Playing for hometown Storm a dream come true for Romeo

They say ‘home is where the heart is.’

For Guelph Storm defenceman Chandler Romeo, that couldn’t ring any truer.

He grew up a Storm fan. His family had Storm season tickets. He was in attendance when the Storm claimed the J. Ross Robertson Cup in 2019. And now, after an OHL trade deadline day move, is now a Storm player.

“When the opportunity came to go and play in Guelph and live at home, especially having season tickets there when I was growing up, it [was] special,” Romeo said. “I’m grateful for the opportunity and it’s really exciting for me and my family to be able to move home and play for a good junior hockey team.”

Growing up, Romeo had all kinds of Storm swag. So, while he had worn Storm gear previously, it didn’t compare to the feeling of pulling a Guelph jersey on for ‘real’ for the first time on Jan. 11.

“It felt surreal,” he recalled. “It felt like fate. I had shirts and jerseys growing up so to put it on for the first time and going out on the ice, it felt like a dream.”

In addition to being at Game 6 in 2019 when the Storm clinched its fourth OHL championship, Romeo also fondly remembers watching fellow defenceman Ryan Merkley. Guelph selected the San Jose Sharks draft pick with the first overall selection in the 2016 OHL Draft and while Romeo is quick to point out how different their games are, Merkley became someone the current Storm d-man looked up to.

“I remember watching all of his games and being so impressed with him as a 16-year-old,” Romeo said. “Not that we play a similar game but he was really entertaining to watch.”

As a member of the Storm, things couldn’t have gone better for the Ottawa Senators prospect. For one thing, he’s become a goalscorer.

In his first 91 OHL games, he scored just three goals. In 30 games with Guelph, Romeo found the back of the net on eight occasions.

“I think I have a little more confidence playing in Guelph now,” he said. “I have bit more of a leash to join the rush and I’m getting put out in more key situations.

“And I’ve just been shooting; I’ve always been confident I’ve had a good shot so I’ve been letting it go a bit more and it’s been going in for me so it’s been working out well.”

That's a 🅿️🅿️ goal for #GoSensGo prospect Chandler Romeo!

He finds the back of the net with seconds left on the @Storm_City man advantage! #CHLTVGOTW pic.twitter.com/2vd0bR9QH1

— Canadian Hockey League (@CHLHockey) March 19, 2023

The Storm had high expectations this year; they were ranked fourth in the Kia CHL Top 10 preseason rankings but were extremely slow out of the gate going 1-7-2 over their first 10 games and ultimately traded star forward Sasha Pastujov (ANA) to Sarnia. However, they rebounded and with Romeo in the lineup, the club went 20-10-0 to finish sixth in the Western Conference with 35 wins.

Yet, in a twist of fate, Romeo finds himself up against his former Sarnia teammates in the first round of the OHL Playoffs, a series that the Sting lead 2-0.

“Coach Wiseman has done a fantastic job of getting everyone to buy in to our team identity, working hard, forechecking, and being relentless, which is a term he uses a lot,” Romeo said. “Being relentless, having that hard-working mentality really turned the season around for our team.”

Regardless of how far the Storm go in the postseason, it’s been a coming-of-age season for the 19-year-old. Romeo was unable to enjoy the 2021 NHL Draft experience due to Covid-19 restrictions. He lost an entire year of junior hockey, his rookie year no less, in 2020. But now the seventh-round pick is beginning to flourish and for that, you can thank the Storm.

“My first year in the league, I had more turnovers and I wasn’t as confident with the puck but this year I’ve really found my groove where I feel I can make plays in the ‘D’ and ‘O’ zone,” Romeo said.

“I have my role; I know I’m not going to be an offensive defenceman in the NHL. I’m going to be a stay-at-home, strong, good on the penalty kill defenceman with a good stick and chip in on offence when I need to.

“So, I’ve really honed in on my role this year.”