Two for Tier 1 Soo Indians
They looked to Ohio to sign one and stayed in their own back yard to ink another. The players in question are two examples of incoming 2009 birth year skaters who will be on the ’26-27 edition of the Under 18 level Soo Indians of the Michigan Amateur Hockey Association’s Tier 1 Elite League.
For starters, forward Jack Hovanetz will be heading north from the Ohio based Under 16 AAA level Gilmour Academy to play for the new look Indians of Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan.
Small in size but with a big motor, Hovanetz impressed the Indians’ hockey staff at a recent tryout camp in Sault Ste. Marie, including new team owner and general manager Dennis Eby.
“He is a great character kid who works hard and is an elite skater,” Eby relayed to Hockey News Windsor relative to Hovanetz. “He is growing and improving … he is a player who does a lot of great things for a team … he is one of those players who is really good and unselfish as he creates opportunities for his team mates.”
Before signing with the Indians, Hovanetz — who is represented by Chicago based player agent David Maciuk of JDM Sports — skated with the Soo Eagles of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League at an off season camp.
Quite clearly, the AAA U18 Indians are already at work ahead of the ’26-27 hockey season having also signed — among Hovanetz and others — local lad and 2009 birth year defenseman Andrew Aikens from the AAA Under 18 Soo Jr. Greyhounds program.
Aikens, who is from Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, crossed the International Bridge to play in the Great North Hockey League the past two seasons, first with the Under 16 level Soo Jr. Greyhounds and then with the U18 Jr. Hounds.
In 40 Great North league games in ’25-26, Aikens produced five goals, 17 assists, 22 points from his blue line position. Not only is Aikens a good player, but the fact that he is a local product with ties to hockey in the Twin Sault area is a boost for the refreshed AAA U18 Indians program.
TIER 1 MAHA
The Indians are part of the U18 Tier 1 MAHA with other AAA Michigan based programs such as — alphabetically — Belle Tire, Biggby Coffee, Compuware, Fox Motors, HoneyBaked, Little Caesars, Oakland Jr. Grizzlies and Victory Honda.
The aforementioned Dennis Eby, who earlier this off season took over operational control of the long standing Soo Indians U18 program, noted that the team’s newly renovated and improved home facilities at Big Bear Arena include two skate sharpeners, an 85 inch television for game review and a huge work out facility.
“We are in one of the best leagues in the United States, the MAHA Tier 1 Elite League and besides league games, we will do two showcases — one in Detroit and one in Chicago. Our locker room is custom, we have North American Hockey League scouts on board and our players can affiliate with the Soo Eagles of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League,” Eby relayed to Hockey News Windsor.
COACH LAPRADE
On board as the incoming head coach for the Indians is Doug Laprade. The 57-year old Laprade has a long association to hockey in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan.
He played four full seasons for the Lake Superior State University Lakers, a Division 1, National Collegiate Athletic Association program. As a player, Laprade was part of Lake Superior State’s national championship team of 1988 under mercurial head coach Frank Anzalone. Laprade also became a National Hockey League draft pick of the Los Angeles Kings in 1988.
Later, Laprade was an assistant coach with his alma mater Lake Superior State for five seasons and also coached the Sault High Blue Devils for seven years and the Soo Eagles of the NOJHL for five more.
