Players start in the Ontario Hockey League as peach-fuzzed teenagers, but often leave as bearded 20- or 21-year-old men.
The contrast between the OHL’s youngest and its oldest players was summed up perfectly by Elliot Arnett, a 16-year-old rookie defenceman with the Owen Sound Attack.
“It’s easy to tell the difference between an overage and a 16-year-old (opponent) coming down the wall at you,” said Arnett, who grew up in Alliston but played minor hockey in Barrie.
Arnett, Barrie native Jake Crawford and the rest of the Attack fell to the Barrie Colts — the major junior version, not the minor hockey one that they both played several seasons for — in a shootout on Thursday night at Sadlon Arena.
“Happy to take the point,” said Crawford, while acknowledging some disappointment at not stealing a win on the road.
It was a lively game and a fitting first “home” contest for Arnett’s parents, Aaron and Brooke, and his younger sister, Annika.
Second-year centre Crawford is perhaps the Attack’s most versatile forward. Made an assistant captain at 17, Crawford is used in any and all situations by new head coach Scott Wray.
“With all our young guys,” said Wray, “we basically made him the captain of our (16- and 17-year-olds). He plays the power play, penalty kill … almost 20 minutes a night.”
Crawford and Arnett live together in Owen Sound, along with goaltender Carter George, who now makes his off-season home in Angus, but is from Thunder Bay.
“We have a good group of guys in our billet house who are all (based) in Simcoe County,” said Crawford.
Though maybe not this quickly, Crawford was sure to become an important player on the Attack. Arnett’s status entering training camp eight weeks ago was much less certain.
“I just wanted to make it hard for them to send me home,” he said.
That approach worked. He’s played in all nine Attack games, has two assists and hasn’t looked one iota as though he doesn’t belong even against lineups like the one he faced in Barrie on Thursday that included eight NHL-drafted players.
“I knew after the first day he was going to make our team,” said Wray.
Though rebuilding, the Attack have more clarity this season. Last year, the team was stuck: not good enough to seriously contend, not nearly bad enough to tear-down. The lone uncertainty this year was Orillia native Colby Barlow’s status that was cleared up when the sniper was dealt to the Oshawa Generals a fortnight ago.
The result is that the Attack know what they are; sure to have a few long nights when they face the OHL’s powerhouses, but it represents an excellent opportunity for Crawford and Arnett.
“Your confidence goes through the roof when you get the opportunity,” said Crawford. “It feels good when the coach relies on you.”
Wray expects Crawford to get a serious look by NHL teams. It’s awfully early, but Wray said he sees Crawford in many ways more favourable than some of the basket full of NHL draft picks he coached as an assistant in North Bay.
One scout from a Western Conference team acknowledged Crawford was part of the reason he was at Sadlon Arena on Thursday night. Every good player goes through the process of trying to impress NHL scouts, while not getting distracted and helping your team. It’s tough to do all three without your mind wondering at least a little.
“Tell someone to not think about elephants, what’s the first thing they are going to think about,” was a question once asked by former New Jersey Devils scouting director David Conte, who drafted Crawford’s uncle, Glenn, a quarter-century ago.
Staying with (potential) relatives, the last question goes to Arnett: Any relation to that Canadian guy in Hollywood, Will Arnett?
“Ah, no,” said Elliott, a slight chuckle audible over the phone. “I wish.”
We had to ask.
