Hockey homecoming for Canucks captain
Ben Evans back home in Thorold after one season in OHL and last year in OJHL
Ben Evans has come home and is playing in the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League for the first time in three years.
After spending last season in the Ontario Junior Hockey League and in the Ontario Hockey League the year before that, the 19-year-old Thorold native is back playing in the Golden Horseshoe Conference, this time as the new captain of the Niagara Falls Canucks.
Evans, whose Wellington Dukes fell three goals short of a Canadian Jr. A championship last season, had a chance to return to the Ontario Junior Hockey League team for another season.
However, as much as he enjoyed his time in Wellington, the thought of coming home was uppermost in his mind when the time came to make a decision.
“The word ‘home’ itself is always a good reason to come back and play hockey,” the son of
Mark and Kristy Evans of Thorold said.
“I like being home, continuing my education at home, Niagara Falls is very local to me so it was an easy choice.”
The chance to take part-time classes factored in the decision.
“Hockey isn’t going to be your life forever,” he said. “You have to get life going, you always want to be progressing as a person.
“To go to school and be able to play hockey is blessed.”
He chose the Canucks because of the team’s reputation for putting competitive teams on the ice.
“When you get older, you always want to win,” Evans said. “Every year you want to go to the end of the playoffs, you want to be playing in June, you want to win a championship.
“I think Niagara Falls gives me the best opportunity to do that.”
Evans knew something about the Canucks before signing with the team. Andrew Barbeau, who served two years as captain in Niagara Falls, and Frank Pucci, who led the GOHL with 42 goals, joined the Dukes for the stretch run after the Canucks were eliminated from the playoffs.
“When they came up to Wellington I was talking to them about Niagara Falls, (ownerhead coach) Frank Pietrangelo, the organization as a whole,” Evans said. “They had nothing but good things to say about Frank and the organization.
“When I had a question in the summer, when I had a tough time deciding what I wanted to do next year, giving them a call and hearing their confirmations on how good of an organization Niagara Falls is really helped it.”
Evans is confident he can play the defence-first “Canucks hockey” favoured by Pietrangelo, a retired NHL goaltender and a Stanley Cup winner with the 1991 Pittsburgh Penguins.
“Defence first but when you have the puck, you can do really what you want with it as long as you’re being smart,” he said. “That’s how I like to play, take care of my end first and then be creative when I get the puck.
“The saying in hockey is, ‘The D zone is the work zone, the offensive zone is the fun zone,’” he said with a chuckle.
“Take care of your own end and
“The word ‘home’ itself is always a good reason to come back and play hockey.”
BEN EVANS Niagara Falls Canucks captain
then you can have some fun on the other side of the red line.”
Evans scored 15 goals and collected 31 assists in 36 games with the Wellington Dukes in league play last season. He added five goals and 12 assists in 24 playoff games as the OJHL champions came within three goals of winning the Canadian Jr. A championship at the RBC Cup tournament in British Columbia. Wellington dropped a 4-2 decision to the host Chilliwack Chiefs.
Evans, a graduate of the Southern Tier Admirals minor midget triple A program, had eight goals and 14 assists in 60 regularseason games in the OHL with the Ottawa 67’s in 2016-17.
He netted 21 goals and had 45 assists in 48 games with the Fort Erie Meteors the year before.
Pietrangelo, whose coaching staff was faced with the difficult challenge of finding a replacement for Andrew Barbeau, said it’s never easy to single out just one person in a team sport.
“But as camp went on, it became apparent to our coaching staff that Ben was the right choice to wear the C for this season,” Pietrangelo said. “He is experienced at our level, having played in the GOJHL as a rookie.
“He has played a year in the OHL and a year with Wellington in the OJHL.
“Needless to say, his experience will be very beneficial as captain.”
The six-foot-one, 216-pound left-shooting
centre, the coach said, brings a “positive attitude” and a “great work ethic” with him to the rink each day.
“This is what we want from all of our players.”
Evans impressed his new team as “easygoing, genuine and easily approachable,” all traits that should help the Canucks on and off the ice.
“We feel this is an important feature with the younger players who might need
a shoulder to lean on or some support or reinforcement along the way.”
After his deep playoff run with Wellington, Evans is coming into this season with some unfinished business he needs to complete.
“Playing June hockey, there’s nothing really comparable to it,” he said. “Playing in June last year and coming up a few goals short makes you want to get revenge this year.
“I had a great year in Wellington, I have nothing bad to say about Wellington — they took me in, they treated me great.
“Wellington was an option, it’s just a little far from home and playing at home was an interest to me, and I’m happy I did it.”
Last time Evans was a captain was in minor and major bantam. He was caught a “little off-guard” when Pietrangelo awarded him the captaincy.
“But it’s a challenge that I am willing to look up to, and I can’t wait to get started,” he said.
With the returning players, six of whom will rotate as alternate captains with Niagara Falls this season, Evans doesn’t expect the pressure of wearing the C will be overwhelming.
“It will be an easy job for me, because I can lean on them,” he said. “They’ll be there to support me, and I’ll be there to support them.
“With a great group of guys, it’s really easy. You’ve got a room full of leaders.”
The easy-going Evans said he can speak up in the dressing room when he needs to.
“Sometimes, it just takes a little ‘Hey’ to get the boys prepared for the game or after the game have a little team meeting.”
Evans rates playmaking and hockey IQ as the strengths of his game.
“More or less, I like to do the talking with the on-ice stuff, but if someone needs to talk up in the room I think I can do that for sure.”