Overage assets pay dividends for OHL clubs

by Evan Mathias

Quality overage players have become a rare commodity in the Ontario Hockey League.

Overagers are expected to be leaders to rookies and help in their developmental process as well as be top line players.

“Obviously your foremost concern is to get a kid that can be a front-line player in your lineup, but you want your overagers to be players who can lead by example and set a standard on and off the ice,” said OHL scout Scott Campbell. “I’d love to have at least two of my overagers as front-line players, guys who are either a number one goalie, top-six forward, or a top-four defenceman.”

Teams are only able to carry three overage players on their roster so picking the right players to comprise your overage spots is never an easy decision.

“Rarely are there more than 40 quality overage players (in the OHL),” said Campbell. “We’re seeing more opportunities for them to explore (such as playing professionally) rather than playing a final season in the OHL.”

Campbell said that there is a huge transition for rookies coming out of minor hockey into the OHL.

“They (overagers) are critical in helping your younger players adjust to the league,” said Campbell. “Overagers can really teach them the ins and outs of the game and show them what it takes to have success in the league while managing all of the distractions.”

Ryan Verbeek, a third round pick of the Spits in 2012, agreed the transition into the OHL was a difficult one.

“It was a big difference, guys move the puck a lot faster, shoot the puck faster and it’s just a lot faster pace of the game,” said Verbeek. “You’ve got to react quicker and you’ve got to get used to that.”

Spits rookie forward Josh Ho-Sang also found adjusting to playing in the OHL difficult but didn’t find speed to be the biggest difference.

“Time and space closes down, you’ve got to learn how to adapt to that,” said Ho-Sang. “Guys are a lot better with their sticks and they’re going to take the body on you.”

The Windsor Spitfires had four overage players throughout the course of this past season. At the beginning of the year, captain Saverio Posa, Derek Schoenmakers and Emerson Clark were Windsor’s three overage players.

As the season progressed Posa was dealt to the Guelph Storm and Schoenmakers was traded away to the Peterborough Petes, much to Ho-Sang’s displeasure.

“(Schoenmakers) really helped me. He was keeping me in line and trying to help me become a better hockey player,” said Ho-Sang. “He knew what to do and what not to do and he really helped me. When he got traded it really hurt.”

Ho-Sang said his bond with Schoenmakers was unlike his relationships with the other overage players.

“Schoenmakers was a guy that I could talk to. He was probably my best friend, I had a really good relationship with him,” said Ho-Sang. “With (Schoenmakers) he was kind of like an older brother. I think that was a one of a kind thing.”

Ho-Sang said there were a few times Schoenmakers sat down with him and talked about playing in the OHL
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“One time I was playing really really bad,” said Ho-Sang. “I couldn’t even make a five-foot pass and I was losing my mind. (Schoenmakers) came down the bench and told me how good I was and how good everyone else is in the league and that I have to respect other people’s talent and make simple smart plays.”

When Schoenmakers left, it was the first time Ho-Sang had to deal with a teammate being traded.

“I really didn’t know what to do. It just sucked,” said Ho-Sang.

Verbeek said he had a different overage mentor this season.

“Emerson Clark was the most open guy to talk to me,” said Verbeek. “He was giving me tips and stuff like that, showed me a couple of moves around the net.”

OHL scout, Rob Benneian said there was a reason certain rookies gravitate towards certain overagers.

“Guys will gravitate to players who are similar to them,” said Benneian. “A guy like Ryan Verbeek will be more apt to try to learn from Emerson Clark, someone who plays a similar style. Josh Ho-Sang and Derek Schoenmakers were a similar match because both guys had a bit of a swagger on and off the ice.”

Before the trade deadline the Spits acquired overage forward Alex Aleardi from the Plymouth Whalers. Aleardi came from a front-runner to the young rebuilding Spitfires.

“Coming from Plymouth, we had nine forwards who had all been in the league a couple years,” said Aleardi. “My role changed a lot (coming to Windsor), I became a go-to guy on the power play and the penalty kill and was expected to be a leader on and off the ice.”

Campbell said a player’s role changing is the natural progression of the league.

“You’re always going to see kids step up from one year to the next,” said Aleardi. “Some guys do flat line in their development but for the most part you’ll always find examples of overagers who go from depth roles at 19-years-old to front-line roles at 20.”

Aleardi said it isn’t just the rookies who need guidance in the league.

“I sat next to (Adam) Bateman, who’s a younger guy, second year in the league. Me and him always talked and he always appreciated everything. I would just help him with little things, off-ice stuff too,” said Aleardi.

The ex-Spits overager said he was always around to help the rookies out when they needed it.

“He (Ho-Sang) sometimes over thinks things, so I would try to calm him down and help him out,” said Aleardi
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Ho-Sang acknowledged Aleardi was around to help the young players.

“He’s a great guy and he really helped me out (this season),” said Ho-Sang.

Windsor Spitfires forward Remy Giftopoulos will become an overage player next year. However his role might be one that doesn’t change next season.

“I really don’t think his role will change much at all. He came in and was essentially the third overage player. You could tell that the guys on the team respected what he had to say,” said Benneian. “He’s one of those guys that you can put in any role and he will make the best out of it.”

The right overager can be a valuable asset in any teams lineup. Picking a quality overage player is something every team strives for. They do so much for a team’s lineup, whether it is playing top-line minutes or being a depth player who helps develop rookies they all have important roles. Quality overage skaters have become a commodity that every team wants in their lineup.

“Overagers are incredibly important to a team’s success or failure,” said Benneian. “If you look at the good teams, championship teams, they almost always have a strong core of overagers.”