Laker coach talks up Headrick
Despite being the youngest player on the 29-man roster of the Lake Superior State University Lakers, 1997 birth-year defenceman Owen Headrick is poised for regular lineup duty with the Western Collegiate Hockey Association team for the 2015-2016 season.
Laker head coach Damon Whitten spoke highly of Headrick during a recent edition of the Laker Hockey Show, which airs on Mondays at 6 p.m. on ESPN 1400 Radio, live from Antlers Restaurant.
“Owen has very good offensive skills and we can see him as a regular on our power play,” Whitten told Laker Hockey Show host Bill Crawford. “Owen may be a freshman but we see him as someone who is going to be in the lineup on a regular basis.”
Headrick is making the move up to the Division 1 level with the Lakers this 2015-2016 season after two standout terms with the Soo Thunderbirds of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League.
A smooth-skating, puck-handling defender who hails from Garden River First Nation just outside Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., Headrick is one of nine defencemen on the LSSU roster.
To be sure, it speaks volumes about Headrick’s ability and potential that he earned a roster spot with the Lakers despite having three full seasons of junior eligibility remaining.
A 6-foot, 190-pound defender who is also known for his smarts and skill, Headrick finished the 2014-2015 season with a flourish for the NOJHL and Dudley-Hewitt Cup, Central Canada champion Thunderbirds.
After having shoulder surgery last fall, Headrick returned to the Thunderbirds late in the season and had a spectacular playoff with 12 goals, 8 assists, 20 points in 14 games from his blueline spot. For his efforts, he was named NOJHL most valuable player for the playoffs.
All together, over two years, regular season and playoffs included, Headrick played in 98 games for the Thunderbirds and scored 26 goals, 51 assists, 77 points.
The Lakers, meanwhile, hit the ice this weekend with a pair of exhibition games on the slate. The Lakers will play a Blue-Gold scrimmage at 3:07 p.m. on Saturday and then play host to USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program under-18 squad at 5:07 p.m. on Sunday.
Both games are scheduled for LSSU’s Taffy Abel Arena.
The Lakers will head out on the road to Portland, Maine on the October 9-10 weekend for games with the University of North Dakota and Michigan State University as part of the Ice Breaker Tournament.
Then, on October 16-17, the Lakers will play a home-and-home series with Northern Michigan as part of Great Lakes State Weekend.
Entering his second season as head coach of the Lakers as part of a major rebuilding project, the aforementioned Whitten is looking ahead to the 2015-2016 campaign with a measure of excitement.
“We’ve gone through a lot of changes with our roster and have some new staff, so we’re excited,” said Whitten. “We’ve added some elements that we think can help improve our team this year and we certainly have high expectations for our returning guys.”
The Lakers feature six seniors on their 29-man roster along with five juniors, eight sophomores and an incoming class of 10 freshmen.
One of the eight returning sophomores is 1993 birth-year defenceman Aidan Wright from Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.
The Lakers finished tied for eighth place in the 10-team WCHA in 2014-2015 with a record of 7-20-1 and lost in the first round of the playoffs.
Headrick looked solid over the weekend. He’ll have to adapt to the speed of the D-1 level, but other than that he does handle the puck well.