RECRUITING GUIDE

2016-17

FALCONS ST. CATHARINES

PROGRAM OUR The St. Catharines Falcons are one of the most storied organizations in the Golden Horseshoe Conference of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League (GOJHL); one of the top development leagues in North America. We pride ourselves on offering players a first-class experience while developing the skills and mindset needed to move on to both college and major junior hockey as successful student-athletes. We provide a wide range of resources that are above-and-beyond what many other programs pro-vide. In return, our coaches and community place a high value on character, commit-ment and accountability while working towards both Golden Horseshoe and Sutherland Cup Championships.

The Falcons recent accomplishments include a Sutherland Cup Provincial Junior “B” Championship in 2012 and appearances as finalists in 2013 and 2014. The impressive list of alumni continues to grow every year with players moving on to higher levels of hockey including the OHL, NCAA and CIS.

Being a junior hockey player in St. Catharines is an experience unlike any other in the GOJHL. Falcons fans and volunteers have earned a reputation for being passionate and loyal, keeping the spirit and historical significance of the Jack Gatecliff Arena alive.

Below is a summary of the first-class benefits and development opportunities players receive from the St. Catharines Falcons GOJHL Hockey Club:

Professional coaching and executive management

Certified athletic therapist and equipment managers

STEVA video technology for both team and individual development and instruc-tion

All games broadcast live and archived on FAST Hockey

Exposure to wide variety of professional, collegiate and major junior scouts and coaches

Room and board with a billet family

Equipment including skates, sticks, helmets/visors, gloves, pants and other pro-tective gear

Gym membership

Academic advisor & information on scholarship and bursary opportunities

Team laundry services

Nutrition/supplies during practices/games including snacks, granola bars, Ga-torade, tape, laces, etc.

Players lounge for down time, studying and hanging out with teammates

Free skate sharpening

Team building and life experiences including guest speakers and Chapel

LEAGUE OUR

The Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League and its 27 member teams pride them-

selves on creating a positive environment for young athletes to develop as hockey

players and as people. Over 1500 players have graduated to play in the OHL, NCAA,

CIS and professional hockey.

Some GOJHL alumni that play or have played in the NHL include Jeff Carter, Tanner

Pearson, Boone Jenner, Mark Scheifele, Matt Moulson, Rob Blake, Thomas McCollum,

Adam Henrique, Adam Mair, Bryan Little, Marty Turco, Ryan Jones, Kevin Westgarth,

Dan Bylsma, Dennis Wideman, Brian Campbell, Steve Mason, Joel Quenneville, Ed

Jovanovski, Kyle Wellwood, DJ Smith, TJ Brodie, Tim Gleason, Zach Kassian, Steve Ott,

Brandon Prust, Matt Read, Logan Couture, Joe Thornton, Nathan Horton, Cal Clutter-

buck, Dan Girardi, Ray Emery, Matt Ellis, Dan Paille, Zenon Konopka, John Scott along

with the Falcons own Riley Sheahan and Daultan Leveille – plus many, many more.

RILEY SHEAHAN ST CATHARINES FALCONS—NOTRE DAME NCAA D1—GRAND RAPIDS AHL—DETROIT NHL

HISTORY OUR

The St. Catharines Falcons are proud to be celebrating their 48th year of serving up the finest Junior B Hockey entertainment available.

It all started prior to 1968 when a group of dedicated hockey people began to look for an outlet to give St. Catharines Minor Hockey graduates an opportunity to play Junior Hockey. In the fall of 1968, their efforts bore fruit when the Falcons skated into action.

With the Falcons off and skating, it opened doorways to Major Junior, University and professional scouting. The Falcon organization, from the Directors Room to the Dress-ing Room, has built a Falcon Red Tradition. That Falcon Red Tradition has established a position of strength that has given the organization the opportunity to attract quality Managers, Coaches, Volunteers and most importantly, hockey talent that continues to serve the community well.

