By Jeff Gard/Today’s Northumberland
Members of the Port Hope Panthers were recognized prior to Friday night’s Provincial Junior Hockey League playoff game against the Amherstview Jets.
It was announced that Logan Kelly – who led all first-year PJHL players in scoring – was named the Tod Division’s rookie of the year while the Panthers coaches are the top staff.
Kelly joined the junior C Panthers after attending the training camp of the Cobourg Cougars junior A club. He found success at the PJHL level during his inaugural season, registering 21 goals and 21 assists in 30 games.
“Coming down from Cobourg after training camp I was really looking forward to this season. I’m in with a good group here, a good coaching staff that put me in a good spot to succeed so it’s been a great year,” Kelly said.
“I think I had a slower start than I really hoped for, but we kind of changed things around midway through the season and the team started winning and I started finding a little bit more success.
Carter Clarke and Michael Patrick, my linemates, we really started to get hot midway through the season and we kind of just rode it out going into playoffs. I think it was kind of just a whole team thing: we started winning and I started finding more success.”
Panthers head coach and general manager David Miller said the pitch to Kelly to join the club centred around a promise to give him every opportunity to develop his game and move on to play at a higher level.
“Logan has been nothing but a model citizen for us,” Miller said.
“He has aspirations higher than here so we promised him we’d try to get him there and he’s bought into everything we’ve been saying. He’s the hardest working guy at practice, first one on last one off, he’s at Cobourg’s practices all week. He’s seen a lot of ice and he’s earned every single accolade he’s had this year. He’s a great kid, great teammate and he’s a fantastic player.”
Miller said he told Kelly he considered him to be on a one-year contract with the Panthers.
“He’s earned the opportunity to play at a higher level next year,” Miller said.
Meanwhile, Miller considers the Tod Division coaching award to be a special recognition after the countless hours put into the job. He’s thrilled to share it with assistant coaches Connor Armour – a former Cougars captain – and longtime local coach Tom Foster.
“Connor and Tom are fantastic, couldn’t ask for two better coaches,” Miller said. “Obviously they both have different strengths that play off each other. Connor’s very good with the players, x’s and o’s, offensively. Tom is very intense. The players love his intensity on the bench, how much he cares about the team and he’s great on the defensive end. I think we just make a good team.”
Miller also extended praise to equipment manager Tim Whitehead and trainer Brian Piercey.
“I don’t think you can find a better group of five guys to work with. It’s probably been my favourite year of hockey staff-wise just how we all get along and how we all work together,” Miller remarked. “It’s a pretty cool honour, but I think it says a lot more about the other guys, our team, how they’ve played this year and they’ve bought into our culture and our mentality. Without that, that award is not possible.”
