The Greater Sudbury Cubs (2022-2023 - edition) have no illusions of being mistaken as the reincarnation of the Edmonton Oilers of the 1980s.

That said, players and coaches alike would like to see a bump up at least a few slots from their placing as the seventh highest scoring team in the 12-team NOJHL loop, their standing when it came to goal scoring one year ago.

“I feel that we are a faster more skilled team that we were the year before,” suggested 17 year-old sophomore Billy Biedermann, the top returning point producer from the 2021-2022 team, registering 38 points (18G-20A) as a rookie last year. “We have a lot of guys that are strong and smart with the puck.”

Fresh off an appearance at the training camp of the Barrie Colts, Biedermann knows that it’s not the offensive part of his game, in particular, that will make the difference of just how far he might go in hockey. “For me, it’s about playing a complete two-way game, being strong on both sides of the puck,” he said.

“In minor hockey, you could get away with little things in the D zone. Here, it’s a lot harder. Everyone is faster and stronger so you have to make quicker decisions in getting back.”

If there was any doubt before he attended an OHL camp, there certainly isn’t any more. “I felt that what I learned was what I could do better in playing more defensive, not always jumping up in the play,” said Biedermann. “It’s the little things. The players that are in the OHL right now, they don’t make too many mistakes compared to me.”

While he works on that part of his game, Biedermann is hoping to continue to produce offensively, leading his team in the early going with 12 points in the first nine games. It certainly doesn’t hurt that sometime linemates Pierson Sobush and Cameron Walker sit tied for second in scoring, just one point back of the Nickel City Hockey product.

“The three of us love playing with each other,” said Biedermann. “I feel that our games complement each other. We’re all fast, we’re all hard workers, and Sobush has a really good shot. If he’s open, we feed him. Hopefully we can deep doing good things and succeed like that.”

New head coach Darryl Moxam certainly would not complain.

Just a few games in to his new role after spending the past seven seasons with the Sudbury Wolves, the man who guided the Sudbury Jr Wolves to an NOJHL championship in 2005-2006 could not be happier to return to his former stomping grounds.

“It’s exciting to be back,” Moxam suggested. “Those kids in that room, their willingness to wanting to learn is phenomenal. I’m looking forward to having a chance with a great group of coaches to teaching these guys and hopefully achieving some of our team’s goals and the individual goals as well.”

That said, the NOJHL that he returns to is a far different one that the northern loop he left behind to focus on family and other career options some 16 years ago or so. “There’s been significant change,” said Moxam. “The parity in the league, the skill level in the league, the quality of the coaching, the resources that are available to teams and just the overall compete are probably the biggest differences.”

“It’s a great thing for the league, a great thing for northern Ontario.”

Much like Biedermann, the 46 year-old hockey mentor realizes that when it comes to pure puck skill, it certainly appears that the bar has been raised in the land of the Cubs. But even moreso than Biedermann, Moxam understands that slick playmaking and highlight reel goals are only a small part of the overall equation.

“I think the challenge is helping them understand that with the skill level that we do have, if we play within a structure and play as a group, we’re going to achieve a lot more than if we try and do it individually,” stressed the man who is joined on the bench by long-time local hockey men Dave Clancy and Kerry MacLennan.

While he understands that access to his players, both in terms of time spent on and off the ice, is not the same as he would have enjoyed at the OHL level, Moxam is not about to give anyone a free pass any time soon.

“As far as their ability to play within a structure, I expect them to play no different than I would have expected from our (OHL) guys last year,” he said. “I do have to be realistic with how long I expect it to take.”

“The expectations are fairly high but I think it’s fair to say that the expectations they have for each other in that room are fairly high as well.”