Over 500 players have worn the Falcon Red over the past 48 years, each in their own way contributing to make the St. Catharines Falcons a respected hockey organization throughout the amateur, professional and scholastic hockey ranks.

Falcon Red Tradition, Flying High

FALCONS EXECUTIVE

The Falcons have a strong board of directors with roles that are executed with pride and

professionalism to provide a strong foundation to thrive on for years to come.

STAFF OUR

FRANK GIRHINY—GENERAL MANAGER

Entering his sixth season with the Falcons as their General Manager and Head Coach, Girhiny lead the Falcons to four consecutive Golden Horseshoe Finals (two championships) as well as leading the Falcons to their first Sutherland Cup Championship in 2012. Girhiny has coached in the GOJHL All Star games in 2011, 2012 and 2014. A High Perfor-mance Certified Coach, Girhiny has also coached in the Ontario Hockey League with the Niagara Ice Dogs as an assistant. He has an extensive minor hockey back ground where he coached two Minor Midget teams to the OHL Cup. In the two years Girhiny coached Minor Midget, he had 15 players drafted to the Ontario Hockey League. The Niagara Falls native has worked in hockey for many years. The current Molson Coors Sales rep worked for the Pro-fessional Hockey Players Association (minor league players union) as well worked as a Pro Rep with Bauer Hockey (where he worked partnerships with NCAA D1 programs in the Hockey East and ECAC). Frank and his wife Jeannie reside in Thorold and have a daughter, Chantal and two sons Frank and Christian

WES WOLFE—HEAD COACH

Wes is in his third season with the Falcons. A High Performance Certified Coach, Wes works extensively with video for team and player development as well as opponent pre-scouting. In addition to Jr. B, his coaching past includes Minor/Major Midget AAA, OHL/OHF Under 15 Program, CAN/AM Hockey Camps and the Horseshoe Prospects Elite Spring Program. He also currently works as a Video Analyst for Stathletes Inc. serving NHL, NCAA, OHL and other major hockey leagues and affiliates with exclusive data, analytics, reports, insights and visualizations

CHRIS JOHNSTONE—ASSISTANT COACH Chris enters his second season Assistant with the Falcons after joining them in 2015-16. His long list of accomplish-ments include a decorated four year career with the Rochester Institute of Technology (NCAA) where he is still the all-time leader in goals and points and was twice named an All-American. In his previous coaching stints, Chris was also the Head Coach of the Niagara Falls Thunder (OHL) and Erie Otters (OHL), Assistant Coach at RIT (NCAA) and Head Coach of many other minor and junior level teams. He and his wife Cheryl currently live in Chippawa and have two sons, Connor and Carson.

SCOTT SWEITZER—ASSISTANT COACH Scott also enters his second season as an Assistant with the Falcons. A graduate of the GOJHL with the Thorold Blackhawks, Sweitzer also played Jr. A for the Wexford Raiders and Bramalea Blues before also joining the University of Guelph (CIS). Scott and his wife Adriana currently reside in St. Catharines with their newborn son, James.

RICK GIRHINY—ASSISTANT COACH Rick enters his sixth season as an Assistant with the Falcons. A graduate of the GOJHL, Girhiny had a notable profes-sional career where his leadership, heart and soul, and willingness to do whatever it took to win earned him the admiration of every franchise he played for. His #7 became the first sweater retired by the Odessa Jackalopes of the West Professional Hockey League. Rick and his wife Danielle currently reside in St. Catharines.

ANDREW KILCAR—ASSISTANT COACH

NICK GIGONE—GOALTENDING COACH

STEVE GIRHINY—VIDEO

JAMIE FERGUSON—VIDEO

LEN FERRARO—ATHLETIC THERAPIST

JORDAN MASTERSON—ATHLETIC THERAPIST

DAVE HOMINUCK—TRAINER

SEAN BURROWS—STATISTICIAN

LAWRENCE BUSCH—EQUIPMENT

LARRY DESLAURIER —EQUIPMENT

CITY OUR

The City of St. Catharines strives to recognize and meet the diverse needs of its citi-zens, making the Garden City a great place to live for young and old, families and indi-viduals alike. It is a place known for its friendliness, charm and pride - characteristics that stem from its identity as The Garden City.

