Freedom of player movement in minor hockey circles can - and has - created chaos, at times.

It's also created opportunities.

While the dust has certainly not settled on this topic, incoming Sudbury U18 AAA Wolves head coach Clayton Bertrand is sensing the latter - and pouncing on same.

"I think it's so new that it's still a feeling out stage right now," said the man who guided the Sudbury U16 AAA Wolves through the 2023-2024 campaign after serving as an assistant coach with the Brian Dickinson U18 AAA staff for a few years prior to that.

"With freedom of movement, if you're not having the skates or not having the conversations once the deadline opens, you're going to be behind the eight ball, chasing players," said Bertrand, who has filled all but three spots on a 2025-2026 roster that has the long-time local hockey man super excited.

"It's a matter of going to find the players that you want and if you can get who you want and get them committed, then you put them on a card."

Returning six players from the defending Great North U18 AAA League championship crew, a sextet that accounted for 147 points, and mixing in six of the top seven scorers from his U16 team from last year, Bertrand can sense an anticipation growing with regular season play still four months away.

"We won an NOHA championship with some of these guys but there's a hunger with some unfinished business there, an appetite to pursue the regional championship a little bit further this time," said Bertrand.

The glut of kids at tryouts including a few prospects making their way back to Sudbury means that nickel city talent might again be suiting up elsewhere - not exactly a bad thing at all in the eyes of coach Bertrand.

"Quite frankly, I think we willmake a few other U18 AAA teams better by virtue of our cuts," he said candidly. "There's always a guy or two who will go an excel with another opportunity. It helps keep kids at the U18 AAA level playing competitively."

All in all, Bertrand maintains that establishing good solid lines of communication is critical when the waters are so easily muddied.

"We've tried to be as open and honest with all of our players as possible," he said. "The more open and honest we are, the hope is that they will recipricate in the process."

"There's a lot more conversations happening now than there was before."

At the moment, the breakdown of the Sudbury roster is as follows:

Forwards: Drake Taylor, Noah Lafrance, Denver Mulligan, Hudson Goulet, Gillis O'Daiskey, Tyler Huffman, Leighton Pelletier, Sam Piette, Landon Lake Rego, Janssen Fransen and Carter McAllister

Defencemen: Mehki Levesque, Hunter Currie, Robert Landry, Khade Metatawabin and Harry Yeamans

Goalie: Jayden Claveau

"We felt that we got a lot of the guys that we wanted and we were targetting," said Bertrand, who also confirmed that the team has been accepted into the prestigious Circle K Classic - U18 AAA Tournament in Calgary that will run from December 27th to January 1st (2026).

"There were some really tough decisions to make," continued the bench boss who has also seen his previous staff (assistant coaches Marc Tardif, Derek Chartier; trainer Ron Duguay; manager Dave Cormier) migrate with him to the U18 squad.

"We're going to be in a really good place, no matter what."