Owen Headrick has been playing hockey most of his life, but this season his career took a turn when he signed a contract with the independent AHL Club, Chicago Wolves. On November 27th, Headrick was traded to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins along with teammate Peter Abbandonato. On December 6th, Headrick was re-assigned to ECHL Affiliate, Wheeling Nailers. While in Wheeling, Headrick dressed for five games, and tallied points in each game, coming out with one goal and four assists. He was then recalled to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on December 18th.
Playing in the OHL
Getting to play in the OHL is just the first step for many players who dream of playing in the NHL. Headrick was drafted to the OHL (Ontario Hockey League) in 2013. He was selected in the 14th round, 261st overall by the Erie Otters.
“I had a great time in Erie. I got to play for a couple of good coaches and had a lot of great teammates. You learn how to be a professional. Even though you’re still playing Juniors, you play a lot of games. You have to manage that and your body. That was the biggest thing I took away from playing Juniors. “
Headrick on his time in the OHL
When playing in the OHL, players get to know each other and follow each others careers, and form a bond. While in Erie, Headrick played with Detroit Red Wings right winger Alex DeBrincat and Chicago Blackhawks forward, Taylor Raddysh, brother of Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman, Darren Raddysh.
“They’re great guys and super nice people. It was cool to see them at the rink and see they hard work they put in. It’s paid off when you look at them now in the NHL; they’re doing great things. It’s cool that I was able to play with these guys.”
Headrick on playing with future NHLers
Defensemen Talk:
Having to defend against some of the best players in any league can be a daunting task, even for the best players. Headrick speaks on the team that was the hardest to defend in his junior career days.
“We played against a lot of good guys in the OHL, and even last year. I got to play against a lot of good players. I remember there’s a couple guys on the London Knights when we played them in the playoffs that year. They were fast, strong, and they could make plays. That was probably one of the first times I had to deal with defending people like that.”
Every player has that one player they would love to play with, or that they emulate their game after. Headrick talks about the defensemen that he would want to be paired with if it were his choice.
“I’d love to play with Drew Doughty. I heard he’s a great guy and it’d be a lot of fun to be out there with him.”
ECHL Talk:
Headrick played last season in the ECHL with the Idaho Steelheads, but nobody on the team knew that they were going to make it as far as they did to the finals. The Steelheads truly were firing on all cylinders going into the second half of the season and were very hard to get past.
“To be honest, that was my first year pro. I didn’t know what to expect. I was lucky to get there. After the first two months, I realized we were a really good team.”
Headrick on his time with the Steelehads
For Headrick, the 2022-2023 season was a career year for him. In the span of 61 games played for Idaho, he tallied 15 goals with 39 assists. Headrick spoke on what it felt like for him:
“I was coming off of an injury the year before, so I didn’t know what to expect. I didn’t know what was going to happen. I just worked hard in the summer and I was glad it paid off. It was nice being able to be on a team like Idaho. We had a lot of really good players and we were able to put together a lot of wins.”
Defenseman of the Year:
Headrick was awarded 2022-2023 Defenseman of the Year award in the ECHL last season. Headrick led all ECHL defensemen with his 15 goals and four game winning goals. He tied first for 54 points and tied third for six power-play goals. He came in fifth with 24 power-play points, and landed in third with a +35 rating. Headrick is the fourth player to ever earn the award as a rookie, coming behind Sacha Guimond (2012-13), Brandon Smith (1994-95) and Kelly Szautner (1988-89).
“It was a huge honor. We had a lot of good defenseman just on my team [Idaho Steelheads] alone. We played guys like Matt Register, Patrick Kudla, and Dawson Barteaux, who all had exceptional years as well. It was a huge honor for me. It made putting in all that work feel good.”
Pre-Game Routine:
Every player is different in how they set themselves up for a game day. Some are very superstitious with pre- game routines, and some are cool, calm, collected and go with the flow. Whatever routine the player has set up for themselves over time sets them up for success during the game.
“I get home from the rink. I’ll eat my pre-game meal, which is usually some sort of pasta. I’ll take a two hour nap, wake up, shower, and go to the rink.”
Headrick’s pre-game routine
Being A Better Player:
There are lessons that every person and player takes through life with them. Every lesson is different for each player, but it instills within them and they apply it to their game.
“Just not to take the highs too high, and the lows too low. You gotta stay consistent and just have fun. Every time you’re at the rink it can get tiring. As long as you’re going to the rink with a smile on your face and having fun, only good things can happen.”
Getting into Hockey:
Most often time, than not, hockey is a family affair and it is instilled into the next generation. Headrick touches on who got him into hockey.
“My parents. My mom never played but her brothers and father did. My dad played goalie. I learned early on, I wasn’t gonna be a goalie from him. Just from my family growing up, and having a backyard rink at home, that made me fall in love with the game.”
