Mitch Zion of the Cornwall Colts of the Central Canadian Hockey League (CCHL) is preparing to hit the ice as one of the newest additions to the Carleton Ravens roster for the upcoming season.
Not only is Carleton close to home for the Manotick, Ont. native, but he said it provides a great mixture of athletics and academics, or what he described as “the best of both worlds.”
“Carleton has a great team and great program with lots of room to keep your career going afterward,” Zion said. “It’s a great school for academics so it just made sense.”
Having spent a year playing National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) hockey, Zion said one of the advantages he will bring to the team is experience.
“There are guys on the team who have definitely played longer than I have, but coming from NCAA, I know what the speed is going to be like,” Zion said.
Zion played with the Colts during the 2010-11 season before committing to the NCAA’s Clarkson University Golden Knights. He only played 13 games with the Golden Knights in his first year.
Early last season, he decided to return to Cornwall where he finished the regular season with 60 points in 43 games. Zion went on to record 11 points in the playoffs, helping the Colts capture the CCHL playoff crown.
With the win, Cornwall earned a spot in the Fred Page Cup, the eastern Canadian Junior ‘A’ hockey championships, where they fell to the Summerside Western Capitals in the semifinal.
“Mitch is an elite skater who will bring a lot of energy to our group,” said Ravens head coach Marty Johnston. “His good work ethic and skating ability are probably the top two things that we were impressed with.”
Upon Zion’s decision to change his route early last season, Johnston said he expressed interest right away in having Zion as part of the Ravens lineup.
“We know he is a very versatile player who can play centre or wing,” said Johnston. “I definitely see him fulfilling a role on the penalty kill to start with because of his skating ability and hockey sense.”
While Johnston said he was set on having Zion join the team early in the season, he said Zion’s playoff run and Fred Page Cup appearance will help in the long run.
“It’s just affirmation that he’s an excellent player,” Johnston said.
Zion said he is looking forward to the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) experience, which he said he believes will differ from what he described as the “up and down, crash and bang” NCAA style of play.
“It’s different hockey for sure. It didn’t really mesh with my style, which was one of the reasons I decided to make the change and look elsewhere,” he said.
Zion said he thinks his playing style will fit in nicely with the speed and high skill needed to play in CIS, and thinks he can bring his own abilities to the team.
“I’m a playmaking centre, so I can chip in offensively while taking care of my own zone,” he said
Zion said he was especially impressed by the Ravens’ skill following an exhibition game against Clarkson last October where they came out with a 6-2 win.
“They were a good team the whole year,” said Zion. “At the end of the day, it was a pretty easy decision to make.”
