Story courtesy of OJHL.ca
Eying a second straight OJHL title and a better result at the Centennial Cup
Ontario Junior Hockey League resident writer Ron Valentine is profiling the 2025-26 team captains across The OJ.
BY RON VALENTINE
The Trenton Golden Hawks are going with four assistant captains this season.
- Thomas Kuipers, 19, from Carrying Place ON in his third season with the team, he had 36 points last year.
- Taeo Artichuk, 20, from Ajax ON, who had 33 goals and 89 points last term, good for second on the club. The former OHLer leads the OJ in scoring this season with 41 points (20 goals/21 assists).
- Isaiah Shantz, 19, from Hawkesville ON, coming back for season two after playing for the Moncton Wildcats in the QMJHL.
- Defenceman Duncan Schneider, 20, from Belleville ON, who played for the Cobourg Cougars as well as the OHL’s Kingston Frontenacs and Sarnia Sting.
Thomas is the spokesman for the quartet.
First he talks about his fellow assistant captains:
“Taeo had a great season and is on the same roll again this year,” he told the OJHL. ‘He sets the bar really high, gets the job done every night. Obviously a prolific scorer but a great set-up guy, too. He’s been through it all and is just so consistent.
“Isaiah is having a breakout season for us. I played with him quite a bit last season on a line whose job it was to shut down the opposition. Now he is coming into his own as a playmaker and scorer. Duncan is our rock on ‘D’. He plays a physical game and he also has a cannon of a shot. I played against him when he was with Cobourg and I can tell you it was not an enjoyable experience.
“It was a disappointment when we went out in the semis (against Melfort) in the Centennial Cup and the returning players remember that and we are committed to taking that one more step this year.”
“All three of those guys have great leadership skills and they are so positive and involved on and off the ice. We trust our coach (Derek Smith) 100 percent when he says you just have to get one percent better every day. As well as the four of us there are many more leaders in the room and on the ice who contribute night in and night out. It makes our role so much easier. I try to model myself after previous captains here like Corbin Roach and Adam O’Marra, both of whom were the heart and soul of the club and I could name another 10 who have had a great influence on me in minor hockey.”
“It was a disappointment when we went out in the semis (against Melfort) in the Centennial Cup and the returning players remember that and we are committed to taking that one more step this year. Last season we had a great goalkeeper in Ryan Sanborn from the U.S. and I guess you could say he was a ‘dark horse’ but became a big plus for us. We are looking for the same thing from Jack Shingles from the States, to make a great pairing with Hayden Jeffrey.”
“On a personal note I’m looking to shoot the puck a lot more this season, to find more open space and take that next step forward. I like to be known as a 200-foot player, who likes to play physical hockey. If I lead by example the rest of the guys will look up to me as an example.
“I started very early in hockey, I was about four I think and I really enjoyed my minor hockey career from the Trenton Tornados at the beginning and then with two great organizations in the Quinte West Hawks and Quinte Red Devils.”
“One thing we all agree on is that Trenton is a great place to play hockey. Friday nights at the “Dunc’ are amazing and the fans are always behind us. It makes for a great atmosphere. All the teams that come in are looking to knock us off our perch and it’s very competitive.
The Golden Hawks have the best record (13-2-0-2) in the OJHL. Ranked fifth in the Canadian Junior Hockey League this week, they visit the eighth-ranked Stouffville Spirit (13-4-0-0) Thursday at 3:30 p.m.
Follow Ron Valentine on X @ronandlynda
