Firebirds pluck goalie in eighth round
Liam Edgcumbe-Applebee’s rags to riches story continued Saturday morning.
With the 148th overall pick in the eighth round of the Ontario Hockey League draft, the Flint Firebirds selected the 15-year-old Grimsby resident.
“I was watching it last night and this morning at my nana and poppa’s house with them, my mom and brother and looking forward to it,” the 6-foot-3, 165-pound Niagara North Stars goalie said. “It has been interesting to see all the guys getting picked and noticing all the guys who I have played against. By the time the eighth round came around, I was getting a little stressed out but then I got chosen six picks into the eighth round.”
Getting selected was a big moment for the Grade 10 student at West Niagara.
“It was pretty surreal because it was all that work. My mom and nana and poppa were crying considering three years ago I was playing double A and I had a broken arm. I never would have thought this would be a reality. I am super excited and it’s becoming more real every minute. I am just loving it.”
The broken arm was the result of falling off his bike while doing a jump.
“I split both bones right through. It was the last time I did a jump on my bike.”
He is “super excited” to be selected by Flint.
“They are a good organization and my goalie coach (Lucas Lobsinger) is there as head goalie scout so I am looking forward to being able to work with him and the whole organization.”
Lobsinger is a big fan of his student.
“Liam is a big, athletic goalie with a ton of upside. He kept getting better all season and played his best hockey at the most important and pressure packed time of the year. Our staff in Flint is thrilled we were able to draft him.”
After he was selected, Edgcumbe-Applebee was contacted by Lobsinger and head coach Paul Flache.
“They welcomed me to the team and they said they are excited to work with me. They picked me up a little later than they thought they were going to be able to and they were happy about that,” he said.
Edgcumbe-Applebee will be attending Flint’s development camp next weekend and is looking forward to that experience.
“I will want to take it all in, enjoy the experience and go out there and show everybody who I am. I want everyone to know I might not get a first look because I am a little bit of a later pick but I know I can run with the best kids in the draft. I have to show everybody what I am about.”
It was two weekends in a row of excitement for Edgcumbe-Applebee. Last weekend, he was one of 16 goalies invited to the OHL Combine.
“It was really good. I took it all in and enjoyed being around top-end talent. I worked as hard as I could and I turned some heads.”
He started playing house league hockey in Grimsby when he was five and played with Grimsby minor hockey until major novice where he suited up at the single travel level with Grimsby. When Grimsby amalgamated with West Niagara, he competed at the AA level for two seasons before joining the AAA Niagara North Stars three seasons ago.
This past season, Edgcumbe-Applebee posted 2.05 goals against average and three shutouts in 16 regular season games with the North Stars and recorded a shutout over Halton to help the North Stars qualify for the OHL Cup. He also started an exhibition game and saw the ice in a regular season game with the Hamilton Kilty B’s of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League.
