Koch SUPERU – Change the Way You Grow
Dave Leaderhouse
The Estevan Bruins were wiping the slate clean to start the condensed 2020-21 Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League season as Jason Tatarnic was the new man behind the bench and a number of fresh faces were in the line-up looking to strengthen the club as it prepared for a solid campaign this year and ultimately hosting the Centennial Cup in 2022.
While the last 10 months of uncertainty have made it unclear if the Bruins are still tabbed as the host team for the national championship next year, the injection of new talent certainly paid early dividends for the Bruins this season as Estevan was off to a 4-1-1-0 start and top spot in the Viterra Division standings before play was halted in late November due to the on-going effects of the worldwide Covid-19 pandemic.
One of the new recruits the Bruins brought in is 18-year-old winger Antoine St. Onge. After missing the opening weekend of the schedule the 6-foot-1, 165-pound product from Shawinigan, Que., was averaging a point-per-game with two goals and two assists in his four appearances with all of that production coming in a 7-0 triumph over the Weyburn Red Wings on the final weekend of play before action was put on hold.
St. Onge had made the move out west last year already having played in 41 games for the Edson Aeros of the Western States Hockey League. During his time with the Aeros, St. Onge had contributed 15 goals and added 12 assists.
As a 16-year-old, St. Onge appeared in 42 games for the College Notre Dame Albatros of the Quebec Midget AAA Hockey League where he registered five points and prior to that he was with the Mauricie Estacades program both at the bantam and minor midget levels.
With goals of averaging a point-per-game and eventually getting a scholarship to a high-level college or university it appears that St. Onge is on his way to fulfilling those aspirations. His arrival in southeast Saskatchewan has already benefitted the Bruins and with two more seasons of eligibility remaining he will certainly be a mainstay for the future and if everything falls into place a run at least one national championship could be in the cards.
