Déjà vu for Eagles’ Rumsey
Rumsey adds veteran presence to young Eagles
SYDNEY — When Mark Rumsey joined the Moncton Wildcats to begin the 201920 Quebec Major Junior Hockey League season, he was one of the older rookies on the roster.
The 18-year-old from St. John’s, N.L., needed time to transition to the hustle and bustle of every day major junior life both on and off the ice.
It was then that former Cape Breton West Islander forward Jacob Hudson took Rumsey under his wing.
“He showed me the ropes of junior hockey,” said Rumsey. “He was the guy I went to (to ask) advice on the team. I still keep in contact with him regularly and we’re pretty good buddies.”
During the Christmas trade period last season, Rumsey was traded to the rebuilding Acadie-Bathurst Titan, who finished in last place in the 18-team league with a 12-40-8-4 record.
As one of the older players on the club, Rumsey was asked to provide leadership and guidance to young players like Cole Huckins, Riley Kidney, David Doucet and Zachary Racicot to name a few.
“I took the information that Huddy gave me and passed it on to them,” said Rumsey. “I was that guy that took the younger guys under my wing and basically taught them what I had learned up to that point.”
SIMILAR STORY
Rumsey began the 2020-21 season with the Titan but found himself in a familiar position during the Christmas trade period.
The six-foot-three, 201pound left-winger was traded to the Chicoutimi Saguenéens for a sixth-round draft pick in 2023 on Jan. 25 and later the same day, the Saguenéens flipped the now 19-year-old Rumsey, goaltending prospect Rémi Delafontaine and a second-round pick in 2022 to Cape Breton for 19-year-old forward
Félix Lafrance.
Like the Titan last season, the Eagles are in the middle of reshaping the organization and preparing for a rebuild after being considered one of the top teams in the QMJHL in 2019-20, prior to the COVID-19 shutdown in mid-March.
After all was said and done, Rumsey found himself one of five 19-year-olds on the Eagles roster and was once again required to add veteran presence to a lineup with an average age of 18.07.
“I’m just trying to tell them not to get caught up in winning and losing games and just focus on developing their games,” said Rumsey, who credits his older brothers and father for inspiring him to play the game.
“It’s not always about hockey. We have to go to school and stay on time and stuff like that, so it’s the little things that lead up to winning games and being the
best you can be every day.”
For the past month, the Eagles have been battling injuries, which has forced the club to call up players on a regular basis.
“We’re pretty beat up and we’ve had a short lineup for a while now, but the guys have been working hard,” said Rumsey. “Everyone is trying to get used to playing here and playing together and some are still trying to get used to the league.
“For the number of obstacles we’ve had during the second half of the season, I think we’re doing what we can and all trying to be the best players we can be.”
NEWFOUNDLAND AFFECT
Rumsey began his hockey career in St. John’s. After playing for his hometown team at the under-15 ‘AAA’ level, Rumsey made the move to New Brunswick, playing his Grade 10 and Grade 11 years with Rothesay Netherwood School.
At the prep school, Rumsey posted 56 goals and 92 points in 106 games and would be drafted by Moncton in the fifth-round, No. 86 overall, at the 2017 QMJHL Entry Draft.
Rumsey later returned to Newfoundland and suited up for the Tri-Pen Osprey of the Newfoundland and Labrador Under-18 Major Hockey
League, posting 15 goals and 30 points in 18 games in 2018-19.
“There’s not too many Newfoundlanders that get the chance to be drafted in the QMJHL, but I think that year (2017) there were seven or eight of us selected which was great for Newfoundland hockey,” said Rumsey.
Newfoundland and Labrador has had the secondfewest players in the QMJHL among the four Atlantic Canada provinces. To date, 154 players from the province have played at least one game in the Quebec league.
Twenty Newfoundlanders have suited up for the Eagles, notably Dustin Russell, Ryan Walsh, Adam Pardy, Robert Slaney, Luke Adam and Clark Bishop.
Walsh and Adam are currently in the province’s top 10 for all-time points in the QMJHL. Walsh is sixth on the list with 105 goals and 250 points in 193 games, while Adam is ranked seventh with 113 goals and 220 points in 236 games.
GAME POSTPONED
The Eagles were scheduled to host the Charlottetown Islanders in QMJHL action today at Centre 200 in Sydney, however, due to COVID-19 precautionary measures, the league announced the postponement of the game Tuesday afternoon.
Cape Breton and Charlottetown were also scheduled to play last Sunday in Prince Edward Island and that game was postponed after members of the Eagles reported “flu-like symptoms.”
As per agreement with the Islanders and P.E.I. government, the Eagles players were tested prior to leaving Charlottetown on Sunday.
All Eagles players and staff tested negative for COVID19, however, the league decided to postpone today’s game because a few players are still experiencing flu-like symptoms.
Cape Breton is scheduled to play the Halifax Mooseheads on Friday at 4 p.m. at Scotiabank Centre in Halifax. As of now, the game is still scheduled to take place.