GUELPH, Ont. - The 2023-24 university men's hockey season is nearly here, and the Guelph Gryphons men's hockey team is set to drop the puck on their 28-game OUA regular season schedule this Saturday night. A new era of Gryphons men's hockey will officially get underway on Saturday night (Sept. 23, 2023) in North Bay, Ontario, where the Gryphons will take on the Nipissing Lakers at Memorial Gardens in the 2023-24 OUA regular season opener.
The 2023-24 men's hockey season will feature a traditional, two-division format within the OUA, where 19 programs from across the province will compete for the right to lift the Queen's Cup. The Gryphons find themselves in the OUA's West Division, alongside rivals Laurier, Western, Waterloo, and Toronto among others. At the conclusion of the conference's regular season in early February, the OUA postseason will see a newly adopted format take place for the first time. Instead of the traditional six playoff teams per division, the 2024 OUA men's hockey playoffs will see seven teams from the OUA West and seven teams from the OUA East earn a spot in the postseason.
The top two seeds in each division will still earn opening round byes, however, prior to the opening round of playoffs, each division will also hold a preliminary round, with the No. 6 and No. 7-seeds in each division squaring off in an elimination play-in game. The remainder of the playoffs will follow the 3-round playoff format university hockey fans are accustomed to (best-two-of-three series), leading up to the single-game championship final to decide the winner of the 112th Queen's Cup, which will be played on Saturday, March 9, 2024.
"We are excited about the group we have and the upcoming season," says Gryphon head coach, Josh Dixon,
who was named the new leader of the U of G men's hockey program in June of 2023. "The goal this season is to get back to the playoffs, and to do that we need to get better every single week. We want to be competitive each and every game, and to be a team that makes it difficult for our opponents to play. We are looking to see improvement week-in, and week-out, so that we can continue to peak when the postseason comes around." Dixon arrives in Guelph with nine years of experience coaching in the Canadian Hockey League (CHL), most recently with the Prince George Cougars (WHL).
The 2023-24 edition of the Gryphons also welcomes in a pair of
new assistant coaches in associate coach, Dave Leger, and assistant coach, Scott Simmonds. Dave Leger arrives at the University of Guelph bringing with him an extensive coaching resume which includes stops in the OHL, CCHL, ECHL, U SPORTS, IIHF, Asia League, Erste League, and most recently the Italian League 1. Gryphon fans should already be familiar with the second incoming assistant, as Scott Simmonds returns to alma mater. Simmonds was a three-year captain for the Gryphons men's hockey team, and was part of a memorable 2014-15 season as a freshman where he helped the Gryphons capture an OUA championship and U SPORTS bronze medal. "With Scott, this is a unique experience for the program, featuring a former captain who has made the decision to come back to the program he loves," says Leger. "He certainly wears his heart of his sleeve. We all see the Gryphon story through him and I think it is a great opportunity for him to get his start as a coach with his former team."
Gryphon Forwards
The Gryphons enter the 2023-24 season with no shortage of talent up front and a strong mix of returning student-athletes complimented by some new additions. Leading the way down the middle is fifth-year forward,
Luke Kutkevicius, who will enter his fourth season of on-ice action with the team. The 25-year-old Toronto native will provide the U of G hockey team with a strong leadership presence,
while being able to generate offence and win in the faceoff circle. Kutkevicius has 23 career points (10 G, 13 A) and will be playing alongside the 2022-23 team-leading scorer and OUA All-Rookie Team member in
Anthony Tabak. In his first season with the Gryphons after coming over from the Barrie Colts, Tabak excelled in the OUA landscape, finding the back of the net 8 times and assisting on 14 teammate scores. The 6-foot-5 Oakville native will continue to be leaned upon to help lead the way for the Gryphons offence in 2023-24. The Gryphons also return their second-leading scorer from a season ago (9 G, 10 A) in
Nolan DeGurse, another player entering his second season of collegiate hockey. DeGurse is a skilled forward who can move the puck well and make plays thanks to his vision. He will be a feature of the Gryphon power play unit during the 2023-24 campaign. Solidifying the Gryphon lineup down the middle is third-year real estate major,
Jacob Winterton, who will be a key player for the team this season. Winterton is another strong centreman at the faceoff dot and has already demonstrated his speed which helped him pick up 16 points in 2022-23 (4 G, 12 A). Additional depth a centre is provided by
Ethan Doyle, who scored 7 goals and 5 assists for the team last season.
