Haliburton County Huskies head coach Ryan Ramsay believes the new video review system being rolled out league-wide later this year will be a “game changer.”
The Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL) announced last month that cameras will be installed above or behind goal nets in all 24 arenas. They are expected to be operational by November.
This is a first-of-its-kind program at the Jr. A level in Canada and will provide coaches the ability to review in-game footage from behind the bench, while also giving teams access to clips for social media purposes.
“It’s exciting – I’ve always loved the development side of hockey, and with this new tech, we’ll be able to show players firsthand their mistakes, or areas they need to correct, right there during a game,” Ramsay said. “It will allow us, as coaches, to say ‘hey, let’s try and do this differently next shift’, so I’m really looking forward to that.
“It’s just another feather in the cap for this league as far as player development goes,” Ramsay added.
OJHL commissioner, Marty Savoy, said the league will also be experimenting with the new setup for video review, which will be introduced at a later date. That’s good news for hockey fans league-wide, as it will allow officials the chance to review questionable plays.
The Huskies have been on the receiving end of a few calls that would have benefitted from review technology in recent times. During last season’s do-or-die second round playoff encounter with the Wellington Dukes, in Game 4 at S.G. Nesbitt Memorial Arena, the Huskies had a goal ruled out in the second period, which would have tied the game, because the officials were unsure whether it had crossed the line. The blue and white went on to lose the game, ending their season.
In the opening game of this season, a 4-1 road defeat against the Lindsay Muskies, the Huskies thought they had taken the lead in the first period – Jack Staniland firing the puck in from the point – but the officials called no goal, after the puck struck the iron at the back of the net and rebounded out.
Ramsay said there have been some challenges installing the technology in Haliburton County, noting it requires an upgraded internet service to properly run.
“There’s going to be some growing pains, but once it’s operational it’s going to be a great tool,” he said.
