Haliburton County Huskies owner Paul Wilson said, aside from bringing a Jr. A hockey championship to Haliburton County, his primary goal with the Huskies is to set the franchise up for the long haul in the Highlands.
The club will kick off its fourth Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL) season in Minden this weekend, with a Saturday afternoon tilt with the Leamington Flyers. As has become customary, Wilson expects there to be a full house at S.G. Nesbitt Memorial Arena cheering the team on.
“We have the best fans in the league – the support we’ve seen over the past four years, that’s what’s kept us going,” Wilson said.
His short-term focus will be developing a business plan that guides the Huskies franchise into the black. Despite having some of the best season ticket sales (over 300 this season) and sponsorship numbers in the league, the team is operating at a loss.
Wilson has invested north of $1 million since purchasing the then Whitby Fury in 2019. That includes $150,000 for the Huskies state-of-the-art locker room at the Minden arena, another few thousand to install the standing rails in the rink and covering hefty transportation costs for the past three seasons.
It’s a sizeable commitment, but one Wilson is prepared to stand behind. Especially when he looks back on the fruits of his, and general manager and head coach Ryan Ramsay’s, years of labour.
“I’m proud of the fact I’m able to bring a major hockey franchise to Haliburton County. No other community like this could support a Jr. A hockey team, in my opinion. It’s a very, very rare thing,” Wilson said.
While Wilson and Ramsay tried to make a go of things in Whitby, and first considered moves to Uxbridge and Port Perry once it became clear relocation was necessary, they’re delighted to have landed in Haliburton County.
In fact, Wilson said it was something of a dream for him re-establishing a Huskies program in the Highlands.
“I grew up in Haliburton. I’ve lived here my whole life. I played for the Huskies in the 60s when they were a Jr. D team. This is bucket list type stuff,” Wilson said.
There were offers to sell and relocate the franchise this summer, but Wilson said that was a non-starter. Instead, he’s spent the past few months working with Ramsay to sell new recruits on winter living in cottage country.
Getting players to commit has, historically, been a challenge. Some of the Huskies’ best players in recent years, former captains Patrick Saini, Christian Stevens and Nathan Porter, and stars like Oliver Tarr and Lucas Stevenson, got their start with the franchise when it was in Whitby.
“When players come, they love it. But we do have trouble getting younger players, finding all the billets we need to house them,” Wilson said.
At least until this season.
The Huskies are a much younger outfit this year, Wilson notes, with eight 17-yearolds making the squad. As under agers, they will attend Haliburton Highlands Secondary School.
“I remember one year we didn’t have anybody going to high school, so it’s a big change,” Wilson said.
With the addition of centreman Nathan Poole, who spent three seasons playing in the Ontario Hockey League with the Kingston Frontenacs, and 20-year-old veteran netminder Corbin Votary, the Huskies have some serious talent in key positions.
They will, however, be without 17-yearold defenceman Lukas Moore, who had committed to the Huskies and was expected to play a key role on the blueline, only to crack the Frontenacs roster out of training camp this week. Two other recruits the Huskies hoped to count on this year also earned OHL gigs.
That’s bittersweet for Wilson.
“We are seen as a really good operation – good coaching, good fans, good everything. Players want to come here now, but the downside to that is we’re sometimes waiting on and competing with [OHL teams] for players,” Wilson said.
Some players, like winger Alex Smeeton, opt for Jr. A instead so they can try their luck playing college hockey in the U.S. The NCAA, which regulates collegiate competition south of the border, doesn’t accept OHL alumni.
While still a few moves short of boasting a team capable of competing for a championship, Wilson said that will always be the goal while he remains owner.
“To have a little town like this win an OJHL title would be amazing. It would just be a dream come true for me, and it would put us on the map for hockey all over Canada,” Wilson said.
