NEWS

Ontario Junior Hockey League resident writer Ron Valentine is profiling the 2022-23 team captains of The OJ. (Photo by Amy Deroche / OJHL Images)

BY RON VALENTINE

Going into his final OJHL season Brampton native Sebastian Bulovs was renamed captain of the South Division Caledon Admirals. 

The 20-year-old was appointed to the position last season when forward Ryan O'Toole was traded to the Trenton Golden Hawks (he is now with the Milton Menace) after having played 19 regular season games in 2021-22. 

Bulovs scored and assisted as the Admirals fell 4-2 to the Menace in Caledon last night in the first game on the 2022-23 OJHL schedule.

In 45 appearances last season , Sebastian had 37 points including 17 goals including five on the powerplay. In 2018-19 he made his Junior debut when the team was the Brampton Admirals. In 2018, Sebastian was drafted in the fourth round by the OHL's Saginaw Spirit. 

Overall, it was a first season to forget for the Admirals who won just seven times but Head Coach Steve Hodson, who took over behind the bench late last season, is optimistic.

"Recruiting to Caledon after a seven-win season is a challenge,” he told the OJHL. “However, led by Sebastian, we believe, with what we have already done we will be much improved. We are incredibly happy that Sebastian has chosen to play his final junior year in Caledon. As one of the league's top players, Sebastian has the ability to carry a shift in important moments. As our captain and our leader, he has had a tremendous off-season and we are excited to watch what I believe will be his best season yet." 

The Admirals made some good off-season moves and look forward to being much more of a force in the new campaign.

Captain Sebastian:

"It was hard for the team last season, for sure. We had a coaching change, battled a lot of injuries, had to adjust our arrival times at the rinks due to COVID-19 and it just was not the year we envisaged. In the last few games of the season we got some good performances from our graduating players and we showed them the respect they deserved. It was a good teaching year for us and the younger guys who were struggling to find their feet will be back wiser and stronger."

"It's my last season in junior and I want myself and the team to be as good as we can be. We want to change the narrative and get other teams concerned when they have to face the Admirals. There are a lot of tough teams in our (South/East) Conference and playing games against teams on the other side is one thing we are looking forward to."

'The pre-season helped us to get used to the many new faces on the team. With so many changes it was good to be able to work on the systems and to get to know each other. I'm excited about what's coming up, especially for three players who should make a big impact for us

• Dawson Doner came to us last season from the Aurora Tigers and he showed that he had a positive attitude right away. He has an infectious personality and likes to keep the other players involved all the time. (He had 16 points in his 30 games as an Admiral). 

• Thomas Grossi is going to be a big help for us on the backend. He played for the (St. Michael's) Buzzers last season. He is strong defensively and likes to get up into the action on the powerplay and is also very strong on the penalty kill. 

• Tyler Bortkiewicz played for Milton in 2019-20 and last season had a point a game for the Jr. B (Caledon) Bombers. He fits into any situation and he has a great offensive upside. These are just some of the players we are expecting good things from this year."

'Having Steve (Hodson) as the head coach right from the start gives us the stability we need. He works with us, is a top-notch coach and he gives us the confidence for us to be successful. He has done a great job bringing in skaters who will give us the extra depth we need."

The future? 

"My goal remains to play for a Canadian university and to play professional hockey and to contribute my best in the coming season. I've been able to get on the ice about four times a week in the off-season, working on my skating and overall game. I've been going to the gym a lot and in my 'down time' I had fun at the family cottage. Now I'm eager and ready for the season to begin."

As Sebastian noted, it's all about 'changing the narrative' and you only have to talk to the captain to realize that his boundless enthusiasm is going to go a long way to make the Admirals a force to be reckoned with this season. 

Follow Ron Valentine on Twitter @ronandlynda