ST.CATHARINES FALCONS

2015-16

RECRUITING

GUIDE

OUR PROGRAM

The St. Catharines Falcons are one of the most storied organizations in the Golden Horseshoe Conference of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League (GOJHL); one of the top development leagues in North America. We pride ourselves on offering players a first-class experience while developing the skills and mindset needed to move on to both college and major junior hockey as successful student-athletes. We provide a wide range of resources that are above-and-beyond what many other programs provide. In return, our coaches and community place a high value on character, commitment and accountability while working towards both Golden Horseshoe and Sutherland Cup Championships. The Falcons recent accomplishments include a Sutherland Cup Provincial Junior “B” Champion-ship in 2012 and appearances as finalists in 2013 and 2014. The impressive list of alumni con-tinues to grow every year with players moving on to higher levels of hockey including the OHL, NCAA and CIS. Being a junior hockey player in St. Catharines is an experience unlike any other in the GOJHL. Falcons fans and volunteers have earned a reputation for being passionate and loyal, keeping the spirit and historical significance of the Jack Gatecliff Arena alive. Below is a summary of the first-class benefits and development opportunities players receive from the St. Catharines Falcons GOJHL Hockey Club: Professional coaching and executive management Certified athletic therapist and equipment managers STEVA video technology for both team and individual development and instruction All games broadcast live and archived on FAST Hockey Exposure to wide variety of professional, collegiate and major junior scouts and coaches Room and board with a billet family Equipment including skates, sticks, helmets/visors, gloves, pants and other protective gear Gym membership Academic advisor & information on scholarship and bursary opportunities Team laundry services Nutrition/supplies during practices/games including snacks, granola bars, Gatorade, tape,

laces, etc. Players lounge for down time, studying and hanging out with teammates Free skate sharpening Team building and life experiences including guest speakers and Chapel

THE GOJHL

Riley sheahan

Falcons to Detroit red wings

Daultan leveille

Falcons to atlanta thrashers

The Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League and its 27 member teams pride themselves on creating a positive environment for young athletes to develop as hockey players and as people. Over 1500 players have graduated to play in the OHL, NCAA, CIS and professional hockey. Some GOJHL alumni that play or have played in the NHL include Jeff Carter, Tanner Pearson, Boone Jenner, Mark Scheifele, Matt Moulson, Rob Blake, Thomas McCollum, Adam Henrique, Adam Mair, Bryan Little, Marty Turco, Ryan Jones, Kevin Westgarth, Dan Bylsma, Dennis Wideman, Brian Camp-bell, Steve Mason, Joel Quenneville, Ed Jovanovski, Kyle Wellwood, DJ Smith, TJ Brodie, Tim Gleason, Zach Kassian, Steve Ott, Brandon Prust, Matt Read, Logan Couture, Joe Thornton, Nathan Horton, Cal Clutterbuck, Dan Girardi, Ray Emery, Matt Ellis, Dan Paille, Zenon Konopka, John Scott along with the Falcons own Riley Sheahan and Daultan Leveille – plus many, many more.

Jeff carter Joel quenneville

Our history

The St. Catharines Falcons are proud to be celebrating their 47th year of serving up the

finest Junior B Hockey entertainment available.

It all started prior to 1968 when a group of dedicated hockey people began to look for an

outlet to give St. Catharines Minor Hockey graduates an opportunity to play Junior Hockey.

In the fall of 1968, their efforts bore fruit when the Falcons skated into action.

With the Falcons off and skating, it opened doorways to Major Junior, University and pro-

fessional scouting. The Falcon organization, from the Directors Room to the Dressing

Room, has built a Falcon Red Tradition. That Falcon Red Tradition has established a posi-

tion of strength that has given the organization the opportunity to attract quality Manag-

ers, Coaches, Volunteers and most importantly, hockey talent that continues to serve the

community well.

Over 500 players have worn the Falcon Red over the past 47 years, each in their own way

contributing to make the St. Catharines Falcons a respected hockey organization through-

out the amateur, professional and scholastic hockey ranks.

Falcon Red Tradition, Flying High

wes_wolfe@hotmail.com

frank.girhiny@gmail.com—905.351.1657

OUR staff

FRANK GIRHINY—GENERAL MANAGER AND HEAD COACH Entering his fifth season with the Falcons as their General Manager and Head Coach, Girhiny lead the Falcons to four consecutive Golden Horseshoe Finals (two championships) as well as leading the Falcons to their first Sutherland Cup Championship in 2012. Girhiny has coached in the GOJHL All Star games in 2011, 2012 and 2014. A High Performance Certified Coach, Girhiny has also coached in the Ontario Hockey League with the Niagara Ice Dogs as an assistant. He has an extensive minor hockey back ground where he coached two Minor Midget teams to the OHL Cup. In the two years Girhiny coached Minor Midget, he had 15 players drafted to the On-tario Hockey League. The Niagara Falls native has worked in hockey for many years. The cur-rent Molson Coors Sales rep worked for the Professional Hockey Players Association (minor league players union) as well worked as a Pro Rep with Bauer Hockey (where he worked part-nerships with NCAA D1 programs in the Hockey East and ECAC). Frank and his wife Jeannie re-side in Thorold and have a daughter, Chantal and two son’s Frank and Christian

RICK GIRHINY— ASSOCIATE COACH Rick enters his fifth season as an

Assistant with the Falcons. A grad-

uate of the GOJHL, Girhiny had a

notable professional career where

his leadership, heart and soul, and

willingness to do whatever it took

to win earned him the admiration

of every franchise he played for.

