Kingwell jacked up for OHL debut
Shaan Kingwell spent the week preparing for his final two games before the Christmas break, expecting to visit the Carleton Place Jr. Canadians and the Ottawa Jr. Senators.
Instead, he hopped on a bus destined for Peterborough, where he’ll make his OHL debut on Thursday night after inking an OHL scholarship and development agreement with the Ottawa 67’s.
“I’m so pumped,” Kingwell said with a giant smile. “I used to love coming to watch the 67’s, watching Noel Hoefenmayer and all those guys. When you’re a kid, you dream of playing in the OHL, and now that it’s a reality, it’s a huge honour.”
In 23 games with the Navan Grads of the CCHL this season, Kingwell paces his club in the points-per-game category — good for third across the league — picking up 39 in 23 games (1.70 PPG), including 18 goals.
It was last night while his family was decorating the Christmas tree that he got the long-awaited call from General Manager James Boyd, making his signing official.
It took longer than the 222nd overall pick in the 2023 OHL Priority Selection hoped, but Kingwell never pouted about his situation, and has used it as fuel to create something special in Navan.
Last season, the Grads were one of the best junior ‘A’ hockey clubs in all of Canada, winning a CCHL championship and reaching the Centennial Cup. This season, they’ve continued their winning ways, and the Ottawa native has played a massive role in their continued success.
Personally, Kingwell has become an established player in the country, being honoured with a spot on the CCHL All-Rookie Team last season, and participating in big competitions like the World Jr. A Challenge for Team Canada East, and on the Battle of Ontario on Team CCHL Yzerman Young Guns.
To say the least, Kingwell has taken it all in stride, and done everything in his power to put himself into a great position for his hockey future.
“It has been awesome,” Kingwell said of his time in Navan. “All the staff and my teammates, I love them to death. Leaving them for this is tough.”
While in Navan, Kingwell also became good friends with 67’s goaltender Jaeden Nelson, and once again, they’re teammates.
“With us both being 16-year-olds last year, we knew our first year of junior hockey can sometimes be tough,” Kingwell said. “We had a lot to talk about, and we bonded over our age.”
Nelson was one of the first people to know about the signing, and might be equally — if not more — excited about it than Kingwell himself.
“He texted me last night, and I was so excited,” Nelson said. “I knew things would open up, and it’d be possible for him this year. I was so happy for him to have that Team Canada experience, and I knew this would be on the radar for him.”
In his own words, Kingwell says he’s a team-first player, but loves to light the lamp and make things happen.
Tonight, though, there’s no extra pressure. It’s a night to remember, and whether or not he gets his name on the scoresheet is not a worry.
“It’s my first OHL game, so I’m just trying to get into the play,” he explained. “Don’t do anything that I wouldn’t do in Navan. If I just play my game, I think I’ll be fine.”
