TRURO, N.S. — Adam Guy wanted to play for a contender during his final year of eligibility in the Maritime Junior A Hockey League.
Following a couple of losing seasons with the Dieppe Commandos, the 20-year-old Guy made his wishes known this past off-season and was flipped to the Truro Bearcats on Sept. 5 for a 2014 second round draft pick and future considerations.
“It was nothing personal or anything against the organization,” Guy said. “I just wanted a bit of a change, I guess.”
Truro was always his destination of choice and, as it turns out, he chose wisely.
The club is currently 10-0-0-1 on the season, the only blemish a shootout loss in its most recent game earlier this week, and ranked second in the country among all Canadian Junior Hockey League teams in the latest weekly rankings.
Guy, a defenceman, has mustered five points (2G-3A) in those 11 games, though he was held off the scoresheet in the first six contests as he got adjusted to a new system and unfamiliar surroundings. He amassed 31 points (15G-16A) in 91 games with the Commandos the previous two seasons.
After accomplishing nothing of note, team-wise, in his MJAHL career, Guy is excited to see how this campaign plays out.
“We’ve got a lot of skilled guys, obviously, but it’s just really good in the locker room too,” said the son of Corner Brook’s Frank and Cathy Guy. “Everyone gelled really well and everybody’s comfortable with everyone. It’s one of the closer teams I’ve ever been on.
“That just carries over to the on-ice part of it.”
A first-pairing defenceman, Guy sees a lot of power-play time as well and wants to bring as much offence as possible to the table for his new team.
“Hopefully I can put up a few points and be a good, solid puck-moving defenceman for them.”
The Bearcats started the season with 10 wins in a row, before finally dropping that shootout to the Summerside Western Capitals last Sunday. Down 1-0 halfway through the third period, it was Guy who knotted the game and gave his club a chance to extend the winning streak.
“That was really nice,” he said of the goal. “It was good to get it and send it to the shootout.”
Though they wound up on the losing side, Guy admitted there was some sense of relief once it was all over.
“Everyone knew it was going to happen at some point ... we weren’t going to go 52-0,” he said. “Now we can worry about other things and stuff we can work on to get even better.”
Once a draft pick of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League’s Moncton Wildcats in 2009, his rights were traded to the Gatineau Olympiques in 2011.
The Olympiques suddenly waived him after acquiring another 20-year-old defenceman, which left a bad taste in Guy’s mouth at the time. Since then, nothing has really changed on the QMJHL front, which has the five-foot-eleven, 185-pound Guy focusing on what he’ll do after his final season in the Maritime league comes to a close.
He’s currently doing a business course and figures he’ll probably go the university route if any offers to play varsity hockey come in.
“As of right now, that’s the plan for sure,” he said. “As to what schools, I really don’t know. I’ll learn a little more as the year goes on.”
There’s still plenty left to experience as a member of the Bearcats, as it’s clear this team is poised for a serious run.
“We’ve got a really good team here,” said Guy. “We’ve got a chance to win the league and, hopefully, the Fred Page Cup. That would be great.”
