Headrick has NHL scouts watching
The youngest player on the Lake Superior State University Lakers is attracting the attention of at least a few National Hockey League scouts.
Freshman defenceman Owen Headrick, who has a 1997 birth date, has seen regular duty while playing in all 12 of the Lakers games thus far this season.
In fact, as the quarterback of the LSSU power play, Headrick has been an offensive bright spot for the Lakers in addition to playing solid defensive hockey.
With 2 goals, 2 assists, 4 points in his first 12 games as a Laker, Headrick is tied for fifth on the LSSU scoring chart heading into a pair of weekend road games at Bemidji State University against the Western Collegiate Hockey Association rival Beavers.
To be sure, a few NHL scouts have taken note of the 6-foot, 185-pound Headrick, who hails from Garden River First Nation, just outside Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.
When USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program played an exhibition game at LSSU to start the 2015-2016 season, Headrick was the one Laker in particular who had more than NHL scout in attendance talking.
And when the Lakers played host to the Arizona State Sun Devils last weekend, one NHL scout confirmed that he made the trip to LSSU specifically to watch Headrick.
What stands out to those who have closely watched Headrick — besides savvy in running the LSSU power play — are his smarts, poise, smooth skating, precision passes and ability to read the play quickly.
Having earned the trust of second-year Lakers head coach Damon Whitten, what is also impressive about Headrick is that he is several years younger than a lot of guys he is playing with and against.
“He plays with a lot of poise for someone so young,” Whitten has said of Headrick. “You look at the fact that he is four, five, even six years younger than a lot of guys he is playing against and the fact that he plays in key situations for us.”
As an example, Headrick is four years younger than James Roll, his sophomore defence partner with the Lakers.
From the coaching end, Whitten has been careful not to over-use Headrick while recognizing the obvious skill level and maturity of his young defenceman, who starred for the Soo Thunderbirds of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League the past two seasons after being an Ontario Hockey League draft pick of the Erie Otters in 2013.
PHOTO: LSSU Lakers defenceman Owen Headrick, in recent action against the Arizona State Sun Devils. (Photo by Ali Pearson.)
Nice to see our young first nation hockey talent at an international level. Congrats to the kigaan ziibiing anishinaabe for putting garden river on the map once again in the hockey arena.
So proud of my nephew Owen! He works so hard and is so dedicated to hockey.
So very proud of my great nephew Owen, seeing your name in print and all the good comments made about your skill and enthusiasm for the game makes me very proud and honored to be part of your family. Keep up the good work O, love you always