The Niagara IceDogs improved their defense by trading for Matthew Virgilio from the Soo Greyhounds.
The Niagara IceDogs made a trade to acquire defenseman Matthew Virgilio from the Soo Greyhounds in exchange for a second, fourth, and tenth-round pick in 2026, and a third-round pick in 2025.
Virgilio was a high-profile kid coming out of Vaughan, Ontario. He played at the infamous Brick Invitational Tournament where he captained his Toronto Bulldogs squad and played with fellow OHLers Zayne Parekh, Jacob Battaglia, Anthony Cristoforo, and Ryerson Leenders.
He played for the standout hockey St. Andrew’s College hockey program in Aurora, Ontario in his OHL draft year, and was selected in the fourth round, 78th overall by the Greyhounds.
Virgilio has played two full seasons in the league, recording back-to-back 15-point seasons along the blueline in 128 games while playing a sheltered role in the Soo. The 18-year-old is entering his first year of eligibility for the NHL Draft
Niagara is loaded with offensive talent in Kevin He, Ryan Roobroeck, and Braidy Wassilyn. Their future upfront at the forward position looks extremely promising. The team’s next focus will need to be to improve their backend.
Virgilio spoke to Brandon Caputo, the host of the DogPoundPodcast, where he said how excited he is for the opportunity to step into a bigger role and is hoping to help this Niagara team take that next step forward.
Acquiring Virgilio is the first step to improving their blue line, and the former Greyhound will now get a chance to potentially unlock his full potential. And when speaking with Caputo, he believes he has more to offer.
Virgilio is a mature, smooth-skating defender who uses his hockey smarts to play a reliable game, manage the puck efficiently, and deliver an accurate first pass on zone exits.
His question mark is if he has more offense in his game. He could have the opportunity to showcase that he does as he'll surely get an increase in ice time with the IceDogs compared to the lesser role he played for the Greyhounds.
The expectations could be for him to be a top pairing defenseman for Niagara for the upcoming 2024-25 season, as he’s probably Niagara’s best right-shot defenseman as of today. Virgilio could pair with Urban Podrekar or the 2007-born Artyom Frolov.
The IceDogs have missed the playoffs three years in a row and have allowed over 300 goals against in all three seasons. Can they finally take a step forward next year? Matthew Virgilio for sure improves their blueline, but more moves are probably needed.