Evan
Headrick is the latest member of his family to make an impact on the ice and
together they’re making an impact off the ice, too. The
U16 AAA Oakville Rangers and his family together run Headrick Hockey to help
introduce Indigenous youth from their own Garden Rivers First Nations reserve
and other communities to the sport.
Their
company visits reserves, putting on hockey camps for kids and providing them
with gear, something Headrick acknowledges he has been fortunate to have his
whole life.
“For
as long as I’ve been alive we’ve had that opportunity,” he Headrick said in an
interview at Canlan Sports in Oakville. “But some kids may not be as
fortunate, so that’s what we’re trying to do, trying to give each kid that
opportunity.”
Making
a difference requires a group effort, one helped by the family’s deep
involvement in the sport and while working in Indigenous communities, Headrick
has followed in the footsteps of his four older siblings by producing his own
outstanding results.
Given
their success, he’s always had a standard to live up to.
“I
had a lot of expectations,” he said. “With four siblings playing high-level
hockey you have a lot of duties and responsibilities maybe that other families
wouldn’t.”
Older
brother Owen, who currently plays with the American Hockey League’s
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, could tell from a young age his little brother
would follow in his footsteps.
“I
think he’s doing a great job,” Owen said. “There is definitely a lot of
pressure on him, I mean all four of us played travel hockey growing up and his
two older sisters played university hockey and I’m now in the AHL.
“He’s
doing a great job and if he keeps on this path he’s on right now, he’s going to
have a great career ahead of him.”
Headrick’s
always had a sense of how to carry himself not only on the ice, but off the ice
as well.
“He
was always hanging around with us, hanging out with our friends. So, I think he
was kind of just born into it,” Owen said. “I remember when he was like
10-years-old he definitely was a lot more mature than a lot of his friends and
people around him.”
Rangers
coach Mike DeRenzis notices it, as well.
“He’s
such a mature kid, very responsible, intelligent kid, a player that’s a leader
off the ice and someone that we really enjoy having,” he said. “He’s got a
tremendous head for the game, sees the ice very well, very good on both sides
of the puck, very smart. Just an explosive skater, very skilled, great
release.”
Headrick
feels being one of the fastest skaters in the Ontario Minor Hockey Association
is making him stand out from other players, an asset he looks to use to his
advantage.
Yet
he’s not complacent, doing skills sessions with his brother will help in
pursuit of eventual success in the OHL.
The
time they spend together on the ice is something Owen had looked forward to for
a long time.
“It
was tough, him being 11 years younger, I’ve wanted to work with him for so long
and now he’s finally getting at the age where he can keep up and actually
practice and do drills,” he explained. “I’ve always stressed with him to
work on his shot. I got to play with guys like Alex DeBrincat, who is just a
great goal-scorer and you can see it now, he’s doing it in the NHL. So, I
always try to work with him on his shot, getting it off quicker and just being
able to put it where he wants to put it.”
That
work should help Headrick hear his name called during the OHL Draft April
12-13, while he also helps his community and others gain access to the sport he
loves.
About the author: Justin Arenburg is a student in the Sport Journalism post-grad program at Centennial College.