Greater Sudbury Cubs’ forwards Oliver Smith (03-F) and Samuel Assinewai (04-F) wasted no time picking up where they left off before the holiday break, scoring a combined seven points in the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League team’s first two games of the new year.
Both forwards proved to be offensive juggernauts leading up to the break with Smith logging 19 points in his previous 10 games before the holiday, while Assinewai logged 17 points in that same stretch. While the two are seeing similar success on the ice, their seasons have played out differently to this point.
Oliver Smith (03-F)
Smith (29 G, 36 A – 65 Pts) currently leads the team in goals, assists, and points, and is also one of only three Cubs to play in all 37 games this season. Having already broken his previous season high in goals (28), the 20-year-old is 10 assists away from tying his career high (46) and only four points shy of tying last year’s point total of 69 – which is also his NOJHL career high in points in a season.
Currently on a 10-game point streak, if Smith can continue to keep scoring at this pace, the forward is expected to eclipse the 100-point mark for the first time in his NOJHL career.
Smith has played in 60 Ontario Hockey League games with the Barrie Colts – split between the 2019/20 and 2021/22 seasons – where the forward has registered 21 points (11 G, 10 A – 21 Pts) over those two seasons.
Samuel Assinewai (04-F)
Assinewai (14 G, 24 A – 38 Pts) has made the most of his opportunities this season and is now third in team active skater scoring with 38 points through 23 games played. The forward is only two goals shy of his NOJHL career high (16), five assists away from his career total (29), and only eight points shy of setting a new career high (45) in total points.
Now on a three-game point streak, the Little Current, Ont., native has nine points in that span and has proved to be instrumental alongside linemates Smith and rookie forward Hudson Chitaroni, despite only playing in 23 of the teams 37 games to this point. He’s averaging 1.65 points per game which is good for second amongst active Cubs – behind only Smith (1.76).
Assinewai has also spent time in the OHL, playing a combined 46 games with the Flint Firebirds during the 2021/22 and 22/23 seasons and totalling 16 points in those games.