By Sam Laskaris

SUDBURY – Pierson Sobush continues to ignore the naysayers.

Sobush, an 18-year-old member of Red Rock Indian Band in northwestern Ontario, is hoping to play at hockey’s highest levels. It remains to be seen, however, just how far Sobush will go.

Growing up in Sudbury, which has the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) franchise named the Wolves, Sobush aspired to one day play in the Major Junior circuit. But he was twice bypassed by all 20 OHL squads during his draft-eligible years. Sobush realizes that his height was a major reason why OHL teams were not interested in his services.

Yet he continued to persevere. And though he is still deemed a tad small for junior hockey circles – currently standing at 5-foot-9 and wondering whether he has stopped growing – Sobush continues to dream big.

He’s spent the past two seasons toiling for the Greater Sudbury Wolves, a Junior A club that competes in the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League (NOJHL). The 12-team circuit is a step below the OHL, but it’s still a competitive enough loop where many players do go on to bigger and better things.

Sobush is proving he could very well be one of those players.

For starters, he racked up 37 points, including 21 goals, in 46 regular season contests during his rookie season with the Cubs.

And he came close to doubling his point production in his sophomore campaign with the Greater Sudbury franchise this season. Sobush led the club in regular season scoring by collecting 70 points (44 goals and 26 assists) in 57 outings.

Sobush was rewarded for those efforts. On Wednesday, he was one of the three NOJHL players named to the league’s second team all-star squad.

Sobush was certainly deserving of that accolade. He had the second most goals among all league players this season and finished sixth in the league scoring race. And he scored a NOJHL-high of five shorthanded goals.

If stats don’t lie, then this one demonstrates just how valuable Sobush was to the Cubs this season. When he scored at least once, the team record was an impressive 30-2-0-0.

Though thrilled to be recognized on an individual level, Sobush was quick to deflect praise on to his teammates and other members of the organization.

And it goes without saying that Sobush would quickly trade in his personal glory for plenty of post-season team success.

The Cubs were scheduled to start their playoff schedule on Thursday in a best-of-seven West Division semi-final series versus the Espanola Paper Kings.

The Greater Sudbury team is expected to have a lengthy playoff run. It finished atop the standings of the six-team West Division and just one point behind the East Division-leading Timmins Rock in the over-all standings.

Sobush and his teammates are hoping to capture the NOJHL title and go on to represent the league in the national Junior A tourney, the Centennial Cup, which will be held in May in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba.

Sobush could conceivably return to the Cubs for two more seasons, but he’s also looking to do what’s best for his own career.

So far, a couple of American schools, one at the NCAA Division 1 level and one at the Division 3 ranks, have expressed some interest in him, but he hasn’t received any scholarship offers.

Sobush, who graduated from Sudbury’s Lo-Ellen Park Secondary School in June of 2022, is hoping to eventually continue his education, combining that by playing hockey at a Canadian or American university.

Regardless where he ends up, Sobush will be happy moving up the hockey ranks.