Troy Patton is setting his sights on the Ontario
Hockey League draft after a tremendous year with the U16 AAA Barrie Jr. Colts.
An
emphatic 11-0 win in the team’s home opener Oct. 14 foreshadowed a season to
remember for the Colts, whose 33-2-0 record topped the Ontario Minor Hockey
Association’s East Division. But on that early fall night, Patton’s performance
took centre stage.
The
forward captivated those in attendance with four goals, all in tight, the puck
always seeming to find its way back onto his stick.
Patton’s
recollection of the contest five months later paints a different picture.
“I
don’t know if all of those four goals were all from me, got to give some credit
to the teammates,” he said. “I just try to play my game and then the results
will come from there.”
It’s a
simple and selfless mindset but one that’s served Patton well leading up to the
OHL draft April 12-13. His growth as a player is evident not only in his stats
with 24 goals and 31 assists in 35 games played, but in his coach’s praise, as
well.
“There’s
not a lot of things that you ask him that he can’t really process right away
and apply to a game,” said Josh Cooper, an assistant coach with the Jr. Colts. “We
do a lot of video work, and he takes the video to the practice, to the game,
and that’s in all three zones of the ice.”
While
the importance of becoming a 200-foot player is stressed by Cooper and the
coaching staff, there’s no denying one of Patton’s most notable progressions
has been diversifying his offensive arsenal.
The
15-year-old built a reputation on scoring from just outside the crease, but now
he’s equally potent in transition.
“I
think he’s become a very dangerous player off the rush, we knew he was already
lethal down low,” Cooper said. “But I think he’s added kind of that element of
deception off the rush to his game as well which has made him really tough to
defend.”
At a
time when skill and speed reign supreme in hockey, Patton’s newly refined
abilities should play at the next level.
The OHL
may not seem like a far cry from AAA, but the Jr. Colts are aware of the jump in
competition and the challenges it may present for their athletes. That being said,
the team is confident in its strategies to prepare players for the leap.
“There
are some things that we focus on that we see in the OHL or the NHL and we show
them videos of NHL players or OHL players demonstrating a certain skill and we
get them to try to apply that pretty quickly in practice and then take it into
the games,” said Cooper.
Before
taking the ice for an OHL debut however, the draft takes place and that is an
experience just as spectacular for the player and team alike.
“It’s
the start of a long journey for them at the next level, right?" said Cooper.
“It’s a special day for the families and you just want the best for every guy
on our team and for a guy like Troy, I think any team that would make that
decision would be very happy calling his name on that day, it would be a very
smart decision.”
Patton
is acutely aware of what hearing his name called on OHL draft day might feel
like personally but also for his parents.
“It
would be a dream come true. Ever since I could remember basically I’ve wanted
to get drafted,” said Patton, born in Mulmur Township, Ont. “My family’s been
working really hard for me and my brothers and sister. Especially driving us
everywhere, so I think it would be a great day getting my name called.”
Patton
is the oldest of four children. His brothers Quinn and Nathan also play AAA,
and his sister Ella is in AA.
Patton
credits his parents for getting him to this point in his hockey career and is
grateful for the position they’ve put him in.
“I can
see how hard they work, all the time and energy that they put in,” he said. “I
really appreciate that and look up to them and really see how I would love to
be like that for my kids.”
About the author: Cristian Ceniti is a student in the Sport Journalism post-grad program at Centennial College.