Brockville, Ontario

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Brockville Braves

Solid returning core for Braves next season

The Brockville Braves capped off a good season, where the team finished third overall in the CJHL in what was supposed to be a rebuilding year after losing 12 quality players from the year before. 

Brockville entered the season having lost their entire first line, their top five scorers, their starting goalkeeper and a handful of veteran defensemen.  The rebuilding process, which begins during the season, was a daunting task for the coaching and scouting staff.  “We knew we had several quality players to replace for the upcoming season”, said Head Coach Todd Gill about recruitment heading into the 2010-2011 season.  “The scouting staff did an exceptional job finding players that were ready to step right into the league”. 

It was a good year considering the loss of several all-stars and a total personnel changeover of 12 players.  The team still battled for the league’s regular season title and finished the year with over 90 points, amassing a record of 44-15-0-3, eventually bowing out to a tough Cornwall Colt squad in the semi-finals of the playoffs.  “I’m very happy with all the team accomplished this season”, said Gill.  “We did feel that we could have gone even further, but the team should be proud of the season they had”. 

The Braves open their prospects camp this coming weekend and will be looking to replace their eight graduating players from this season.  The camp currently has over 60 players attending. 

The core group of players are returning, starting with both goaltenders; Justin Gilbert and William Betts.  Figuring out who is the starter will be a tough job, but a problem that any coach would gladly accept. 

Sebastien Gingras and Scott Dawson will lead the returning defencemen, with Adam Strumas, Shane Riddell, and John Keane shoring up the blueline.

Up front leading scorer and MVP Maxime Dumond along with veterans David Roy, Mike Skakum, Matt Chartrain, Kenny Matheson, Chris Roll, Anthony Bada and James Keane give Brockville a solid front line that includes scoring, toughness and grit. 

Scouting this summer has a different purpose than last year, with the staff looking for pieces to fill in some gaps rather than replacing the biggest positions.  “We have six spots open at this point”, said Gill, adding that the team has several highly touted prospects that will be evaluated over the coming months to gauge their progress. 

After the prospects camp this weekend, the coaching staff will be preparing for their summer camp, which will be held in July, just over one month before official training camp begins. 

Billets needed

The Brockville Braves are looking for billet families for the upcoming season.  Anyone interested in billeting players can contact Krista Gill at 613.213.3270 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it  

Braves honor their best

The Brockville Braves held their annual awards banquet on Monday, to honour their best, brightest and graduating players. 

In what should have been a rebuilding year, the Braves amassed over 90 points and finished with a record of 44-15-0-3, good for third place overall in the league standings. 

Brockville will say goodbye to nine players, who will be graduating on to other things for next season: Mark Belvedere, Kyle Armstrong, Ryan Collier, Tyson Wilson, Zack Zaremba, Colin MacLean, Stephen Bird, Dylan Robichaud and Stan Smrke. 

Award Winners

Most Valuable Player - Maxime Dumond

Rookie of the Year - Kenny Matheson

Best Defenceman - Tyson Wilson

Fan's Choice Award - Colin MacLean

Playoff MVP - Mark Belvedere

Donnie Wallace Award - Stephen Bird

Mike Daoust "Dogger" Award - Colin MacLean

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