A Path to Success: Dylan Wells
For many young players, participating in the OHL Gold Cup is the first taste of what they should expect in years to come. Two years after his experience, the Peterborough Petes’ Dylan Wells still remembers everything from it.
“We all came together like we were twenty-two best friends and we had just met, it was crazy but it was a lot of fun, obviously we won so we were able to find success somehow and I don’t think I would change anything going back.”
The OHL Gold Cup event showcases the best players from the three Hockey Canada branches in Ontario: Hockey Eastern Ontario (HEO), Hockey Northern Ontario (HNO) and the Ontario Hockey Federation (OHF). As member partner of the OHF, the Ontario Minor Hockey Association (OMHA) has the chance to send two teams to the event each year.
Wells played for Team OMHA White at the 2014 OHL Gold Cup in Kitchener, Ontario. Wells recalls his experience and how it helped him prepare for the Program of Excellence.
The Petes goaltender said his time at the Gold Cup was filled with new friends and growth as a player. He still keeps in touch with many of his former teammates. Wells says Team OMHA White is a great example that winning a Championship is not always about which team is the most talented, but rather the ability of a team to come together.
“From day one, everybody connected and talked and we grew as a team. Going in I don’t think we had the most skilled team, I don’t think we were pegged as the favourites to win it, but I think because of the way we came together we were able to find a way to win and win the tournament.” The positive experiences from the OHL Gold Cup don’t just end at the win for Wells.
Watch Dylan Wells interview here
“It was a learning curve definitely coming to the (Ontario Hockey) League, but I think going through the Gold Cup and going through Hockey Canada camps it really prepares you to play with the best players.” Wells has also met with the ‘best players’ representing Canada at the World Under-17 Challenge and U18 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Cup.
“I’m definitely enjoying it, going through the Gold Cup, U17 and U18, you learn a lot and pick up little things from every tournament,” said Wells, abouthis overall progress through Hockey Canada’s Program of Excellence.
When asked if there was any advice he would pass along to future OHL Gold Cup participants, he suggests: “You have to have the mentality that you want to get better and be the best you can be every day, you have to want to be the first one on the ice and the last one off, you have to want to do the extra stuff and then want to do the extra stuff after that.”
With Wells now in his NHL draft year, he is focused on being the best player he can. He aspires to play pro hockey after he is done in the OHL and hopes to compete for Team Canada again.
The 2016 OHL Gold Cup will again take place in Kitchener, Ontario highlighting the top players in Ontario from May 4th-8th. Click here to find out which Petes prospects will be competing in the tournament.
