rookies at frontenacs prospects camp vie for limited open spots in kingston lineup
4 minute read
logan prud'homme, the kingston frontenacs' first-round pick in the 2026 ohl priority selection, labours through push-ups in the warm-up at the team's prospects camp at the invista centre in kingston on saturday, june 20, 2026. (photo by gare joyce/kingston whig-standard)
the kingston frontenacs’ training camp is a couple of months away, but the prospects sessions at the invista centre this past weekend provided a sneak peek into points of interest in both next year’s lineup and an evolving ontario hockey league.
frontenacs management brought in the draftees acquired at the 2026 ohl priority selection, most notably first-round pick logan prud’homme, a centre who played for upper canada college’s u16 team last season. to fill out the 42 slots needed to ice two teams for a scrimmage, players from last year’s priority selection, including first-round picks aleks kulemin and matthew henderson, skated with the newbies.
at six-foot-seven, or possibly six-foot-eight, prud’homme was easy to find during the drills. as advertised, he was unlike many other high-rise players who plod and struggle with skating mechanics, pace of play and shifts in direction. the nepean native’s first-step burst and ability to manouevre in traffic were those of a player six or eight inches shorter — which is to say, your better than average-sized major-junior power forward. by the time he enters his nhl draft year, he might play at 250 pounds or more — fresh-faced, with a wispy razor stubble, he remains an ongoing work in physical maturity.
“the skate was way faster than anything i’ve ever experienced before,” prud’homme said after saturday’s practice. “it’s been two or three months since our last game. you hope you can replicate that sort of speed in summer skates, but it’s hard to get that level of compete — there are so many guys here looking to make an impression and working to get a spot in the lineup and they’re all great.”
prud’homme said it’s been a whirlwind for him since the priority selection last weekend, but he’s getting his bearings. “i was only at ucc last year, just the one year, and i know where i’ll be going to school in kingston next year,” he said. “i even have some cousins at that school.”
advertisement
while it was almost impossible to miss prud’homme wearing no. 13 during the workouts and scrimmage, coach troy mann said it’s hard for the prospects to make much of an impression at the two-day session after the priority selection. “there’s just so much going on, so many bodies,” mann said. “last year, for instance, i remember kulemin more than anybody, but i don’t remember (nolan) snyder standing out. snyder started to make us take notice when training camp opened.”
a seventh-round pick in the 2026 priority selection, snyder had 16 goals in 68 games, tied for third-best among 2009-birthdays in the league.
snyder joined kulemin and henderson on the ice on the weekend to lead the draftees through drills. “i think it was huge to have them here,” mann said. “to give them some leadership can really advance their development. the three of them probably led the league in minutes played for 16-year-olds. this year, they’re going to have more influence in the room — they’re going to show the way.”
mann did suggest the crowded camp wasn’t necessarily a portent of high turnover on the roster, even with the departures of centre kieren dervin for the university of michigan and captain vann williamson for clarkson university.
“we’ll see if some of these kids can crack our lineup,” he said. “we have 17 kids returning, which is a high number, but there are a couple of spots on the blueline and a couple of spots up front. so there’s some opportunity for the draft picks from last weekend.”
other than prud’homme, two new arrivals piqued mann’s interest in particular on saturday: among the forwards, second-round pick roman vanacker, brother on the ohl’s leading scorer marek vanacker of the brantford bulldogs; and defenceman gavin godick, a third-rounder from the don mills flyers.
“with vanacker, i like how he goes to the net and isn’t afraid to go to the blue-paint area,” mann said. “with godick, he was a player i wasn’t familiar with, and he stood out after two skates as a right-hand option on the point.”
advertisement
while prud’homme and vanacker, the name draftees, might go to school on the experience of kulemin, those down the list at the priority selection would draw on the example of snyder, who worked and played his way from the margins to a regular spot as a 16-year-old. among those was a friend of snyder from the pittsburgh penguins youth-hockey program luca filiaggi, a forward who played last season for bishop kearney u15 selects in rochester, n.y.
“that nolan was able to come in and win a spot as a middle-round pick tells you that this is whatever you make of it,” filiaggi said. “you perform, you get a shot. if i don’t make the team (coming out of training camp), i’ll probably go back to play in the penguins program next season. if they told me that there was something else — in junior a — i’d listen and be open to it. i guess you might do something to get their attention here, but really this just helps me get an idea of what training camp will be like.”
with this, filiaggi hit on the raison d’etre for the weekend workout and scrimmage — almost certainly more useful to the prospects as preparation for training camp than to those evaluating the incoming talent.
“it’s going to be a younger league, with 19-year-olds going to the ncaa,” mann said. “you’re going to have to look for players from all different avenues going forward.”
share story