The forward group in 2023-24 is also
bolstered by several new faces, adding talent and depth from all levels of Canadian hockey. Headlining the group is
Jonah De Simone, a former OHL (Niagara IceDogs) and QMJHL (Gatineau Olympiques) player, who will provide some additional offence from the wing. Another proven QMJHL talent joining the Gryphons is
Nolan Forster, who was previously with the Acadie-Bathurst Titan for the past two seasons. Forster brings another right shot forward to the team to help balance out a predominantly left-handed Gryphon lineup up front.
Zev Podolski arrives at the University of Guelph from the Trenton Golden Eagles of the OJHL where he totaled 21 points in 22 games before making a big impact in the playoffs scoring 10 points. The 6-foot-1 Toronto native has the speed and skill to be an impact player this season. Former Division-I recruit
Hunter Brazier is another new arrival who is a strong skater who impact play at both ends of the ice.
Gryphon Defencemen
The Gryphon blueline is well-assembled heading into the 2023-24 season and boasts a strong mix of veteran defencemen. Leading the way on the U of G blueline is a pair of returning student-athletes in
Tristan De Jong (Breslau, ON) and
Nathan Allensen (Waterloo, ON).
De Jong, a 6-foot-2 defenceman entering his third season with the team, is coming off a solid 2022-23 season that saw the human kinetics major also contribute offensively, registering 12 points (3 G, 9 A).
Nathan Allensen has also demonstrated his offensive instincts as a defenceman, totaling 12 assists last season and finding the back of the net once. Incoming 20-year-old,
Isaac Enright, will not have far to travel for his new home rink, coming over from the OHL's Guelph Storm. The former 1st round selection in the OHL entry draft helps headline a strong group of incoming student-athletes that should compliment the returning veterans nicely on the Gryphons blueline. Another incoming defenceman that has the potential to be an impact player right away for the Gryphons is
Ian Ferguson. Ferguson joins the Gryphons after suiting up in the past four seasons for the Tri-City Americans of the WHL. The 6-foot Chatham native played 127 games, registering 15 points (4 G, 11 A) while demonstrating good mobility and intelligent play.
Gryphon Goalies
The Gryphons should once again see a healthy competition for No. 1 spot in net, returning three goalies from the 2022-23 season.
Brendan Cregan (Hammonds Plains, NS),
Colton Incze (Oakville, ON),
and
Tanner Wickware (Milton, ON) all return to U of G for their fifth, fourth, and third years, respectively. Cregan posted a 3.82 goals against average and .882 save percentage in 2022-23 with a record of 3-7. Real estate major
Colton Incze saw fewer opportunities, starting just four games for the Gryphons, with the majority coming down the stretch. Despite the limited action, Incze had a very strong ending to the season, posting four straight victories in his final four starts. He finished the season with a 2.52 goals against average and .929 save percentage, both a seasons-best for the team. Fianlly,
Tanner Wickware registered a 3.56 goals against average and .896 save percentage while going 3-4 in 7 starts.
The Gryphons men's hockey team will open up their 2023-24 season on Saturday, September 23 when they make the trip up to North Bay to take on the Nipissing Lakers. Puck drop is set for 7pm at the Memorial Gardens, with the game streamed live online at
oua.tv. Prior to their Saturday night season-opener in North Bay, the Gryphons will actually continue their preseason schedule with a Friday night (Sept. 22) exhibition game in St. Catharines, where the Gryphs will square off against the Brock Badgers in Brock's annual "Steele Blade" game (Homecoming).
Following their season opener the team head south of the boarder for a pair of exhibition games before returning to Canada for their 2023-24 home opener against the Brock Badgers on Thursday, October 12. Tickets for the home opener and the U of G hockey season are already available for purchase at
gryphons.ca/tickets.
