Sarnia Legionnaires sign two young players

By Dan McCaffery

The Sarnia Legionnaires have added two young hockey stars to their lineup.

The Jr. 'B' announced Tuesday it has signed Hunter Tyczynski, a 16-year-old Petrolia native who had nine goals and 10 assists while playing 29 minor midget games last year, and defenceman Chad Beauchamp.

Beauchamp is a 17-year-old rearguard who played 10 games with the Legionnaires last winter. He also saw considerable action at the midget level.

Tyczynski, a centre, stands six feet tall and weighs 180 pounds.

"I'm really excited about playing for the Sarnia Legionnaires this year,” Tyczynski said. “I've been a fan of the Legionnaires ever since I was little.”

Tyczynski, a student at Lambton Centre Collegiate, is a draft pick of the Ontario Hockey League Barrie Colts.

Beauchamp said he hopes to demonstrate that he's a good offensive defenceman who can help at both ends of the rink. He also hopes to provide the club with “a little bit of grit.”

Head coach Dan Rose said, “Both of them are good, young talents.”

In fact, he believes Beauchamp could have played Jr. 'B' all last season, if not for the fact that the Legionnaires had such a star-studded lineup.

As for Tyczynski, he said, “Hunter is one of the top young talents in this area. This team's mandate is to help local players.”

Rose said the Legionnaires won't be as strong at the start of the season as they were last year, but he expects the club to get stronger as the campaign progresses.

"We'll have a lot of youthful energy right from the get-go,” he said.

The team also announced that Jim Drexler, the former general manager of the Mooretown Flags, has joined the Legionnaires as an assistant GM.

Tyler Hoadley is joining the club's equipment staf

Tags: Sarnia Legionnaires, Sarnia Sports, two young players