On Wednesday, October 22nd, the Soo U16 Greyhounds will hit the ice at the John Rhodes Community Centre for their first meeting of the 2025–2026 GNU18HL regular season against the Soo U18 Greyhounds. The highly anticipated matchup will see the younger Hounds test themselves against an older, more experienced U18 squad in what promises to be an intense in-city showdown.

Head coach Denny Lambert shared his thoughts with Saultsports ahead of the game, highlighting the team’s growth and identity early in the season. “Our overall team play on the forecheck, creating scoring chances, and having a good F3 tracking back and protecting the house area has been a big difference from the start of the season,” Lambert said. He acknowledged the U18 Greyhounds’ experience but emphasized that his U16 team will focus on their own game plan—outworking their opponents and using their size and physical play to their advantage.

Discipline will be a key factor for the U16s, as early-season penalties have been a concern. Lambert stressed the importance of playing between the whistles and avoiding unnecessary scrums, especially against the U18s’ strong power play. “Our boys have to skate and draw penalties—we can’t be lazy,” Lambert added. Confident in his group’s speed, he noted that the team’s three fast lines should be able to keep pace with their older counterparts.

As the U16 Greyhounds continue to develop within the program, Lambert and his staff are looking for one thing above all else—a full sixty minutes of compete, work ethic, and skill. Fans can expect an exciting, high-tempo battle between two hard-working Greyhound teams when the puck drops Wednesday night.

U16 versus U18 is always about intimidation. Our team has some of the toughest hard hitting competitive kids I’ve seen in a long time. So our message is just play hard, smart hockey, giving 100 % regardless that they are U18. This is a chance you can prove to yourself we can play against anybody and be successful,” added Lambert.