John Lawless – Recorder & Times
A change in ownership, an entirely new coaching staff, and a nearly brand-new roster is ushering in a new era of Brockville Braves hockey for the 2026-2027 season.
In the off-season, the Central Canada Junior Hockey League (CCHL) club underwent significant changes, starting with a change in ownership that took place in June.
Kris Hodgins bought out the shares of the team from Hani Greiss and Gratiela Dima, making him part-owner with Dustin Traylen.
“I was hoping to buy at the start of last season, but it didn’t work out at that time,” said Hodgins. “I hopped on the bench last year for a bit to help out and be around the team, and absolutely loved it. Dustin has been one of my closest friends over the last 25 years since we played together in Nepean, and I felt that this was the right time to step in and do it.”
He believes Traylen will likely move on from the team in the next few years, and that this is currently a transition period for the team from the ownership perspective.
Hodgins is a Shawville, Que. native who lives in Carp, and has found that the Brockville community has been nothing but welcoming. He is eager to get the season started.
“I do feel good about our team this year, and I think we’ll be a contending playoff team,” said Hodgins. “Are we going to be the juggernauts of the CCHL? I don’t think we’re there yet, but we’re making the right steps to get there.”
There were also a number of changes behind the bench for the Braves, and there will be an entirely new coaching staff for this season.
Ryan Leonard was initially hired to be head coach early in the off-season, but he was then hired as the head coach and general manager of the Minnesota Mallards of the North American Hockey League.
That led to the hiring of Andy Bryan, who will be the bench boss of the Braves this season after spending the last 25 years with the Ottawa Senators, with 20 of those years in hockey development.
“I’ve also coached for the better part of 30 years, and have coached all levels from the youngest group up to U18,” said Bryan. “For the last seven years I’ve coached high-performance hockey with levels ranging from U13 to U18 in Ottawa.”
There are also two new assistant coaches for the Braves this season: Patrick Harrison and Derek Schoenmakers.
The changes don’t stop there – the Brockville Braves have an almost entirely new roster on the ice, with only four returning players lacing up for the team this season.
With all this fresh blood on and off the ice, this season serves as a new beginning for Braves hockey.
“Every player on this team has very high character, and that’s one of the most important things I take into consideration as a coach,” said Bryan. “Beyond the high character, our team likes hard work, and has a good combination of skill and grit. We have about 20 guys that are coming in and are first-timers in the CCHL, and several of them are high skill and very exciting players.”
On this new roster, there are two local Brockville players: forwards Carter Cuglietta and Cohen Gill. Defenseman Rylan Vincent is also another player from the region, who hails from Kemptville.
The Braves kick off their season with a home game Friday night, taking on the Carleton Place Canadians at the Brockville Memorial Centre.
Puck drop is at 7:30 p.m., preceded by a community BBQ before the game at 6 p.m.
Original Story at Recorder.ca
