The 2012-2013 Newfoundland and Labrador Major Midget hockey season is going to be very hectic for Shayne Dominie of Harbour Breton as he is a player with the Central IcePak, one of the five teams in the provincial major midget league.
Dominie, 15, will have a great opportunity to sharpen his hockey skills as he will get to compete with the best young hockey players in the province. He will play defence for his team in about 40 games throughout the season which is already underway.
The Newfoundland and Labrador Major Midget League consists of five teams that cover all regions of the province. The five teams are Central IcePak, Western Storm, St. John’s Privateers, St. John’s Maple Leafs and the TriPen Lions.
Corey Hoffe, who has a ton of experience coaching young boys’ hockey in the province, is the coach of the Central IcePak.
Hoffe said that the IcePak signed Dominie to the team for a number of reasons.
“ I watched Shayne play in the provincial Under 16 tournament last year and I asked him to attend our camp. He’s a big body, passes well and he has a lot of potential,” Hoffe said.
“He’s also eager to learn and this league is much faster than his previous level of play. From what I’ve seen so far this season, he’s doing much better than I expected. He’s setting in really well and shouldn’t have any problems adapting to our system of play.
“We sign most players as APs or alternate players but in Shayne’s case we signed him right away as we knew what type of player he is and we think he has the potential to go much further.”
The possibility to go much further is certainly available for Dominie as he will get to play at least 40 games this season in competing against the best midget hockey players in the province. He will also get to compete in a midget tournament in Moncton later in the season.
Hoffe said that even though the team has only played one weekend to this point in the season (September 26) scouts from the Quebec Major Junior League have already been calling him about several players on the IcePak team.
The Newfoundland and Labrador Major Midget Hockey League is a big step for any young hockey player. The league is comparable to a Junior A level when it comes to studying on the road, getting used to the atmosphere of a league schedule, being away every weekend and taking part in the high tempo of practices and games in the best hockey in the province at this level of play.
Hoffe said that, as the season progresses, Shayne’s coaches will have a better opportunity to help him improve his game.
He said, “As the season goes on we look at the strengths and weaknesses of our players and work on the parts of the game that they need to improve. Shayne is eager to learn, very coachable so we really believe that we can help him hone his game. It already looks like he really wants to learn our system of play and he looks really good to us.”
Big Commitment
Being a player with the Central IcePak team is a very big commitment for Shayne and his family. The team holds two practices (one mandatory and one optional) a week and is playing every weekend.
Shayne said that he is willing to make the serious challenge of making all mandatory practices and to play in every game.
He said, “I’m really looking forward to seeing as much game action as possible with the Ice Pak. I love this game and it should be a great season for me and all my teammates.”
Up to September 26, Shayne’s stats for the 2012-2013 season were: Games Played, 3; Goals, 1; Penalty Minutes, 2 and he had a Plus/Minus Rating of minus two.
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