TORONTO – The 2023-24 version of the TMU Bold men's hockey team may have been the program's best team ever. It was certainly the most accomplished, winning an OUA silver medal and finishing 4th at the U Sports Cup on home ice. Despite the achievements, there remains an unfulfilled feeling. OUA Gold was lost on home ice, in double overtime and National Bronze slipped away with just under three minutes left. Despite the achievements, the Bold have yet to scale the last summit: winning the final game of the year. The 2024-25 team will look to finish the ascent to Canadian collegiate gold.
Last year's team finished second in the OUA East, with a 19-9 record. After a first round sweep against Laurier, the Bold faced the Brock Badgers in the OUA East final. Despite dropping the first game of the three-game series, the Bold rallied to win in dramatic fashion in game 3. They ended up falling in the Queen's Cup Gold medal game in double overtime against the University of Quebec Trois-Rivieres. In the U Sports National Championship, the Bold overcame the University of Calgary in double overtime before dropping the semifinal contest to the eventual champions, the University of New Brunswick Reds. The heartbreaking bronze medal loss against McGill was the final impression of the 2023-24 team, as they fell just short of a podium finish on home ice.
This season presents an opportunity for redemption. The Bold will look for a combination of returning production and new faces to drive the offence. The Bold bring back three of their top five leading scorers from last season in Kevin Gursoy, Daniil Grigorev and Connor Bowie. However in the offseason Bold lost their leading point scorers at both forward and defense, with Kyle Bollers and Aaron Hyman moving on to the ECHL.
"I'm proud of the way the group came together," head coach Johnny Duco raved after the Bold's 3-2 homecoming win over Brock. "We've started to show the team we're capable of being with so many new faces."
Throughout the pre-season, head coach Johnny Duco kept Bowie and Chris Playfair together, after the captain recorded 19 points (six goals, 13 assists) playing on Bowie's wing last season. Julian Fantino, one of three former Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds on this year's squad, rounded out the line on the right side in the 2024 preseason.
Also joining Fantino from the "Soo" are forwards Tyler Savard and Jordan D'Intino. D'Intino recorded 97 points in 177 games across three seasons with the Greyhounds. This included back to back 20 goal seasons in 2022-23 and 2023-24. Savard, son of NHLer Marc Savard, spent parts of two seasons with the Greyhounds before splitting time between the Kingston Frontenacs and Caledonia Corvairs in 2023-24.
"We're really fortunate to have such a great class of first year players coming in," said Duco. "They're certainly gonna push the pace and keep the other guys on their toes."
Another interesting storyline to follow this season revolves around Daniil Grigorev. The talented Russian set the OUA ablaze in his first season as a 19-year old, centering a line of Kyle Bollers and Kevin Gursoy. In his second season with the Bold, Grigorev will look to be the primary scorer on his line this year. The Moscow-native slotted in as the top center this preseason, and looked impressive, with a highlight-reel goal at homecoming, hopefully showcasing more of what's to come in his second year with the Blue & Gold.
Will Portokalis and Jackson Doherty are looking to take the next step in their third and fourth years, respectively. Portokalis tallied 14 points in the regular season before adding four points in six postseason games. Similarly Doherty earned more ice time in the latter stages of the regular season, playing in all six OUA playoff games.
On defence, the Bold have seen significant turnover in the offseason. With workhorse Artem Duda signing his NHL entry-level contract, as well as the losses of Hyman, Ryan Wells and Cole Cameron, there is plenty of opportunity on the Bold's back end.
In early action this season, the pairing of Joe Rupoli and Liam Ross have earned the most trust from Johnny Duco. Both defenders earned high praise from Duco last season, primarily for their steady, "low-event" defending in high-pressure situations. With both defenders ready to take on an increased workload this season, Duco is comfortable with the shutdown duo as the top pairing.
"(Rupoli)'s a heart and soul guy, and Rosser's an absolute animal," said Duco. "They're certainly a great pair for us to start, now its just continuing to find out where other guys fit to help the team be successful."
Supplementing the Bold offence from the backend in first-year defenceman Spencer Shugrue. "Sugar" as he's known by teammates breaks the mold of a typical Johnny Duco-defenseman. Listed at just 5 '9", the skilled defenseman will quarterback the power play and provide an added scoring threat at 5-on-5 that the Bold lacked on defense entering last offseason.
Rounding out the Bold defense are Evan Brand, Jaden Condotta and Jaden Raad, all of whom return from last year's squad. Brand logged 29 games for the Bold last season, recording five assists. Condotta and Raad will look to secure bigger roles this season, having played five and 12 games last year for the Bold, respectively. Also joining the Bold this season is Joseph Ianniello, who spent the last two seasons with the Saint John Sea Dogs of the QMJHL. In 90 games with the Sea Dogs, Ianiello recorded an impressive 47 points (10 goals, 37 assists).
The team will look to repeat its defensive performance from last season. In 2023-24, the Bold finished 4th in the OUA in goals against, allowing just 70 across 28 games. Their 2.55 goals-against average was over half a goal better than league average (3.21). Last year's success was driven in large part by the defensive effort. A repeat performance will be needed from this group to return to last season's heights.
The duo of Kai Edmonds and Ryan Dugas return between the pipes this season. The pair of netminders were among the top tandems in U Sports in 2023-24. Last season Edmonds sported a .918 save percentage across 23 starts, while Dugas recorded a .937 over five starts. Joining the two incumbents in the crease is Sergei Litvinov. Litvinov joins the Bold after a strong OJHL career with the Toronto Junior Canadiens. As was the case last season, goaltending looks to be a strong suit again for the Bold this season.
The 2024-25 Bold are a team with high expectations but much to prove. The team will need several key players to take the next step if they hope to remain atop the OUA standings for another season. The regular season opener on October 4th against Carleton will be the Bold's first opportunity to show that this team is the continuation of a budding powerhouse in the OUA.
