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A busted wrist stalled his OHL debut, but Soo Greyhounds defenceman Callum Croskery found every other way to improve
Published Nov 26, 2025 • Last updated 0 minutes ago • 6 minute read
Soo Greyhounds defenceman Callum Croskery celebrates a goal with teammates in OHL pre-season action against the Sudbury Wolves on Sunday, Aug. 31, 2025 at GFL Memorial Gardens in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. Photo by BOB DAVIESArticle content
When Callum Croskery walked into the rink one morning carrying what looked like a relic from another era — a thick, heavy stick that teammates assumed belonged to head coach John Dean — everyone wanted a turn.
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“It was pretty funny,” Croskery told The Sault Star. “They were all picking it up and using it and they were like, ‘Holy crap, this is crazy.’”
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But it wasn’t an antique.
It was a weighted training stick, the kind his former minor hockey coach, Tyler Stothers, gifted to him before the summer to work on his shot.
When Croskery went home to Oakville for a short break during his rehab, he found it sitting in his garage. And in the middle of the toughest stretch of his young career — months without games, limited shooting, a fragile wrist — he realized it could be a solution.
He brought the stick back to Sault Ste. Marie. And quietly, deliberately, he started rebuilding the strength in his forearms, preparing for the moment he’d finally be cleared to shoot again.
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Now, more than two months removed from the Sept. 12 pre-season game in Midland, Mich. where he suffered a fractured wrist on what he describes as “a very innocent play,” Croskery is expected to make his OHL debut Friday night in Sarnia.
For the Greyhounds, who have waited through the first 25 games of the season to drop their 2024 second-rounder into the lineup, his arrival has the feel of a mid-season trade addition.
For Croskery, it feels like a culmination.
And for Dean, it’s something more.
“I’ve never seen an athlete be so deliberate, intentional, and aggressive with his approach to an injury,” said the seventh-year Greyhounds bench boss. “It’s been a master class in recovery.”
Back in September, there was nothing alarming about the collision.
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Two players bumped. Croskery felt he might’ve pulled a muscle, but kept playing. He took a couple more shifts. He didn’t think much of it.
After the game, he tried to loosen his wrist. It didn’t budge.
By the time the X-rays came back, reality set in.
“I kind of thought there was no way it was as bad as it was,” he said. “That was a reality check.”
Alex Pharand, right, of the Sudbury Wolves, battles for the puck with Callum Croskery, of the Soo Greyhounds, during OHL exhibition action at the Sudbury Community Arena in Sudbury, Ont. on Friday September 5, 2025. John Lappa/Sudbury Star/Postmedia Network Photo by John Lappa /John Lappa/Sudbury Star
The timing made it worse. Croskery, 17, had impressed through camp. He had scored in pre-season. Scouts had already pegged him as a potential first-rounder for the 2026 NHL Draft. And in a new chapter of his career — signing with the Greyhounds after playing for the USHL’s Chicago Steel and committing to Boston College — the excitement around him was real.
Then, suddenly, he was watching from the press box in a cast.
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“The toughest part was easily just not being able to help my teammates,” Croskery said. “They’re all grinding and battling as brothers down there, and you want nothing more than to be a part of that.”
But what Croskery did in the meantime stuck with his coaches.
Instead of drifting to the periphery for the first couple months of the OHL season, he went the other way, appearing in practice to complete conditioning skates just 24 hours after being injured.
“I’m not joking when I say I’ve never seen a player put so much time, effort, and commitment into recovering as fast as possible and maintaining relationships with his teammates and the coaching staff,” Dean said. “It’s incredible.”
He showed up early. Stayed late. Sat in the coaches’ offices between periods. Joined power-play meetings. Asked questions. Watched video.
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“He soaked in every inch of hockey he possibly could,” his coach said.
Croskery also watched plenty of games from a bird’s-eye view, studying structure, spacing, and pace.
“I think he’s sophisticated and smart enough that he’s capable of watching from the bird’s eye view and picking up on smaller details,” Dean added.
Croskery said the perspective from watching games upstairs has helped him feel more prepared to make his debut.
“That’s definitely an advantage that I have,” he said. “I’ve been able to see almost 20 games now from upstairs, and it’s a whole different game when you’re up there.”
Even though he couldn’t shoot for most of his recovery with a cast around his arm, he could skate — and the 17-year-old was often seen participating in line-to-line sprints alongside Brodie McConnell-Barker while he recovered from mononucleosis.
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When he finally did start shooting again about three weeks ago, Croskery had already laid the foundation with the weighted stick. His first reps weren’t painful — just awkward.
“The muscle didn’t feel great at the start,” he said. “But it was never pain. I was held from shooting for a pretty long time, so I was just really excited to get back into it.”
Using a weighted stick for weeks made the transition back to a normal twig feel almost liberating.
“It feels light,” he said. “A lot easier than before.”
That part of his recovery — finding that old training tool in his garage and deciding, independently, to use it — resonated with Dean.
“This guy’s impressive,” the coach said. “He’s always looking for an angle, and he wants to get better every single day.”
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At 6-foot-1 and 180 pounds, Croskery describes himself as “a modern, offensive defenceman,” someone who can end plays with his feet, transition quickly, and act as a fourth man in the rush.
The Greyhounds believe the same — and more.
“We think he’s an elite defenceman in the league,” Dean said matter-of-factly. “He’s a highly competitive player, extremely mobile, and quick on his feet. He wants to join the rush, but also be the first back to defend. And he’s extremely, extremely intelligent. When he puts the full package together, he’s going to be exceptional at this level.”
General manager Kyle Raftis, who once called him the best defenceman in his entire draft class, hasn’t backed down.
“He’s somebody that’s going to help us tremendously in transition and on special teams,” he said. “With the way he started the year, we’re excited to drop him in.”
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His return could also bring some balance to the blue line. Chase Reid, who is in Alberta representing the CHL in the CHL USA Prospects Challenge, has been carrying some of the heaviest ice time in the OHL at over 28 minutes per game — and the hope is that Croskery’s presence slots everyone more naturally.
Still, the message internally is clear: patience.
“It’s gonna be his first-ever Ontario Hockey League game,” Dean said. “And the pace of the league has significantly increased over the last two months, and we’re dropping him in after basically a three-month hiatus. So, we’re going to move slowly with him and let him get his feet wet.”
Even with the knowledge that scouts will now be watching after many weeks of no viewings, Croskery isn’t overthinking it.
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“(The draft) is just so far away,” he said. “There’s 40 games left to play and hopefully a nice playoff run, too. It’s really something I’m not paying too much attention to, but to see myself get ranked, I definitely take it as a compliment.”
“He’s going to be a high draft pick from our league,” Dean said. “We put him as one of the best defencemen in the top echelon of the league. It’s just gonna be a matter of how quickly he can get into game shape.”
Croskery’s final medical clearance comes Thursday. If he gets the green light, as he expects, he’ll pull on a Greyhounds jersey for the first time Friday in Sarnia.
“I’m really excited to showcase what I can do.”
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