Addison set to join OHL’s 300 club
Veteran says he’ll enjoy milestone game more if Spitfires defeat the visiting Sting
JIM PARKER
LONDON Windsor Spitfires overage forward Jeremiah Addison ran his career total to 299 in Friday’s game against the London Knights.
On Sunday, the 20-year-old Addison will join a rare group of players in the Ontario Hockey League when he plays his in 300th regularseason game when the Spitfires play the Sarnia Sting at the WFCU Centre.
“It’s always nice to have that marker,” said Addison, a former first-round pick by Saginaw who has also played in Ottawa. “Obviously, you want to go play pro, but I’m happy to be here and happy to be able to reach this milestone in my career.”
Addison is the first Spitfire to reach the mark since Alex Aleardi in 2012-13 when he played his final 28 OHL games in Windsor after stops in Plymouth, Belleville and Kitchener.
“You really reflect on all the stuff you learned,” said Addison, who was a seventh-round pick by the Montreal Canadiens in the 2015 NHL Draft.
“My first year in Saginaw, I was learning the league, going to Ottawa I was more in a leadership role and one of the older guys and coming here and being a veteran and bringing my experience. You kind of reflect and soak it in and all the stuff you’ve learned.”
Addison said there are no special plans for Sunday and he won’t have family members in from his hometown of Brampton to witness the feat.
“Playing 300 games is exciting for me and I’m happy to reach the milestone, but it’s just another day and we have to come in and get a win,” said Addison, who went into Friday’s game with 82 career goals and 175 points.
JONES HITS MARK
Former Spitfires head coach Bob Jones, who still makes his offseason home in the area, notched his 100th OHL win when the Oshawa Generals beat Owen Sound 3-2 in a shootout.
The 47-year-old Jones guided the Spitfires to a 39-23-3-3 record in 2010-11 and a spot in the Western Conference final. In two seasons with the Generals, Jones has compiled a 61-50-7-6 record.
LOCKE WINS AWARD
Former Spitfires forward Eric Locke won the Atlantic University Sport Godfrey Award for leadership on and off the ice.
The 23-year-old Locke, a 13thround pick by the Spitfires in 2009 who played for Windsor, Barrie and Saginaw, is now a third-year student at St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, N.S., where he’s also a three-time academic all-Canadian.