The Powassan stayed close to home with their first signing of the off-season as the NOJHL team has inked North Bay AAA Trappers forward Mathew Hardwick, the club announced on Tuesday.
The 2001 birth year, 6’2” forward was second in goal scoring on the local major midgets with 24 goals last season.
The North Bay native was also a 2017 12th round pick of the North Bay Battalion.
Hardwick, who was an affiliate with the Voodoos in 2017-18, is excited to get going with his new team.
“I am from North Bay and I have played here basically my entire life and it is a great team,” said Hardwick.
“I have watched them play the last two or three years and it is just a team I really wanted to play with.”
New Voodoos head coach Max Gavin was impressed with what he saw in Hardwick at the club’s spring camp at Memorial Gardens.
“Matt is a big body who can play anywhere in the lineup and has all the tools to be a great junior hockey player,” said Gavin.
“Its a big signing for our program and we are looking forward to having Matt join the family.”
Hardwick, who will be attending the North Bay Battalion main camp in September, will join the Voodoos if he does not make the Battalion regular season roster.
The Voodoos will be making another handful of signing announcements in the next two weeks.
Photo: Keegan Rivet (co-owners son), Voodoos co-owner Marc Rivet, Keegan Rivet (son), Dillon Anderson (Jr. Scout), Jim Bruce (Team President) and Mathew Hardwick in front of a CF-101 Voodoos Jet at CFB North Bay.