His #7 became the first sweater

retired by the Odessa Jackalopes

of the West Professional Hockey

League. Rick and his wife Danielle

currently reside in St. Catharines.

WES WOLFE — ASST. COACH & ASST. GM Wes is in his second season as an

Assistant Coach with the Falcons,

first as an Assistant GM. A High

Performance Certified Coach, Wes

works extensively with video for

team and player development as

well as opponent pre-scouting. He

also currently works as a Video

Analyst for Stathletes Inc. serving

NHL, NCAA, OHL and other major

hockey leagues and affiliates with

exclusive data, reports, insights

and visualizations

SCOTT SWEITZER—ASSISTANT COACH

SPENCER DEWOLFE—ACADEMIC ADVISOR

NICK GIGONE—GOALTENDING COACH

STEVE GIRHINY—VIDEO

JAMIE FERGUSON—VIDEO

LEN FERRARO—ATHLETIC THERAPIST

SAM DILLMAN—ATHLETIC THERAPIST

DAVE HOMINUCK—TRAINER

SEAN BURROWS—STATISTICIAN

MARTIN EARLY—EQUIPMENT

LAWRENCE BUSCH—EQUIPMENT

LARRY DESLAURIER —EQUIPMENT

FALCONS EXECUTIVE The Falcons have a strong board of directors with roles that are executed with pride and professionalism to provide a strong foundation to thrive on for years to come.

CITY OF ST. CATHARINES

The City of St. Catharines strives to recognize and meet the diverse needs of its citizens, making the Garden City a great place to live for young and old, families and individuals alike. It is a place known for its friendliness, charm and pride - characteristics that stem from its identity as The Garden City. With a population of over 130,000, the City of St. Catharines provides a unique home for a Junior organization in which the players have an opportunity to play a major role in the lives of the people of St. Catharines throughout the season. The Falcons play a major role in the community as one of the main sources of enter-tainment along with the Niagara Ice Dogs (OHL) and Brock University athletics (OUA). The community has seen recent developments such as a brand new Performing Arts Centre and the Meridian Centre Sports and Entertainment complex. Student-Athletes are also encouraged to explore their options at nearby Brock University, Niagara College or one of St. Catharines’ six secondary school institutions. The community has a variety of restaurants and attractions and is in close proximity to the Niagara Falls, one of the seven natural wonders of the world.

DEVELOPMENT

The St. Catharines Falcons provide a first-class program that allows players to develop as com-

plete hockey players. As the main tenant of the Jack Gatecliff Arena, the team provides the fol-

lowing opportunities:

Access to minimum of three weekly on-ice practices

A full 49-game GOJHL schedule, including 2 games at the GOJHL Showcase in front of

over 100 college, major junior and pro scouts

Additional ice for goalie instruction or player skill development

Gym membership

Full access to certified athletic therapists and trainers

Team and one-on-one video sessions

ST.CATHARINES FALCONS

NHL Team

Riley Sheahan Detroit Red Wings

Daultan Leveille Atlanta Thrashers

Professional Team

JT MacDonald Cincinnati ECHL, Germany

Daultan Leveille Hamilton AHL, France

Vladimir Bessonov Metallurg Novokuznetsk KHL

Kevin Floris Pensacola SPHL

Matt Lorito Albany AHL

Jake Laplante Fort Worth CHL, Austria

Andrew Darrigo Brampton/Missouri ECHL

NCAA D1 Team

Riley Sheahan Notre Dame

Daultan Leveille Michigan State

Matt Lorito Brown

Chris Maniccia UMass-Lowell

Joey De Concilys Brown

Andy Sturtz Penn State

CIS Team

Adrian Volpe Brock

Luke Karaim Western

Kenny Bradford Windsor

Curtis Longland Windsor

Jake Laplante Brock

Dan MacEachern Brock

Ben Dubois Concordia

Julian Luciani Windsor

Greg Jambrosich Brock

Mitch Bennett UOIT

Yanni Rallis Brock

Ryan Doucette UOIT

Tyler Morrison Windsor

Knick Dawe Ryerson

Ben Csiernik UOIT

NCAA D3 Team

Brett Sinclair Curry College

Ryan Stayner Buffalo State

RECENT ALUMNI

Riley

Sheahan

Detroit red wings

nhl

JT

MACDONALD

Hanover scorpions

Germany pro

Joey

deconcilys

Brown university

Ncaa division I

LUKE

KARAIM

Western

CIS

Ryan

stayner

Buffalo state

Ncaa division iii