Ontario Junior Hockey League resident writer Ron Valentine is profiling the 2023-24 team captains across The OJ. (Photo by Spencer Smye / OJHL Images)
BY RON VALENTINE
Windsor-born Cayden Faust is the captain of the Leamington Flyers in their inaugural season in the OJHL. Cayden was drafted in 2019 by the OHL’s Kingston Frontenacs. In the 2020-21 season he played for the GOJHL’s La Salle Vipers. For the last two seasons he was in the CCHL with the Navan Grads, scoring 78 points during that time.
The Flyers won last season’s GOJHL Sutherland Cup by beating the Stratford Warriors in an exciting seven-game series culminating in a 4-0 road win. In the regular season they finished first in the Western Conference with a .740 winning percentage.
Flyers’ Head coach Dale Mitchell: “Cayden is an experienced junior hockey player and that’s important. He was an assistant captain last season in Navan. Being from Windsor, he carries the culture of Windsor Essex county that we believe is instilled in Leamington.”
So far, so good. Faust has 31 points in 25 games (1.24 points per game) this season.
Cayden takes it from here: “I was drafted in the 11th round by the Frontenacs but I felt at that point it was best to leave my options open in the hopes of being able to secure an NCAA or U SPORTS scholarship. La Salle was a great place to play hockey. I was set to return there before COVID-19 wiped out the entire season. My two years in Navan really helped me as I was given a leadership role. A 44-point season was pretty good for me.”
“Starting out with the Flyers in the OJHL has been a really neat experience. Leamington is a great hockey town and the team gets tremendous support. It’s been interesting getting to know all the players and working with them. I’m going to get a lot of support from our assistant captain Alex Cunningham who has had lots of experience in the league (with Pickering, Brantford and Haliburton) and is also from Windsor.”
“As well as Cunningham wearing the permanent ‘A’, there are four other assistant captains. At home, Ray Hamlin and Adrain Bosev wear the letter and on the road it’s Nick Mahy and Anthony Ciaramitaro.”
Hamlin is in his last junior season and has previously played for the LaSalle Vipers of the GOJHL and the Coquitlam Express of the BCHL. He is ticketed for the NCAA Division 1 Mercyhurst Lakers next season. Bosev, 18, is in his second season as a Flyer. Mahy, from Plymouth MI is also in his second season. Blueliner Ciaramitaro, a Windsor native, was a Soo Greyhound pick in 2021
“I’m a lead-by-example kind of guy and in my final junior season I’m working on improving in all areas,” Faust told the OJHL. “I feel I’m a pretty good 200-foot player, I definitely don’t mind the physical side. I want to get my shot away quicker and to be the go-to guy in all situations. It’s a big year for me and any success I have will be because of what we do as a team here in Leamington.”
“Opening night was very memorable for me and all the players. We had a large crowd and before the game the Sutherland Cup banner was raised and seeing that inspired us to do the best we can to be successful in the OJHL too. Play the right way, put your best foot forward, expressions that are used a lot but will pay off off for us in the long season. Everyone has to strive for their personal best.”
The name Cayden Faust is new to fans of the OJHL but they will quickly see the type of player he is and the leadership he brings to the Flyers.
Follow Ron Valentine on X @ronandlynda
