The Carleton Ravens men’s hockey team has begun their recruiting for the off-season with the signing of Ottawa 67’s winger Jared Steege and Moose Jaw Warriors forward Dakota Odgers.
Due to the departure of eight veteran players on the team, the Ravens will need to recruit new talent in order to fill the void left by the graduating players.
Ravens head coach Marty Johnston said the upcoming season will feature multiple new players making their debuts for the Ravens.
“We’re going to see some new faces next year . . . We’re expecting possibly nine [new] guys in our lineup,” Johnston said.
With the help of two new recruits, the Ravens will seek to fill the gaps left in their lineup.
Jared Steege is the former Ottawa 67’s winger who, during the 2016-17 season, was able to post an impressive 14 goals and 19 assists in 50 games in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL).
Steege is a fast, versatile winger who has a great scoring ability and was a large part of a strong 67’s season.
“[Steege brings] the ability to kill penalties and the ability to be put in an offensive and checking role and the ability to have a physical impact on the game,” Johnston said. “I know him well and I’m happy with the character that we’re getting.”
Steege has had a successful and lengthy career in the OHL, playing a total of 223 games for the North Bay Battalion, Kingston Frontenacs and Ottawa 67’s.
Throughout his career, he was able to put up a total of 103 points and was a strong offensive contributor for any team he played for.
Dakota Odgers is the second new recruit for Carleton. A 5’11” centre and winger who, during the 2016-17 season, split time between the Moose Jaw Warriors of the Western Hockey League (WHL) and the Yorktown Terriers of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL).
Odgers has been a physical threat during his time in the WHL. Playing 42 games this past season, Odgers tallied only eight points, but recorded 71 penalty minutes.
Odgers plays a heavy-hitting style of hockey and is not afraid to step up for his teammates when called upon, just like his father, former NHL player Jeff Odgers.
Jeff Odgers accumulated over 2,000 penalty minutes as an enforcer over 12 NHL seasons.
While playing with the Vancouver Giants of the WHL in 2015-16, Dakota Odgers was named assistant captain due to his leadership qualities, and continues to be praised for his strong character by coaches and players.
Late in the 2016-17 season, Odgers transferred to the SJHL to play for the Yorktown Terriers.
During his time there, Odgers excelled, putting up 21 points and 27 penalty minutes in 19 games played.
If Odgers is able to translate his production from his time in the SJHL to U Sports hockey, he could be a strong physical threat while also contributing offensively.
But, the Ravens still have multiple spots to fill, even with the recruitment of Odgers and Steege.
“It’s not gonna be easy to replace [Michael] McNamee, [Ryan] Van Stralen or [Corey] Durocher. They had big impacts on the ice but had a bigger impact in the room,” Johnston said.
“We’ll be looking to some guys to step up and fill that void.”
The Ravens could still see seven new players join the lineup before the off-season is over.
This large class of new recruits will bring a new face to the Carleton Ravens men’s hockey team, and will have a big impact on how the team plays next year and beyond.
Photo credits: Trevor Swann
