Aundeck Omni Kaning member suiting up for Michigan-based club in Ontario Hockey League
By Sam Laskaris
FLINT, MICHIGAN – Samuel Assinewai is defying the odds this season.
The 17-year-old member of Aundeck Omni Kaning First Nation finds himself toiling in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) with the Michigan-based Flint Firebirds.
The fact Assinewai managed to crack the Firebirds’ roster might come to a surprise to some. That’s because he was a relatively late pick, chosen in the 13th round, 256th over-all, at the 2020 OHL Priority Selection Draft.
Assinewai though said he wasn’t discouraged by how late he went in the draft.
“I still got drafted,” he said. “It was still something for me. I knew I would become an OHL player.”
Since there was no 2020-21 OHL season because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Firebirds did not have a training camp in 2020.
He was invited, however, to the Flint camp this year.
“I had a great camp,” he said. “And when the camp was over they asked me to stay another two weeks.”
Assinewai then appeared in several exhibition contests with the Firebirds. And just before the regular season commenced, he was given a contract to play with the squad this season.
The left winger has had a bit of a rollercoaster season thus far.
Starting off on the club’s fourth line, he said he managed to work himself up to a point where he was considered one of the top team’s top six forwards, thus earning playing time on the Firebirds’ second line.
But he then tested positive for COVID-19 and missed about a half dozen Flint contests.
“It was stressful,” said Assinewai, who remained in Flint at his billet’s home while he was self-isolating. “I quarantined in my room.”
Since his return earlier this month, Assinewai was trying to earn some more playing time and once again find himself a spot on one of the club’s top two lines.
Assinewai had been credited with three points (two goals and one assist) in his first 15 matches with the Firebirds.
His first OHL goal was back on Nov. 13, in a 4-2 home loss against the Kitchener Rangers.
“It was awesome,” he said of the feeling he had after his first goal in the league.
As it turned out, Assinewai happened to be in the right place at the right time, standing in front of the Rangers’ net.
“It went in off my knee,” he said.
Firebirds’ rookie defenceman James Petrovski had directed a point shot towards the Kitchener net, which hit Assinewai and then went in.
Assinewai’s netted his second OHL goal on Dec. 15 as he helped the Firebirds down the visiting Saginaw Spirit, another Michigan-based squad, 6-4.
Two days later, however, the OHL announced that the Firebirds had suspended all team activities and postponed their next two games because 11 team players had positive COVID-19 tests.
Assinewai is hoping the Firebirds return to action as soon as possible. The team’s next scheduled game is Dec. 29.
The Firebirds have registered a 13-10-0-1 mark in their first two dozen contests this season. With its record, Flint was in third place in the league’s five-team West Division. And the Firebirds were also in fifth place, out of 10 teams, in the OHL’s Western Conference. The top eight finishers advance to post-season action.
“My goals are pretty much to make the playoffs and play as good as I can,” Assinewai said.
The rookie also has some individual goals he is hoping he can still achieve.
“I want to score like 10 goals,” he said.
He’s also hoping to start racking up his share of assists in the second half of the season. He’s aiming to have 20 assists by the end of the regular season.
“I know playmaking is really the best part of my game,” he said.