SUDBURY, Ont. – Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League alumnus Boris Katchouk and Evan Cormier were among those selected during the 2016 NHL Draft held over the weekend in Buffalo, N.Y.
Katchouk, a former member of the Soo Thunderbirds, was chosen in the second round, 44th overall, by the Tampa Bay Lightning while ex-North Bay Trappers netminder Cormier was drafted with the 14th pick of the fourth round, 105th overall, by the New Jersey Devils.
In 29 games with the Thunderbirds in 2015-16 Katchouk amassed 45 points on 18 goals and 25 assists.
He also went on to add 15 points in the club’s playoff run to the NOJHL title.
The 18-year-old, who calls Waterloo, Ont., home also had six points, including three tallies, in helping Sault Ste. Marie capture the Dudley-Hewitt Cup Central Canada Jr. A championship and also picked up two assists for the T-Birds at the RBC Cup.
As for Cormier, the 18-year-old netminder from Bowmanville, Ont., spent the 2013-14 campaign manning the nets for the then North Bay Trappers where he was the youngest player in the NOJHL.
Facing more shots than any goaltender in the league at 1,310, Cormier finished fifth in save percentage at .910.
He played the second most minutes of any stopper in the NOJHL at just over 1,915 and represented the league at both the Summer Select Showcase and the Central Canada Cup Challenge.
For his on-ice efforts Cormier was named a second team NOJHL all-star in goal.
EXHIBITION SCHEDULE: A pair of NOJHL preseason games are already on the league’s upcoming exhibition schedule.
The French River Rapids will take on the Espanola Express on Friday, Aug. 26 at the Regional Recreation Complex in Espanola. Game time is 7:30 p.m.
The two sides will then meet again in a neutral site contest in Sturgeon Falls the following evening, Saturday, Aug. 27, in another 7:30 p.m. start.
Future exhibition games will be announced once they are finalized and confirmed by the league office.
For more information on the NOJHL, visit the league’s official website at nojhl.com or on social media at twitter.com/NOJHL or facebook.com/NOJHL.
