As the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League has its marquee veteran players a la Marc-Alain Begin, Felix Boutin and Josh Clancy of the Abitibi Eskimos and Chris Kangas of the Sudbury Kal Tire Jr. Wolves et al, it also boasts a plethora of rookies who have opened more than a few eyes thus far this season.

Abitibi basically has only one regular rookie but he’s a good one in defenceman Justin Lafleur, formerly of the AAA midget Timmins Majors.

Other first-year skaters who have impressed fresh out of either the midget or high school ranks include Sudbury forwards Adam DiBrina and Joel Gagnon, forward Jonathon Aubertin and defenceman Sacha Guimond of the North Bay Trappers, defenceman Colin Miller and forward Michael Schug of the Soo Thunderbirds, goalies Michael Doan and John Kleinhans and forward Justin Scott, all of the Soo Eagles, and forward Brett Findlay of the Blind River Beavers.

Findlay, who played AA midget in the Soo last season, is actually Blind River’s leading scorer.

More than any other NOJHL team, Blind River has a number of high-end rookies from various midget and high school programs.

Besides Findlay, the Beavers also feature first-year defencemen Kelly Barrett, Corey Jackson and Kyle Paat from the AAA midget Soo North Stars, freshman blueliner Grant Paulson from Minnesota high school, and an all- rookie forward line made up of three players who played in the Soo high school league last season: Brett Campbell, Dereck Hurley and Andrew Trecroce.

And the Beavers just may have uncovered their goalie of the future in 1993 birth year tender Alex Rennie, who’s playing AA midget in Sudbury.

A Beavers affiliate player, Rennie made his first NOJHL start last weekend — and on the road against powerful Abitibi no less.

Rennie made 36 saves in a 5-3 Blind River loss and earned extensive praise from Beavers coach/general manager Jim Capy for the “remarkable poise” that he showed.