CHL, NCAA Eligibility Impacts Yesterday, the Soo Greyhounds announced the signing of Collingwood Blues' goaltender Noah Tegelaar. The signing comes in part due to an injury to Greyhounds' goaltender Nolan Lalonde. Lalonde last played in a game on Feb. 2, against his former team the Saginaw Spirit. He is expected to miss a couple of weeks due to injury. During that time, Tegelaar will have the opportunity to get in the crease. The Greyhounds selected Tegelaar with a second-round pick in the 2023 U-18 OHL Priority Selection. He has a 21-4-3 record in the OJHL this season while maintaining a .938 save percentage and a 1.78 goals-against average. He also leads the league with nine shutouts. Over the last two years, he has a 48-8-4 record which showcases his absolute dominance not only in the OJHL but also the NOJHL. Tegelaar joins the team as an affiliated player meaning that at most he can play 10 games for the Greyhounds this season. However, once Collingwood's season is concluded the team will have the option to bring him back full time. Because Collingwood is one of the top three teams in the OJHL. They have clinched a playoff berth and could make a deep playoff run. Such a run would limit Tegelaar's ability to rejoin the Greyhounds if he plays well during the upcoming stretch. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GjziSLNMrLA[/embed] As such, this is more of an opportunity for Tegelaar to audition for next year's team. Given that Lalonde is a 2004-born player they will be looking for a replacement between the pipes. As a 2006-born goaltender, Tegelaar could be perfect for that spot. While Tegelaar has a history of success, he has yet to play an OHL game. Until he gets between the pipes, it is impossible to tell what he will be at this level. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
