Team captains Josh Rumolo (North York) and Keegan Decaluwe (Aurora) participate in the ceremonial puck drop before the school day matinee at the Aurora Community Centre Nov. 28. (Photo by Tim Bates / OJHL Images)
BY RON VALENTINE
When the Aurora Tigers and North York Rangers met in a matinee game Nov. 28 in Aurora, the ceremonial faceoff for ‘kids day’ honouring education officials was taken by two new captains.
With the trading of co-captains Peter Lopes and Ethan Lindsay to the Toronto Junior Canadiens, the Tigers named Keegan Decaluwe as their new ‘C’. North York replaced co-captains Bensen Moore (retired) and Chris Bertucci (injured) with blueliner Josh Rumolo and forward Noah Tyrrell.
The Tigers’ Decaluwe, from the Lake Huron community of Port Franks, is in his final Junior season. He played his minor hockey in the Lambton Shores organization and Junior C for the North Middlesex Stars in Parkhill where he had 36 points in 40 games. He was set to play for the GOJHL Sarnia Legionnaires in 2020-21 when COVID-19 cancelled t that season. He began his OJHL career in Burlington, where he had two terms, before being traded to Aurora for his final campaign.
Assisting Keegan are forwards Ryan Evenhuis, from Thornton ON, the former assistant captain of the Kirkland Lake Gold Miners of the NOJHL, and spark plug Connor Russo. Ryan became the first Tiger to reach the 40-point mark this season on Nov. 28. Both players are in their second season in Aurora.
Keegan on the captaincy.
“About 20 games into the Tigers’ season, I was made an assistant captain and now, with Ethan and Peter leaving, I’m really happy to wear the C. My assistants are two very different types of players, Ryan is our go-to guy up front, a great point producer. Connor, a centre like myself, is a really strong shutdown guy, the type of player who does not get noticed a lot but is really difficult to play against and he is a great leader on and off the ice. We have a strong group of very young players led by Frank Castiglione and Josh Frenette, who just came to us from the Jr. Canadiens. Both are ’06’s and have bright futures.”
JIm Thomson, the Tigers’ governor, on his new choice: “He’s dedicated to this team and with him it’s all team first. He plays hard, gives 100 per cent every shift. A great young man.”
The Rangers’ Josh Rumolo is also in his last season of junior eligibility. The 6-3 defenceman is from Whitby. He finished his minor hockey career with the Oshawa Generals AAA teams. In 2021-22 he was an assistant captain for the NOJHL’s Espanola franchise and the following campaign he was named captain.
This season, Josh started out with the Burlington Cougars, was moved to the Haliburton County Huskies and then to the Rangers. He scored his first OJHL goal Nov 22 against Oakville and followed that up with another in his next game in Pickering.
A Chicago, IL native, Tyrrell also arrived in North York via a trade..
Defenceman Cole Bowditch, from Stittsville, and John Mitchell are assistant captains. Bowditch and Tyrell are both ex-Markham Royals. Miitchell, a former member of the Milton Menace, is in his second season as a Ranger. John’s father, Reid, is Director of Hockey and Scouting operations for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
A slow start including many injury problems has put the Rangers into a tough spot in the East Conference but the new on-ice leadership group will be pivotal in their search for a playoff position while the Tigers under Keegan are also looking for postseason action.
Ontario Junior Hockey League resident writer Ron Valentine is profiling the 2023-24 team captains across The OJ. Follow Ron on X @ronandlynda
