Pierson Sobush, a member of Red Rock Indian Band, led the Greater Sudbury Cubs in scoring this season. – Photo provided

By Sam Laskaris

SUDBURY – Pierson Sobush continues to disregard the naysayers.

Sobush, an 18-year-old member of Red Rock Indian Band in northwestern Ontario, is hoping to play at hockey’s highest ranges. It stays to be seen, nevertheless, simply how far Sobush will go.

Growing up in Sudbury, which has the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) franchise named the Wolves, Sobush aspired to at some point play within the Major Junior circuit. But he was twice bypassed by all 20 OHL squads throughout his draft-eligible years. Sobush realizes that his peak was a serious purpose why OHL groups weren’t interested by his companies.

Yet he continued to persevere. And although he’s nonetheless deemed a tad small for junior hockey circles – presently standing at 5-foot-9 and questioning whether or not he has stopped rising – Sobush continues to dream massive.

He’s spent the previous two seasons toiling for the Greater Sudbury Wolves, a Junior A membership that competes within the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League (NOJHL). The 12-team circuit is a step beneath the OHL, but it surely’s nonetheless a aggressive sufficient loop the place many gamers do go on to greater and higher issues.

Sobush is proving he might very effectively be a type of gamers.

For starters, he racked up 37 factors, together with 21 targets, in 46 common season contests throughout his rookie season with the Cubs.

And he got here near doubling his level manufacturing in his sophomore marketing campaign with the Greater Sudbury franchise this season. Sobush led the membership in common season scoring by gathering 70 factors (44 targets and 26 assists) in 57 outings.

Sobush was rewarded for these efforts. On Wednesday, he was one of many three NOJHL gamers named to the league’s second staff all-star squad.

Sobush was definitely deserving of that accolade. He had the second most targets amongst all league gamers this season and completed sixth within the league scoring race. And he scored a NOJHL-high of 5 shorthanded targets.

If stats don’t lie, then this one demonstrates simply how useful Sobush was to the Cubs this season. When he scored at the least as soon as, the staff document was a powerful 30-2-0-0.

Though thrilled to be acknowledged on a person stage, Sobush was fast to deflect reward on to his teammates and different members of the group.

And it goes with out saying that Sobush would rapidly commerce in his private glory for loads of post-season staff success.

The Cubs had been scheduled to begin their playoff schedule on Thursday in a best-of-seven West Division semi-final collection versus the Espanola Paper Kings.

The Greater Sudbury staff is predicted to have a prolonged playoff run. It completed atop the standings of the six-team West Division and only one level behind the East Division-leading Timmins Rock within the over-all standings.

Sobush and his teammates are hoping to seize the NOJHL title and go on to symbolize the league within the nationwide Junior A tourney, the Centennial Cup, which will probably be held in May in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba.

Sobush might conceivably return to the Cubs for 2 extra seasons, however he’s additionally seeking to do what’s finest for his personal profession.

So far, a few American faculties, one on the NCAA Division 1 stage and one on the Division 3 ranks, have expressed some curiosity in him, however he hasn’t obtained any scholarship presents.

Sobush, who graduated from Sudbury’s Lo-Ellen Park Secondary School in June of 2022, is hoping to finally proceed his training, combining that by taking part in hockey at a Canadian or American college.

Regardless the place he finally ends up, Sobush will probably be completely satisfied transferring up the hockey ranks.