Wildcats land goalie

The Valley Wildcats have checked off their top off-season priority.

The Wildcats recently announced they had signed

Ryan Rhodes, an American goalie who turns 19 on June 3.

“We really liked him,” head coach and general manager Brandon Benedict said. “We did some research on him, watched some video on him, and we’re excited to get him.”

Justin Bourque graduated from junior hockey last season after three years in Berwick, leaving a hole in the blue paint. He was a key component of the team that pushed Truro to six games in the first round of the Maritime Junior Hockey League (MHL) playoffs.

“We needed to find a No. 1 goalie – that was priority No. 1 and obviously that’s checked now,” Benedict said. “We can move on to other areas that we need to improve on.”

The Wildcats continue to explore free agent options to bolster their roster as they prepare for the 2023-24 season. The draft will take place June 15 with the first two rounds on Eastlink Community TV and YouTube beginning at 7 p.m. The remaining eight rounds will be done virtually.

Valley has traded its first two picks, leaving it with a territorial pick in the third round and two selections in the fourth round amongst its eight picks.

Rhodes is listed as fivefoot-11 and 150 pounds by Elite Prospects. The Ludlow, Mass., native played for Wilbraham & Monson Academy, a prep school in Wilbraham, Mass., last season.

“We like him as a person,” Benedict said. “He really wanted to come up here. He had some other options and he decided to choose us so that was really nice to see and hear.”

MHL teams are allowed to have five Americans on their team. Rhodes joins Vermont defenceman Braedon Hemenway as the team’s players from south of the border following Jason Kwestel’s graduation.

The Wildcats are still exploring options for the No. 2 goalie spot. Evan Martin, who backed up Bourque in 202223, is eligible to return as one of the team’s eight 20-year-old players while Samuel Sinclair, who turns 18 in October, got into two games last season as an affiliate player.