Garden River First Nation teen now toiling for local Junior A hockey squad
By Sam Laskaris
GARDEN RIVER FIRST NATION – Deven Jones-McDonald has experienced his share of challenges and successes in his first season of Junior A hockey.
Jones-McDonald, a Garden River First Nation member who turned 17 in mid-November, started off the 2024-25 campaign with the Greater Sudbury Cubs, who compete in the 12-team Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League (NOJHL).
Even though he was part of the Cubs – considered the top team in the NOJHL – Jones-McDonald, a forward, started having second doubts about being in Sudbury.
That led to his November trade request that saw him dealt to the NOJHL’s Soo Thunderbirds. That meant Jones-McDonald could continue his hockey career while still living at home.
“I started off there,” Jones-McDonald said of his time in Sudbury. “I thought it would have been the best choice for me at that point, but as the season went on, I’m still young and it was kind of hard for me to live away from home and do school at the same time.”
Since the Cubs are a powerhouse team, Jones-McDonald, who was 16 at the start of the season, wasn’t getting much playing time. And he didn’t see things improving in the immediate future for himself in Sudbury.
“I wouldn’t say I was unhappy in Sudbury,” he said. “It was more like the numbers and the way our team was going, I’d fit in better back home. Once we started bringing in more guys and I started hearing about guys that we might be bringing in, I just thought it might be better to go back home and get some more playing time and develop.”
Thunderbirds’ general manager Jamie Henderson welcomed the opportunity to add Jones-McDonald to the Soo roster.
Henderson, who is also an assistant coach for the Thunderbirds, had previously coached Jones-McDonald two years ago when he was playing for Sault Ste. Marie’s Under-18 AAA squad.
“We have a great relationship,” Henderson said of Jones-McDonald. “We were hoping he’d sign with us right away (at the start of the season). We were happy to get him back.”
Jones-McDonald also said he was happy to be reunited with Henderson.
“I know Jamie pretty well,” he said. “I’ve known him for a bit. I know he’s good at developing younger players. It’s a good reason why I came back.”
Jones-McDonald appeared in 19 games with the Cubs and earned five points, including a pair of goals. He’s already surpassed these totals in his first dozen matches with the Thunderbirds as he’s earned six points (three goals and three assists).
Unlike the league-leading Cubs who won 32 of their first 36 matches, the Thunderbirds were sporting a .500 record, 17-17-1-2 after 37 games.
“I don’t think it’s bad in any way to be on a team that is rebuilding,” Jones-McDonald said. “That just means you only have one way to go.”
Jones-McDonald was also selected by the Oshawa Generals in the 2023 Ontario Hockey League (OHL) draft. He’s attended the Generals’ camp the past two years.
He has not given up hope of playing in the higher calibre Major Junior hockey circuit.
“I’m looking forward to [Oshawa’s] camp this upcoming season,” he said. “So, I’ll just see how that kind of goes and take it from there.”
Jones-McDonald is currently finishing off his Grade 12 studies. Depending on where he ends up playing next season, he said he might take some post-secondary classes.
“I think that definitely would be an option, just depending on what I want to do in the future and what I think about my career in hockey,” he said. “I’m still keeping my options open. I think school would definitely be a good opportunity if it came up to me. I also think playing in this league too wouldn’t be the worst decision with developing a bit more and then maybe moving on somewhere else.”