The 2022-2023 GOJHL season is fast approaching, and with that comes the need to fill a roster for the new campaign. After a successful season last year (the winningest regular season in Komoka Kings history), the team is looking to build off the momentum and ride it to even better results this coming year.
“Our main focus this offseason was to continue to add local talent to replace the players leaving, owing to various reasons (graduated, moving on to higher levels like the OHL, etc.),” said Roop Chanderdat, the Kings’ president and general manager. “Specifically, we focused on the 2005-born players that can help us both this season and in future years. Our staff has seen these players over the years and feel they are not only good players but good character guys that will fit the Komoka Kings mould.”
The first step in looking to create a winning roster is signing key pieces that can contribute to wins. In early June, the Kings signed several key players to join the team for the 2022-23 season. – mainly up front, but on the back end as well. Many of these players played together last year with the Elgin-Middlesex Chiefs (now Canucks) organization.
Those former Canucks are: Justin Skirten (a 2005-born player who was a second-round pick in the 2022 U18 OHL Draft by the London Knights); Owen Hey (a 2005-born forward who posted 22 points in 33 games with EMC last year and played 9 games as an AP with the Kings); Codi Scott (a forward who posted 14 goals and 12 assists in 31 games with EMC); and Carter Lawrence (a defenceman who put up 12 points in 33 games on the back end).
The rest of the signings include: Nick Bannister (another 2005-born player, who posted 18 points in 30 games with the North Middlesex Stars of the PJHL, where he was named the West Yeck Division Rookie of the Year last season. He also played with the Canucks in 2019-20); Tyler Entwistle (a 2005-born defenceman who played last year with the Florida Jr. Blades and Richmond Generals in the USPHL); Tyler Renneboog (a 2003-born forward who played for the Elgin-Middlesex Canucks organization at the U18 level in 2019-2020); Jagan Chanderdat (who spent last season with the U16 Kitchener Rangers AAA team, where he was fourth in scoring and played 19 games as an AP in Komoka); and Josh Hannivan (a 2003-born goalie who backstopped the London Jr. Knights U18 AAA team last year and even got into game action with the London Knights).
With these signings, and more to come, the Kings will look to make a strong push in the 2022-2023 season.
By Dylan Baker and photo by KPH Photography
