By John Humphrey / Special to the Lakeshore News Reporter
A pair of Essex County’s young and highly-skilled junior hockey players have taken the next step in their promising careers. Connor and Ryan MacPherson of Tecumseh have been lighting it up for the Leamington Flyers of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League since the start of the 2021-2022 seasons
The 17 year-old young men committed last month to attend the University of New Hampshire (UNH) and play for the Wildcats.
The UNH Wildcats are the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division One hockey team that are a member of Hockey East and play their home games at the Whittlemore Center in Dunham, New Hampshire.
The MacPhersons, who are not only brothers, but are fraternal twins (they do not look alike) joined the Flyers last fall after playing AAA hockey for the Sun County Panthers. The pair were both taken in the 2021 Ontario Hockey League Priority Selection by the Ottawa 67s. Ryan , a 5’11”, 161 lb centre who shoots left-handed,was drafted in the 9th round, 171st overall, while 5’11”, 154 lb Connor, who is right-handed and plays right-wing, was selected in the 10th round, 188th overall, by Ottawa.
The brothers attended the 67s mini-camp last August, but returned home to play junior b hockey and continue their development.
It wasn’t long before the pair attended the August mini-camp of the Flyers, turning the heads of coaching and management staff so often and vigorously that they nearly caused the Leamington staff to suffer whiplash.
In 42 games with the Flyers, who lead the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League’s Western Conference with a 32-10-0-0 record in the 2021-2022 season, Connor MacPherson has 24 goals and 27 assists for 51 points and currently leads the Flyers in scoring, while Ryan MacPherson has 12 goals and 35 assists for 48 points. Connor also sits in 13th place overall among the GOJHL’s top scorers, while Ryan is in 20th place overall. The MacPhersons play alongside left-winger Gavin Grudner, a draft pick of the OHL’s Guelph Storm.
Leamington head coach, Dale Mitchell, who is in his first season as a head bench boss (anywhere) has been instrumental in developing the MacPhersons both on and off the ice and that has not been lost on the boys.
“Coach Mitchell is great to play for. While it is only his first season coaching, you would think that he has been doing it for seasons,” said Connor. “He had a lot of experience playing junior hockey (winning back-to-back Memorial Cups with the Windsor Spitfires in 2009-2010) and he played pro hockey for seasons too.
“He knows a lot about the game and he is a great guy to learn from.”
Mitchell’s confidence in his rookies not only during the regular season, but in training camp and in the pre-season helped showcase the MacPhersons’ considerable talents and the brothers quickly caught the attention of the University of New Hampshire Wildcats.
“New Hampshire’s coaching staff contacted us in November and told us that they had watched a few of our games on video,” recalls Ryan. “A couple of weeks later, one of the coaches came down to see us play in Leamington and a few weeks later another coach came to see us too.”
The dialogue between UNH and the MacPherson family (father Matt, mother Jodi and younger brother Evan, 14 in addition to the twins) and their advisor Harold Konrad, progressed quickly. Connor and Ryan and their parents visited the school’s main campus in Dunham from February 4-6 and the family decision to commit to UNH was made shortly afterwards.
Konrad is a Kingsville resident and former Flyers general manager and is one of the most well-respected hockey persons in these parts. He also works with legendary hockey player Bobby Orr, who is now a hockey agent. Having the Orr Group as family advisors is a clear indication of not only the skill of the MacPhersons not only as hockey players, but as young men. Rest assured, Number Four doesn’t represent just ordinary players or persons.
“We didn’t know about U.S. College hockey because we always thought that we would go the Ontario Hockey League route,” Ryan claims. “Mr. Konrad showed us the advantages of both routes to go to play hockey at the highest level and he explained our options and has been very supportive of us.”
Living at home and attending the same school (grade 11 at Ste. Anne’s in Tecumseh) has also assisted the twins’ transition with moving up from Sun County to Leamington.
“I have a few friends who have left home to play junior hockey and they have had to contend with living in a new town and going to a new school in addition to other issues away from the rink,” Ryan offers, matter-of-factly. “Living at home while playing in Leamington has been a blessing because when things go wrong, I don’t have to arrange to make a phone call home, I just have to get together with my parents or other people and talk things over.”
Despite being just months into their junior b hockey careers, the MacPhersons have made considerable contributions to the Flyers and are one of the biggest reasons that the team (32-10-0-0) is in first place in the GOJHL’S Western Conference.
“With Connor and Ryan coming into the season as 17-year-old rookies, I think that we, as a coaching staff, were looking for them to learn and mature as the season progressed,” claims Mitchell, who was drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the third round in the 2007 National Hockey League Entry Draft and played with their minor pro teams in North America before embarking on an extensive pro career in Europe.
“Connor and Ryan play top minutes for us every game and no disrespect to any of our other players, but they are the biggest reason why we are where we are in the standings at this time of the season.
“They are well-respected in the dressing room and are loved by their teammates,” continues the 32-year-old native of Toronto. “It’s amazing at their age to come in at this level of the game and be go-to guys so quickly, but that is what they are for us.”
Leamington general manager Justin Solcz is also not shy in heaping praise on his prize rookies.
“Dale plays the boys in all games situations – as he should because they have earned it,” he offers. “They play their regular shifts on our penalty-killing and powerplay units too.
“We are comfortable in have Connor and Ryan out there for us at any time of the game.”
Connor and Ryan have played together on the same line and on the same teams for their entire careers so far, and the Flyers that will not changing anytime soon.
The boys are the perfect fit for each other,” Solcz contends. “One (Ryan) is a playmaker and the other (Connor) is a goalscorer.
“I can’t see a situation arising that would want us to split them up. It’s not just a weird twin thing, is that they complement each other so well when they are playing.”
The MacPherson twins will likely have the opportunity to play one or two more seasons of junior hockey after the 2021-2022 campaign before moving onto the University of New Hampshire, although that is not guaranteed. One thing that is guaranteed, though, is that Connor and Ryan MacPherson will continue to be double trouble for opposition hockey teams for seasons to come.
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