By Sam Laskaris /
There’s no denying Daniel Catenacci is a rather talented hockey player.
Besides raving about the teen’s athletic skills, Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds’ general manager Dave Torrie is just as impressed with Catenacci’s off-ice demeanour.
“He has special attributes on and off the ice,” Torrie said.
So it’s little wonder then the Greyhounds selected the Newmarket resident first overall in the Ontario Hockey League Priority Selection, May 2.
Torrie said he has been rather impressed with Catenacci since he first met him this past winter.
“He’s very mature and very focused on being a professional hockey player,” he said.
Torrie added there were three players that the Greyhounds had seriously considered drafting with the top pick overall.
Even though the Sault Ste. Marie brass officially announced who its top pick would be the day before the draft, Torrie said the organization had informed the Catenacci family of its intentions about four weeks earlier.
Though he’ll be a rookie in the OHL during the 2009/10 campaign, Torrie said the Greyhounds expect Catenacci to have a swift impact.
“We expect him to be a big part of this team very quickly,” he said.
Catenacci starred with the Newmarket-based York Simcoe Express minor midgets this past season. He averaged more than two points per game, racking up 87 points (42 goals,
45 assists) in 39 games.
And he also has a little bit of grit to him. That’s evidenced by the 152 penalty minutes he was assessed.
Catenacci’s numbers are even more impressive considering he was ailing for portions of the season.
He suffered a high ankle sprain at a tournament in Whitby this past November. The following month he re-injured the ankle, possibly by suiting up again too early.
Catenacci then had more ankle problems at the OHL Cup in Mississauga in March, a tournament in which the Express advanced to the semi-finals.
Catenacci pronounced himself 100 per cent healthy in late June, after participating in a Team Ontario under-17 camp in Ottawa.
Catenacci, a 5-10, 180-pound centre, is confident he’s ready to make the jump from the minor hockey ranks to the Junior level.
“Of course it’s going to be a big adjustment,” said Catenacci, a player with outstanding speed, puck skills and playmaking abilities. “But playing with bigger and better players will make me better, too.”
Since he has to leave home to further his hockey career, Catenacci said he’s adopted the attitude that it doesn’t really matter that he will be about eight hours from his hometown as opposed to somewhere closer, like a three-hour drive.
“I thought it would be a big thing at first,” he said. “I think I’ve learned to deal with it.”
Catenacci has made three trips to Sault Ste. Marie since his own season ended, including one to participate in the Greyhounds’ rookie mini-camp in May.
Team officials were undoubtedly impressed.
“He’ll have to earn his way through the lineup and earn the respect of his teammates,” Torrie said. “But he’s very goal driven and goal oriented. He’ll be a leader on this team.” |