Headrick reflects on his career while offering advice to youth hockey players
By Sam Laskaris
CHARLOTTETOWN – Owen Headrick would prefer to be playing hockey these days; but with many sports in limbo these days because of restrictions imposed due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, Headrick, a member of Garden River First Nation and a star with the University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI) Panthers, had some free time on Jan. 25.
As a result, Headrick was able to hop on a Zoom call with Sault Ste. Marie youth hockey players and spend some time reflecting on his own career while also offering some advice.
The conversation was hosted by Jamie Henderson, the head coach of the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds’ Under-18 AAA squad.
Henderson had previously served as the general manager of the Sault Ste. Marie Thunderbirds, a Junior A squad in the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League that Headrick played for.
Headrick has managed to have his share of hockey successes even though he was a late pick in his Ontario Hockey League (OHL) draft year.
Following his Minor Midget campaign with the Greyhounds’ organization, Headrick was chosen in the 14th round, the 261st pick overall, by the Pennsylvania-based Erie Otters in the 2013 OHL Priority Selection.
Headrick now believes being drafted late was a blessing in disguise.
“I think it definitely helped me out a lot,” he said. “It definitely motivated me. I obviously thought I was going to get drafted higher than I did. But I think it helped me out in the long-run. I know when I went to camp I had a lot of stuff to prove to myself and to the team.”
As it turned out, Headrick did not crack the Otters’ roster that season. Instead, he suited up for the Thunderbirds where he went on to be named the NOJHL’s rookie of the year.
“When you have something to prove, it kind of gives you an extra gear in the summertime to maybe work out a little harder, train a little harder, go a little harder on the ice,” he said. “And I think at that time that’s exactly what I needed and it definitely pushed me to be a better player.”
In his second season with the Thunderbirds, Headrick and his teammates captured the NOJHL championship. And he was named the league’s playoff MVP.
The Thunderbirds went on to win the Dudley Hewitt Cup, a regional qualifying tournament that earned them a berth into the Royal Bank Cup, the national Junior A tourney.
“I have a lot of good memories of that year,” Headrick said. “We had a really close team. And we were good too. It’s fun to win all the time and we did that a lot.”
Headrick went on to play a season and a half at Lake Superior State University, a Michigan-based Division 1 school.
He left the school, however, midway through the 2016-17 campaign and headed to Erie to join the Otters. This move paid off a few months later when the Otters captured the OHL championship.
Headrick’s teammates in Erie that championship season included numerous players who are now in the pro ranks. This list includes current National Hockey League regulars Alex DeBrincat, Dylan Strome, Anthony Cirelli and Warren Foegele.
“I think just it made me a better player being able to practice against those guys every day,” he said. “I learned a lot from them.”
After playing one more season with the Otters, Headrick then headed to UPEI.
Last year, his second with the Panthers, he was not only named the MVP of the team but was also selected as UPEI’s male athlete of the year.
Headrick is happy he returned to school.
“I’ll just know I have my degree in my back pocket and when I think it’s time to hang up the skates I’ll have something to fall back on,” he said.
During the Zoom call, Headrick also spoke about the sacrifices required and necessary steps that need to be made in order to play in the junior and university ranks.
“Your days are pretty busy but that’s what being a student-athlete is all about,” he said.