Once again this holiday season, Team Canada is chasing a gold medal at the World Junior Hockey Championship.
But, for the first time in the tournament’s long and storied history, there is, for local hockey fans, a familiar face wearing the red and white.
Hard-working forward Aidan Dudas, a slick-skating, silky-smooth-handed winger, is one of the 22 players from across the nation who earned the right to play for his country.
The Parry Sound native first played in Orillia when he joined the North Central Predators AAA program as a minor bantam player.
He ended up playing three seasons with the Predators, where he impressed his coaches and teammates and garnered the attention of the many scouts who started to follow his progression.
Standing ‘just’ 5’8” in height, many questioned if Dudas was big enough to play with the big boys.
But his skill and, perhaps more importantly, his work ethic transcended the size of his frame.
He made his teammates better. He filled the net. And his commitment and hard work were off the charts.
“His work ethic is unmatched and his enthusiasm and drive to be a factor on every shift is what has continued to get him selected to play for his country at every major event for his age group since he was 16 years old,” said his former Predators coach Andrew Morris.
Morris has closely followed the feisty forward’s career as he earned the right to play in the Youth Olympics (U17), the Hlinka-Gretzky Tournament (U18) and now the World Juniors.
“I am extremely proud of Aidan for being chosen as one of Canada’s best for this prestigious tournament,” said Morris. “I know it’s a tournament I have watched since I was a kid and many Canadian kids dream of playing in.
“I think it really shows what an incredible player and, more importantly, what an incredible person and teammate Aidan is,” said Morris, who has fond memories of Dudas’ strong play that led the Predators within a whisker of a provincial title in his final year with the team.
“What makes me proud as a former (Predators’) coach is that it shows you don’t have to play in Toronto to be noticed,” said Morris.
Dudas, however, had to make some major sacrifices to get where he is.
The youngster played hockey in his hometown until his peewee year. But he knew he had to play at a higher level if he wanted to improve.
So, he and his family made the decision to make the jump to the Predators. That meant ‘commuting’ to practices in Rama and games throughout central Ontario.
His development proves the Predators have a program that is top-notch, Morris noted.
“It just shows good players will get noticed wherever they are, and that this area and the North Central Predators program can develop and produce players that can play for Canada on the world stage,” said Morris. “That is pretty cool to be a part of.”
While Dudas is focused on helping his team win gold in the Czech Republic (Canada plays the host country today at 1 p.m.), the 19-year-old is also well on his way to realizing his NHL dream.
In fact, a few days ago, between games at the World Juniors, he signed a three-year, entry-level deal with the Los Angeles Kings.
The Kings selected Dudas in the fourth-round (113th overall) of the 2018 NHL draft.
This season, Dudas is once again playing for the Owen Sound Attack in the Ontario Hockey League. He is the team’s captain and has 11 goals and 19 assists to help lead the Attack’s offence.
He has appeared in 215 career OHL games - all with the Attack, where he has amassed 178 points, has a plus-6 rating and has racked up 70 penalty minutes.
Dudas is one of 10 OHL players on Team Canada, competing at this year’s World Junior Championship.
Roger Crandell, the long-time president of the North Central Predators, said, at the time of the draft, he was ecstatic to see Dudas selected.
“This is a very exciting day for the Predators watching Aidan get his name called by the Los Angeles Kings and putting on his jersey,” said Crandell, noting it’s the highest a Predator has ever been drafted.
He said Dudas is living proof that hard work can pay off.
“Having this happen for a young man from a small town shows everyone that hard work pays off and dreams can come true,” said Crandell.
