Michael Simpson: A whirlwind journey to the PMC crease
Every player that makes it to the OHL must overcome their own unique challenges along their hockey journey. Petes goalie Michael Simpson is no exception as he has had to withstand a whirlwind of events that eventually led him to the crease at the PMC.
Unlike most players, Simpson did not fall in love with the sport of hockey right away. The London, Ontario native found his passion for the sport after playing between the pipes for the first time.
“I played as a player for the first year with a rotating goalie on my team and then I really just fell in love with the position. Just being able to control and impact the game so much and having the pressure on me was something I really liked.”
While facing the usual challenges associated with any hockey player, Simpson also had to balance being a type 1 diabetic and all the difficulties associated with it. While balancing his blood sugars and insulin levels during games and practices was initially a challenge, the young netminder has been able to develop a routine to ensure he can play at his highest level every time he hits the ice.
“When I was younger, it was a lot more difficult than it is right now. I have a good routine now and I can prepare myself better to have my sugars where they need to be.”
Despite the challenges he faced on his journey, Simpson would eventually be selected by the Petes in the 10th round of the 2019 OHL draft. As a lower draft pick, Simpson came into Petes camp in 2019 with very little pressure and looking to prove that he belonged there and could be the next Petes goaltender.
OH OK, SIMMER ????#GoPetesGo | @SIMSHOW31 pic.twitter.com/eueS9ip3GC
— Peterborough Petes (@PetesOHLhockey) March 24, 2022
He did just that. Simpson had a successful camp and signed with the Petes, but wasn’t expected to get into very much game action for the maroon and white. He spent the season playing for the Petes AAA affiliate in Peterborough and practiced with the big club on a daily basis to get a taste of the speed of the junior game.
“The whole situation really set me up for success being able to play a lot and play pretty well in midget and then also get to practice with the OHL guys. Getting that little taste in practice of OHL play definitely makes you hungrier and makes you want to step up your game to get there full-time.”
After the cancellation of the 2020-21 season, Simpson was heading into his NHL draft year still without playing a single minute in the OHL. Even though he didn’t get drafted, he was invited to attend the Arizona Coyotes development camp where he was able to get an inside look at what it was like to be a professional player.
Simmer can stop pucks AND break up plays ????#GoPetesGo | @SIMSHOW31 pic.twitter.com/Nehv3XViSy
— Peterborough Petes (@PetesOHLhockey) March 16, 2022
Simpson came back to Peterborough after development camp looking to make an impact on a young Petes roster in his first full year with the Petes. Even with the hockey world returning to a sort of normalcy, Simpson’s wild junior hockey ride took another turn thanks to TSN and the travelling Bardown crew. The young goaltender was featured in a TSN video that would go viral and would lead to him getting recognized in OHL rinks around the province.
“At rinks around the league, I’ve heard some fans refer to me as the guy from the Bardown video so that’s pretty cool.”
While in his first season with the Petes, Simpson identified that his favourite games of the season were the rivalry games against the Oshawa Generals. The rivalry has an extra competitive sense to the young netminder because his former junior hockey teammate Brett Harrison is a member of the Generals. No matter how big or small the game might be, Michael Simpson loves the pressure of playing between the pipes and his competitive nature is constantly driving him to be the best player on the ice.
