Firth Named Cougars Captain in Return to Cobourg

By Jeff Gard

Tucker Firth has returned to Cobourg for his final season of junior hockey.

It’s where the defenceman played one season of rep ‘A’ hockey for the Jr. Cougars in minor bantam before they became the Northumberland Nighthawks following amalgamation with Port Hope Minor Hockey.

Firth went on to play ‘AAA’ hockey with the Peterborough Petes and Central Ontario Wolves and eventually spent parts of four Ontario Junior Hockey League seasons with the Lindsay Muskies from 2016 to 2020 before a trade to the St. Thomas Stars of the GOJHL during the 2019-20 season.

“It’s just nice to come home and play the last year in Cobourg,” said Firth, who turned 20 earlier this year. “This is where it all started. I have a lot of mentors here and a lot of people I look up to that have played the game and helped me along the way. It’s just special to finally put on the jersey and really represent the community.”

Cobourg opens the 2021-22 OJHL regular season tonight in Trenton to face the Golden Hawks. The Cougars home opener is Saturday night when they host the Wellington Dukes. Game time is 7 p.m. at the Cobourg Community Centre.

Firth will be wearing the ‘C’ on his jersey. He made a great impression since being acquired from St. Thomas and was recently named Cougars captain for this season.

“It caught me by surprise, but I wouldn’t want to do it with another group. This is a special group,” Firth said. “We have a lot of talent, we have a lot of young guys that are going to be able to come in and really make a difference. We have a lot of experienced 20-year-olds and 19-year-olds on the team that are going to help lead the team.”

Firth, who plays defence, considers himself to be a vocal leader and will do what’s necessary on the ice to help his team win.

“We have guys that are able to meet the criteria of being those skilled guys, being the ones that you want to give the puck to, but what I think I bring to the table is more of the capability of doing the dirty work,” Firth said. “I’m not afraid to block shots, I’m not afraid to make big hits. There’s nothing better than being able to watch your team succeed.

“We have a lot of guys that are going to bring different things to the table and it’s a season to really be excited about.”

Firth is also an accomplished softball player, having been selected last year to represent Ontario at the 2021 Canada Summer Games. The event was postponed, but the team remains intact for the 2022 Games.

A former Legion Dodgers rep player with the Cobourg Legion Minor Softball Organization, Firth went on to play with the Cobourg Bulls junior team. He’s competed at four national championships, including winning gold with the Shallow Lake Sting and Napanee Express and a bronze with the Bulls.

In early September, Firth competed with the Owen Sound Selects at the Rawlings Grand Slam Championship in Saskatoon.

“It was a great experience,” he remarked. “I’ve never been to Saskatchewan before and they were great hosts. The fields were amazing.”

Now Firth’s attention is focused on the hockey season ahead. Cougars head coach Wes Wolfe said Firth was a natural choice for captain, despite being a new player in the lineup.

“Since he’s been here he’s just displayed so many character traits that we value. He’s responsible, he’s vocal, he holds other players accountable and he leads by example,” Wolfe said while also noting Firth’s successful athletic background in hockey and athletics. “He was the right choice for us at the right time.”

While there could still be tweaks to the roster, Wolfe is pleased the mix of new and returning players that make up the Cougars lineup to start the season.

Joining Firth on defence with junior A experience is Cobourg’s Erik MacNeil, entering his third season with the Cougars, and Ben Hamilton who was acquired from the Dukes.

Thomas Stewart was expected to play a key role on the back-end for the Cougars, but just signed with the Oshawa Generals and will begin the season with the OHL club.

Adam Barone, a 17-year-old from the Soo Greyhounds midget AAA program, was selected sixth overall by the Sudbury Wolves in the 2021 OHL U18 draft. Wolfe describes Barone as a “really exciting young prospect, great skater with great offensive instincts.”

Up front, returning forward Jacob Gilbert “is someone we’re going to really lean on,” Wolfe said, adding that fourth-year player George Krotiris is expected to play a key role.

“We really expect him to be premier offensive player in this league,” Wolfe said. “I think he has the potential to be over a point a game player. Truthfully I think he’s a candidate for Team Canada East with the type of skill and speed he brings to the lineup.”

A couple of 17-year-old forwards have made a great early impression. Tai York recently signed with the OHL’s Barrie Colts and played some pre-season games with the club, but will develop this season in Cobourg.

Belleville’s Trevor Hoskin, a product of the Quinte Red Devils AAA program before playing most recently with the Greater Kingston Frontenacs, was a standout for the Cougars leading up to the season.

“He was probably the biggest surprise coming out of camp,” Wolfe said. “He’s sort of why you have tryouts. He came and really made it impossible for the coaching staff and management to keep him off the team. I think it’s his habits and attention to detail. He works so hard to retrieve pucks, he angles well, has a good stick, he’s relentless and he combines that with some creativity. He’s been a really offensive player growing up and he hit a growth spurt over the last 16 months so when he puts it all together it’s something special to watch. “I really appreciate his game and the amount of effort he plays with.”

Goaltender Ethan Robertson has moved on to the Springfield Jr. Blues of the Northern American Hockey League and the Cougars will have no returning players in net.

Cobourg acquired 19-year-old Carter Tahk, who has some experience with OHL’s Saginaw Spirit, from the Milton Menace. He’ll be paired with Mason Vaccari, who is one of two 16-year-old Kingston Frontenacs prospects playing in Cobourg this season. The other is defenceman Duncan Schneider.

Wolfe said Vaccari has been impressive and expects him to be a great compliment to Tahk who has junior experience.

“I think the two of them are going to combine to be a pretty premier tandem in the league,” Wolfe said.

Sam Dingle, an 18-year-old from Brighton who was most recently with the CCHL’s Pembroke Lumber Kings, will be affiliated with the Cougars as he plays with the Port Hope Panthers junior C club.

“With Mason being signed to Kingston and having to play some games with them, we’re going to need Sam to play some minutes for us as well,” Wolfe said.

COBOURG COUGARS 2021-22 ROSTER

Forwards – George Krotiris, Jacob Gilbert, Liam Filip, Tai York, Zach Smith, Trevor Hoskin, Isaac Pascoal, Justin Jamer, Andy Reist, Tyler Hunt, Jayden Baldinelli, Steven Whittle, Caleb Thompson

Defence – Tucker Firth, Erik MacNeil, Ben Hamilton, Adam Barone, Duncan Schneider, Noah Prudhomme, Mason Chitaroni

Goaltenders – Carter Tahk, Mason Vaccari