By Josh Sweetland/OHL
The Niagara IceDogs are under new ownership, and a busy summer has just begun.
Darren DeDobbelaer has been active as an owner, general manager, and at various points, head coach in southwestern Ontario’s junior hockey circuit for the better part of two decades. The Ontario Hockey League announced last week that DeDobbelaer, along with a fellow Brantford product in none other than The Great One himself, Wayne Gretzky, has officially taken over ownership of the IceDogs franchise.
“The OHL has quite a process and that’s what makes it the best League in the world,” DeDobbelaer told The Niagara Sports Report’s Rod Mawhood of the transitionary period. “They have a process and they’re not going to rush it and they’re going to make sure they do their due diligence.”
The #OHL Board of Governors has unanimously approved the transfer of ownership of the Niagara IceDogs Hockey Club to a group consisting of majority owner Darren DeDobbelaer alongside minority stakeholder Wayne Gretzky.
DETAILS 📰: https://t.co/V0taDnqprA pic.twitter.com/BzsvtGan9F
— OntarioHockeyLeague (@OHLHockey) July 7, 2022
DeDobbelaer, who has also served as president and general manager of the Brantford 99ers of the OJHL and Brantford Bandits of the GOJHL, wasted little time putting his stamp on the club, bringing on Daniel Fitzgerald as head coach. The two have worked together in Brantford for the past four years. The 34-year-old Fitzgerald joins the IceDogs with past experience in St. Catharines, coaching the Jr. B Falcons during the 2017-18 season.
“Dan has won Coach of the Year in the OHA,” said DeDobbelaer. “He’s a very systematic coach. The players and fans will love him and I’m very confident he’s going to lead this team to success.”
Fitzgerald, who will be accompanied by assistants in OHL alumnus and Brantford native Andrew Fritsch along with former Brantford 99ers Jr. A assistant Damon Racicot, has held head coaching roles with the Dundas Blues, Cambridge Winter Hawks, St. Catharines Falcons and Brantford 99ers dating back to 2014.
“I’m really excited to get back into the Niagara region,” said Fitzgerald of the new opportunity. “I’m a relationship builder. I’m looking to build trust with our players, staff as well as our fans. I want the fans to know when they come to the rink what they’re going to get out of their hockey club.
“We have some very good players returning,” Fitzgerald continued. “Darren has also brought some very good players in. We’re expecting a lot out of all of them. Our expectations are very high. We hold everyone to a very high standard and once everybody meets that standard we’re going to see what our potential is.”
Did you think we were done? We’ve got two new Dogs in the house‼️ Welcome Pasquale Zito and Nathan Ribau! pic.twitter.com/Zk70Y3qOI6
— Niagara IceDogs (@OHLIceDogs) June 30, 2022
The new ownership group in Niagara takes over following a 15-year tenure overseen by Bill and Denise Burke, resulting in a pair of Central Division banners along with Eastern Conference championships in 2012 and 2016. The IceDogs developed the likes of eventual NHL stars in Alex Pietrangelo, Dougie Hamilton, Ryan Strome and fan favourites like Andrew Agozzino, Mark Visentin and Akil Thomas in that span.
The IceDogs qualified for the OHL Playoffs over a span of 12 consecutive seasons from 2008 through 2019. DeDobbelaer expressed his desire to see a similar level of consistent competitiveness as he takes the managerial reins of a young squad that finished at the bottom of the OHL standings in 2021-22. He also put to bed any rumours of the IceDogs going elsewhere.
“With the facility, the location, the fan base, the community support and the region’s support, I don’t feel that this team should ever be in a rebuild,” he told Mawhood. “One of the big reasons why I bought the Niagara IceDogs was because of the business model that, not only Bill and Denise Burke created, but the City of St. Catharines and the whole Niagara region had a part in. I like to think I’m a decent hockey guy but a pretty good business guy and I think I’d be an idiot to want to move the team. I love the facility, I love the fans and I went to Brock University myself.”
With key pieces in former second overall OHL Priority Selection choice Pano Fimis, newly named captain Landon Cato and 19-year-old goaltender Josh Rosenzweig back in the lineup this fall, DeDobbelaer set about addressing some roster needs with the additions of Detroit Red Wings prospect Pasquale Zito and teammate Nathan Ribau from the Windsor Spitfires, overage candidates in winger Matthew Papais from the Guelph Storm and blueliner David Jesus from the Oshawa Generals, in addition to centreman Vsevolod Gaidamak from the Ottawa 67’s.
The IceDogs have named Landon Cato the 15th captain in franchise history: https://t.co/D71xpRLNqT pic.twitter.com/yCwZq3z6ts
— Niagara IceDogs (@OHLIceDogs) June 20, 2022
“The team is good right now, there’s a lot of talent, but I felt we needed a little more Zach Hyman, a little more grit, drive the net and defensive presence in our zone,” said DeDobbelaer. “If you look at the guys we’ve brought in, they’re similar types of players.”
The recent acquisitions join a depth chart that includes eight players chosen within the top-50 of the 2020 and ’21 OHL Priority Selections with promising names in forwards Fimis, Juan Copeland and Declan Waddick along with young goaltender Joey Costanzo, the top goaltender selected in 2001.
The new look IceDogs, who remain in the hunt for their first-ever OHL Championship, open training camp on August 29th at the Meridian Centre in preparation for their home opener on Thursday, September 29th against the Mississauga Steelheads.
