Sudbury Wolves' new player personnel director eyes OHL championship
Dave Gray is a new addition, but certainly not a new face for the Sudbury Wolves and their staff.
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A retired firefighter from Oshawa with 27 years of experience in the OHL as a scout and director of player personnel, Gray has become well-acquainted with Sudbury general manager Rob Papineau and newly named head scout Jason Spencer in rinks across the province these last several years.
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And the Wolves, in turn, are more than familiar of Gray's hockey handiwork, which helped to send the Brampton Battalion, then the North Bay Battalion to two appearances in the J. Ross Robertson Cup final, then the Hamilton Bulldogs to a pair of championships.
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Papineau and company were more than eager, then, to add Gray to their organization after he parted ways with the Bulldogs, now based in Brantford, after the 2024-25 season.
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The Wolves announced Gray's hiring as director of player personnel last week in a hockey operations shuffle that included the promotions of Spencer to head scout and Jeff Forsyth to assistant general manager.
Assistant coach Brent Gauvreau has since added the title of director of player development, while Trevor Gallant, another former Brantford staffer, was added as scout for southwestern Ontario.
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'I'm honoured to be asked by Rob to join the Sudbury Wolves,' Gray told The Sudbury Star this past Tuesday. They've got a great history, a lot of great juniors who have come through the Sudbury Wolves.
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'My goal is to help Rob and the Wolves win a championship. The harder I work and the better we do together, hopefully we'll achieve that goal.'
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A mainstay for the Battalion beginning with their entry into the league in 1998, Gray's connection to junior hockey goes back much further. His grandfather was Matt Leyden, the highly decorated junior hockey executive and administrator whose name now graces the OHL's Coach of the Year award.
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Gray's keen eye for talent helped longtime Battalion bench boss Stan Butler and his crew to reach the post-season in all but two of their seasons in Brampton, with a final appearance in 2009.
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Sudbury Wolves' new player personnel director eyes OHL championship
Article content Dave Gray is a new addition, but certainly not a new face for the Sudbury Wolves and their staff. Article content A retired firefighter from Oshawa with 27 years of experience in the OHL as a scout and director of player personnel, Gray has become well-acquainted with Sudbury general manager Rob Papineau and newly named head scout Jason Spencer in rinks across the province these last several years. Article content Article content And the Wolves, in turn, are more than familiar of Gray's hockey handiwork, which helped to send the Brampton Battalion, then the North Bay Battalion to two appearances in the J. Ross Robertson Cup final, then the Hamilton Bulldogs to a pair of championships. Article content Article content Papineau and company were more than eager, then, to add Gray to their organization after he parted ways with the Bulldogs, now based in Brantford, after the 2024-25 season. Article content The Wolves announced Gray's hiring as director of player personnel last week in a hockey operations shuffle that included the promotions of Spencer to head scout and Jeff Forsyth to assistant general manager. Assistant coach Brent Gauvreau has since added the title of director of player development, while Trevor Gallant, another former Brantford staffer, was added as scout for southwestern Ontario. Article content Article content 'I'm honoured to be asked by Rob to join the Sudbury Wolves,' Gray told The Sudbury Star this past Tuesday. They've got a great history, a lot of great juniors who have come through the Sudbury Wolves. Article content 'My goal is to help Rob and the Wolves win a championship. The harder I work and the better we do together, hopefully we'll achieve that goal.' Article content A mainstay for the Battalion beginning with their entry into the league in 1998, Gray's connection to junior hockey goes back much further. His grandfather was Matt Leyden, the highly decorated junior hockey executive and administrator whose name now graces the OHL's Coach of the Year award. Article content Gray's keen eye for talent helped longtime Battalion bench boss Stan Butler and his crew to reach the post-season in all but two of their seasons in Brampton, with a final appearance in 2009.