With a population of over 130,000, the City of St. Catharines provides a unique home for a Junior organization in which the players have an opportunity to play a major role in the lives of the people of St. Catharines throughout the season.

The Falcons play a major role in the community as one of the main sources of enter-tainment along with the Niagara Ice Dogs (OHL) and Brock University athletics (OUA). The community has seen recent developments such as a brand new Performing Arts Centre and the Meridian Centre Sports and Entertainment complex. Student-Athletes are also encouraged to explore their options at nearby Brock University, Niagara Col-lege or one of St. Catharines’ six secondary school institutions.

The community has a variety of restaurants and attractions and is in close proximity to the Niagara Falls, one of the seven natural wonders of the world.

COMMITMENT OUR

The St. Catharines Falcons provide a first-class program that allows players to develop as complete hockey players. As the main tenant of the Jack Gatecliff Arena, the team provides the following opportunities:

Access to minimum of three weekly on-ice practices

A full 49-game GOJHL schedule, including 2 games at the GOJHL Showcase in front of over 100 college, major junior and pro scouts

Additional ice for goalie instruction or player skill development

Gym membership

Full access to certified athletic therapists and trainers

Team and one-on-one video sessions

2015-16 ALUMNI HIGHLIGHTS ALL FOUR 2000-BIRTH FALCONS AFFILIATE PLAYERS DRAFTED IN OHL PRIORITY SELECTION

ADAM MCMASTER, 13th OVERALL NORTH BAY BATTALION HUNTER HOLMES, 22nd OVERALL FLINT FIREBIRDS

RILEY MCCOURT, 45th OVERALL HAMILTON BULLDOGS TYLER ANGLE, 114th OVERALL WINDSOR SPITFIRES

2014-15 FALCONS ROOKIE OF THE YEAR CONOR TIMMINS GRADUATES TO THE SOO GREYHOUNDS (OHL), WINNING TEAM AWARD

FOR MOST IMPROVED AND FINISHING THIRD AMONG ALL ROOKIES IN PLUS/MINUS (+27)

FALCONS GRADUATES BEN CSIERNIK AND MITCH BENNETT WIN ALL-ACADEMIC HONOURS AT UOIT (OUA), WITH CSIERNIK

TAKING HOME TOP GPA HONOURS

CHRIS MANICCIA (BROCK UNIVERSITY) & KENNY BRADFORD (WINDSOR) NAMED TO TEAM CANADA CIS. THE FALCONS ARE THE

ONLY JUNIOR PROGRAM IN CANADA WITH MORE THAN ONE GRADUATE NAMED TO TEAM

MANY, MANY MORE!

ANDREW STURTZ—PENN STATE UNIVERSITY (NCAA D1)

ST. CATHARINES FALCONS 2011-2013

RILEY SHEAHAN—DETROIT RED WINGS (NHL)

ST. CATHARINES FALCONS 2007-2009

KENNY BRADFORD—UNIVERSITY OF WINDSOR (CIS)

ST. CATHARINES FALCONS 2009-2012

RYAN STAYNER—BUFFALO STATE COLLEGE (NCAA D3)

ST. CATHARINES FALCONS 2013-2014

DAULTAN LEVEILLE—EVANSVILLE ICEMEN (ECHL)

ST. CATHARINES FALCONS 2006-2008

CONOR TIMMINS—SOO GREYHOUNDS (OHL)

ST. CATHARINES FALCONS 2014-2015

FOR A FULL LIST OF FALCONS ALUMNI VISIT STCATHARINESFALCONS.CA