For Jeremiah
D’Ornellas, life is about more than just hockey.
The left-winger
for the U16 AAA Oshawa Generals has enjoyed his most successful season by
reaching the 40-goal plateau while also being on track to reach the R.S.
McLaughlin CVI honour roll for a second consecutive year.
“I achieved
honour roll last year in Grade 9, which is a big thing for my family,” he said,
prior to a recent practice at the Delpark Homes Centre. “We always try to
strive for that academic level of excellence, so achieving 80’s in my first
semester this year was a big thing for us.”
The work ethic
D’Ornellas shows at school also translates to his training on the ice.
The Generals’ forward recognizes that there are always areas in his game that can be enhanced
and takes aim at them.
“Recently, I've
been really working on picking up the puck at full speed,” said the
15-year-old. “As a team, we've really been working on crashing the net, that's
where some of my goals have been coming from.”
Head coach Tony
Stabile has been impressed with D’Ornellas discipline since taking over the
team before their U14 season.
A veteran of 30
years in minor hockey, he says the Ajax, Ont. native doesn’t need to be pushed
by others to succeed.
“He's got that
internal drive … I’d like to take all the credit, but he’s the reason he’s as
good as he is,” said the Generals coach. “Very hardworking, very mature.
“We made a little
challenge for him to see how many times he could race back to strip guys of
pucks, and he became our best back-checker pretty quickly.”
Stabile also
described the third year assistant captain as a strong leader in the dressing
room, someone who is “very popular.”
“He's not the
loudest guy in the room,” he continued, “but he never has a bad day.”
At five-foot-six,
D’Ornellas understands that his size presents a potential challenge for him as
he gets older. However, he refuses to let that show on the ice.
“I've always been
the smaller guy so I’ve learned to adapt and just battle hard,” he explained.
“I’m trying to play to that six-foot level. Every time I get out there I always
try to hit the bigger guys to show my physicality and strength.”
Preparation has
become a priority in D’Ornellas’ lifestyle so that he can fuel his growth and
potential in hockey, but more importantly, as a person.
Nutrition is one
ingredient of his success and while his routine is “not too strict, I like to
have a sweet potato before every game.”
He added that
pre-game handshakes with teammates such as Logan Bennett, whom D’Ornellas has
played with for 10 years, allow him to focus on the game at hand.
During downtime,
the tight-knit D’Ornellas family understands how important it is to spend time
together, “so we always try to do something (together) whenever we can."
He added that playing video games with teammates helps to bring the club
closer together.
Looking ahead,
Stabile sees a future in hockey for D’Ornellas, as long as he continues to put
in the work, saying, “I think he could go as far as he's willing to stick with
it.”
About the Author: Brandon Brown is a student in the Sport Journalism post-grad program at Centennial College.