he started off on the fourth line or a healthy scratch, to being a third-line player in the postseason. The rest speaks for itself, our captain, our top scorer and he will play university hockey." 

Follow Ron Valentine on Twitter @ronandlynda