www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Friday, July 12, 2013 | 22 Jon Kuiperij Sports Editor sports@oakvillebeaver.com Sports for ice time, he was just outstanding." Leblanc attributes much of his improvement to a six-week on-ice program he participated in at Oakville hockey training facility Beyond The Next Level, improving his speed and footwork. "A huge difference in my game is my first three steps separating myself from my opponent," he said. "I just had to get my speed up to play at a high level." That additional strength and quickness, combined with one year of experience playing against older opposition, complemented the hockey IQ the Wolves admired in Leblanc. "One thing growing up that my dad always told me is that you can be the most skillful player in the world, but if you don't think the game, you're not going to get anywhere," said Leblanc, who spent his whole minor hockey career in the Oakville rep system. "As a kid, I always tried to be one step ahead of the opponent, to be thinking what they're thinking." Leblanc likely won't be the only player on the Sudbury blue line next year who has an Oakville connection. Kyle Capobianco, a Mississauga resident who was part of the OHL Cup champion minor midget AAA Rangers last season, was Sudbury's firstround pick this year and also signed with the Wolves last month. -- Jon Kuiperij "Connected to your Community" Blueliner back on Sudbury radar after year with Blades What a difference a year has made for Stefan Leblanc. Last summer, the defenceman was cut by the Sudbury Wolves, who had drafted him months earlier in the seventh round of the OHL Priority Selection. He then had trouble making the roster of his hometown Tier 2 junior A club, the Oakville Blades, finally earning a spot on the team two weeks into the 2012-13 season. Fifty-five Ontario Junior Hockey League games, four goals and 33 assists later, Leblanc is now back to front and centre on the Sudbury radar, signing a contract with the Wolves last month and preparing for his rookie year in the OHL. "It's kind of an underdog story," the 17-year-old said. "The way things ended up turning out were great for me." The Wolves reportedly liked Leblanc's hockey sense last year, but felt he was lacking speed, strength and overall experience. The Blades felt the same way at their rookie camp last spring, but changed their opinion on Leblanc when they saw him again a few months later. "He was always going to be an (affiliate player) and we thought that in a year, he'd be ready," said Blades general manager Duncan Harvey. "I don't know what he did over the summer, but he came in and was unbelievable... We had to trade a guy to open a spot for him. Every time he got an opportunity Defenceman Stefan Leblanc played for the Oakville Blades last season in the Ontario Junior Hockey League. The local resident signed with the Sudbury Wolves last month, a year after being cut by the Ontario Hockey League club that drafted him in the seventh round of the 2012 Priority Selection. | photo by Brian Watts -- OJHL Images Mental strength helps OT graduate win Pan American junior squash championship by Herb Garbutt Oakville Beaver Staff Maria Fernanda Rivera had just evened the match for the second time, planting a seed of doubt in the mind of Oakville's Hollie Naughton. Sure, Naughton had won a hard-fought 12-10 decision in the opening game in the semifinal match at the recent Pan American Junior Squash Championships in Brazil. Then she regained the upper hand with an 11-8 victory after her Mexican opponent took the second game. But now the chance to play for gold would come down to one game. Naughton had worked with a mental coach and this is where it would pay off. "Usually I'd get into a negative mindset, but I was able to pull out of it," she said. "At two-all there was some doubt, but I had to make sure those doubts got pushed aside. I had already done better than expected and I knew I could do it. I just had to go and play." And play she did, topping the tournament's second-ranked player 11-4 in the deciding game later the same day, to earn a trip to the final. The 18-year-old Oakville Trafalgar graduate carried that outlook into the final against the tournament's top seed, Columbia's Laura Tovar Perez. Seeded fifth out of eight, Naughton scored another upset, winning in four games 11-9, 11-9, 8-11, 11-6. "Hollie's a very fiery, passionate player," said Melanie Jans, Naughton's coach at Club Meadowvale as well as with the national junior team. "She's going to run down every single shot. If you're playing Hollie, you know you're in for a run. She's a really tough competitor." And while the semifinal was more of a mental test, Naughton said the gold-medal match proved to be more of a physical challenge against a strong technical player. Her final two opponents also had contrasting playing styles -- one excelling at placing the ball, the other being a powerful hitter. "It's definitely good to get a mixture of style of players," Naughton said. "It helps me get stronger as a player." Jans said Naughton has adapted her own style of play. While she can overpower most opponents in the junior ranks, she's had to diversify her approach against more experienced senior players. "She's been changing the pace a lot more," Jans said. "It gives her more time to get in position and it adds another element to her game." Naughton would collect another gold medal in Brazil, helping second-ranked Canada win the team title. Keeping her undefeated run at the tournament intact, she clinched the victory with an 11-6, 11-3, 11-7 sweep of Rivera. Jans said the only thing Naughton lacks as she prepares to make the jump to the senior ranks next year is experience. "Winning junior nationals, junior Pan Ams and now going to world juniors, all this stuff is great experience for her," the Canadian coach said. "Playing in those pressure situations helps you grow so much as a player." With victories in her last two tournaments, the Canadian junior champ heads into world juniors -- beginning July 16 in Wroclaw, Poland -- on a roll. "It's nice to have them back to back and have the momentum going into it," she said. "It's always good going in with a confident feeling because when you're confident, your best game comes forward." Naughton will head into the tournament as the No. 10 seed. But, as she proved at the Pan Am championships, it's not where you're seeded, it's where you finish. --Herb Garbutt can be followed on Twitter @Herbgarbutt