Captain North Star awaits draft day
Patrick Babin is eagerly anticipating this weekend’s OHL draft.
“It is a bunch of everything. I’m really excited at having a shot at getting drafted. Growing up, it is pretty much the dream of every kid who plays hockey,” the 16-year-old Niagara Falls resident said. “It has been crazy and I am excited but not too nervous. I know at the end of the day it will all just play out and you don’t have to worry. It is out of your hands at this point and you have to enjoy it and see how it goes.”
The Niagara North Stars player is planning on following the draft with family members and close friends.
“I am going to keep it low. I don’t want too big of a party.”
He had been contacted by at least 10 OHL teams prior to the draft and has tried to remain humble.
“I stick to the key things I am good at and feel comfortable talking about, like my hockey IQ. I let them compliment me as much as they want and not be the one talking about it myself. I want to be humble and comfortable in my own shoes.”
He is obviously interested in playing in the OHL.
“It is such high-level hockey and it is something that really brings out the best in a lot of players. It produces and develops a lot of high-end players and it is one of the top producers for the NHL so it is a sought after league that would be cool to play in.”
The Grade 10 student at A.N. Myer considered the NCAA route but the OHL is at the top of his list.
“Growing up, I always went to IceDogs games and it would be cool to have buddies go to my games in the future. I wouldn’t mind going there and, honestly, any team would be great.”
The six foot, 165-pound defenceman started in Niagara Falls house league hockey and began his AAA career eight years ago with the Southern Tier Admirals. He just completed his third season with the Niagara North Stars organization.
He realized getting drafted into the OHL might be a reality when he moved over to the North Stars.’
“Throughout that season, I definitely made a jump. That was the season after COVID and I noticed I had improved in the offseason training on my own. Just from there, at the end of the season I got a call from the Newport Sports agency. They talked to me, they brought me aboard their team and from there they have helped me along the way and looked at me as an opportunity.”
Getting signed by Newport was a big moment.
“You’re thinking that maybe there is something there at that point. I started having a year-by-year type of mentality because I am still young. There are still so many things that could happen but at the time it was ‘Oh geez, It is time to go somewhere.’ ”
His dream OHL destination would be the London Knights.
“They have the accolades and history of producing amazing players and their organization would be a good fit for my game. It would be a cool place to go.”
His brother Stephen also goes to Western.
“That would be cool if we were in the same city next year.”
This past season, Babin had eight goals and 36 points in 34 regular season games for the North Stars.
“Patrick is an elite defenceman with a very high hockey IQ. He sees the ice extremely well which allows him to effectively make a strong first pass and get the team’s transition game going,” Niagara head coach Jay Glenney said. “He has been a great leader for three years with our team, leading both by example through his on ice play and verbally in the dressing room.”
Babin has been captain of the North Stars for the past three seasons.
“I have been honoured to have the C. I took that role early on and I have kind of been developing. Obviously I am not perfect, but over the years I have worked on being a good leader and it has helped me a lot on and off the ice.”
He feels he has taken steps as a player in his draft year.
“I have gotten stronger and more faster and quicker. I made a big jump with physical changes and my ability to skate and shoot the puck.”
Those changes came through training in the offseason with Stacy Gough and with Athlete Farm Niagara, and hitting the weight room.
The next step in his develop will be more of the same.
“I am going to continue working out with Stacy and this year Newport got me connected with a guy named George Rusich at AthElite Asylum in Grimsby. There’s a lot of other people from my agency that work out there. He has been great. I have worked out a few times with him and I have loved it. I think I can make a big jump working out with him and Stacy.”
He described his style of play as a two-way defenceman who can join the rush and be an offensive threat while also being able to shut down the other team’s top offensive players.
“I still have to prove it but I can think the game fine but it’s getting to that next pace which is getting faster and stronger.”
Babin is a former AA and AAA travel baseball player with the Niagara Falls Falcons, winning two Ontario AA championships as a centre fielder and relief pitcher.
“It was great for me to have an off season and get my mind away from hockey a bit. It was great to come back to hockey with some new energy instead of thinking about it all summer because you have no other sport to play.”
He began to focus more on hockey when he joined the North Stars.
Baseball helped with his hand-eye coordination and the mental side of sports.
“I was put into a lot of high-leverage situations as a pitcher and being able to keep your cool when something goes wrong helped a lot on the ice as well.”
