OHL Draft Preview: Hendsbee combines speed and power
Parker Hendsbee is one of the top-rated Niagara prospects for this Saturday’s OHL draft. Photo by OHL IMAGES.
Hockey has always been a big part of Parker Hendsbee’s life.
“It has always been my favourite sport since I was little,” the 15-year-old St. Catharines native said. “My brothers played and I kind of grew up with it. And my grandpa loved hockey and I played for him.”
That love of hockey has translated into the 6-foot-1, 162-pound forward being one of the top-rated players from Niagara in this Saturday’s Ontario Hockey League draft. It wasn’t that long ago that the Niagara North Stars player discovered he had a future in hockey.
“I kind of realized it last year in high school hockey,” he said. “My coach, Bill McLaren, told me that I was pretty good and had a lot of talent so I should really take it seriously.
“It kind of hit me then that I could get drafted this year so I decided to take it a lot more seriously this year and last year.”
He did just that.
“I did a lot more off-ice training, working out, more running and all that kind of stuff on my own,” said Hendsbee, who had 17 goals and 31 points in 30 games with the Niagara North Stars this past season.
He feels the biggest improvement he has made in the past year is in his defensive play.
“It has changed a lot and I have become a lot better,” he said. “I can block shots and get the puck out better than I did last year.”
He describes himself as a well-rounded player.
“I’m a two-way forward who can score, but also play defence and back check,” the Grade 10 student at Denis Morris said. “I am someone who can provide for his team and be a leader on the ice.”
In a report on the scout.ca, he is described as a “nice combination of speed and power and also shows calculated smarts on zone entries. Dangerous shot with quick release and good velocity.”
Hendsbee, who has played in the Niagara North Stars AAA hockey organization his whole career, had a chance to see how he stacked up against others in the draft at last weekend’s OHL Draft Combine. He was one of 36 forwards invited to the event.
“It was amazing,” he said, “I met a lot of new people and made some new friends and it was a great experience. It was well-run and the testing was a lot of fun too.
“It was kind of a new thing for me and it was pretty challenging.”
He left the combine feeling good about himself.
“I felt pretty comfortable,” he said.
Hendsbee has fielded calls from 12-14 OHL clubs and was invited to visit London two weeks ago by Knights general manager Mark Hunter.
He plans to follow the internet draft at home with his family.
“My family and I are going to watch it and see if any of my buddies get drafted,” he said. “I will congratulate them and stuff.”
He is looking forward to the day.
“I am kind of excited and hopefully the right outcome happens and I do get drafted,” he said. “It will be a fun experience if it does happen.”
Getting drafted doesn’t mean Hendsbee will automatically be committing to play major junior A hockey.
“I am still looking at my options,” he said. “It will depend on what my parents want to do, what I want to do and what my agency would like me to do.”
Whatever happens, he knows what he wants to do for the next 10 or 15 years.
“My goal is to play professional hockey whether it’s in the NHL or the Swedish league.”
