Until recently, the Ontario Hockey League and specifically the Soo Greyhounds, wasn’t where Keeghan Howdeshell planned to play this season but he now hopes to make a seamless transition to his new surroundings.
Last Thursday Howdeshell signed with Greyhounds, three years after originally being drafted by the club and joins a team with high hopes for the 2017-18 OHL season.
While he familiarizes himself with the Greyhounds, one player he already knows well is veteran winger Jack Kopacka. The pair played minor hockey together and played minor midget with Detroit Compuware in their OHL draft year. The duo has rekindled that chemistry this week as they participate in the Greyhounds training camp at the Essar Centre.
Kopacka, who is entering his third full season with the Greyhounds, is looking forward to playing alongside his former teammate again this season.
“It’s nice to have him here,” Kopacka said. “He’s one of my good buddies and he’ll be a good addition to our team.”
“It’s special,” Howdeshell said of the opportunity to play together again. “Seeing him get drafted and signed (by the NHL’s Anaheim Ducks) is something that’s a great accomplishment. I’m proud to be a part of the same organization as him and get a chance to play with him is just like old times.”
Originally drafted by the Greyhounds in the 10th round of the 2014 OHL Priority Selection, Howdeshell eventually joined the United States National Development Program for two seasons and had committed to play American college hockey at Ferris State, beginning this fall.
Looking to advance to pro hockey, Howdeshell hopes to use the OHL as a springboard to a pro career.
“Coming to the OHL will be a better fit for me to achieve that goal,” Howdeshell said.
Greyhounds General Manager Kyle Raftis said the door was always open to the Brighton, Mich, product joining the organization at some point.
“It’s two-sided because we made a big push for him when he was coming out of the (US Development) program and thought he would have been a great fit for us,” Raftis said. “It didn’t work for him and his family at that point. It was something that we always continued the conversation.”
“He saw the group and was really excited about what we can do this year and it made sense for him and his family at that point,” Raftis added. “Its something that is a huge credit to our program because he’s walking away from a scholarship that he verbally agreed to three years ago. He sees what we’re doing here and really believes in it.”
Raftis said the 19-year-old brings size and skill to the Greyhounds lineup
“When he was with the US program there was a little bit of a defensive role that he was put into. The way I envision it is when you put him with our group, he can use his size, he’s a heavy player along the walls and down low and can get to the net,” Raftis said. “Sometimes when you get into those tough series’ and tough teams to play against, you need that. As he gets more confident playing in our system, I think he can bring out more of that offence because he’s got a lot of skill too.”
After two seasons with the US National Development Program, Howdeshell spent last season with the United States Hockey League’s Muskegon Lumberjacks where he scored nine goals and 24 points in 49 games.
He called the chance to play with the US program a great opportunity to learn.
“Definitely taking care of your body,” Howdeshell said of what he learned while with the program. “There are a lot of games in each league you play in so eating right and getting the right sleep (is important). Going into the workout room and going on the ice, you have to have that mentality that you have to give 100 per cent each time.”
Playing against older competition with the US program was also something that helped him develop his game and Howdeshell believes he can use that experience to help the younger players he plays with.
With an emphasis on development, a season with the Greyhounds is something Howdeshell hopes can further that step, and it’s an opportunity to do so alongside a close friend. What’s better than that?