SPOTLIGHT: Justin Bottineau
“I’ve always tried to play with a lot of confidence and swagger. I think taking that into the OHL, especially as a younger guy, can be difficult. I find that playing with a certain mojo helps you settle in.”
Confidence.
Imagine stepping foot in the halls of your local high school as a freshman for the first time. Your stomach is twisting with a mix of excitement and timidness knowing you share the same halls as the Juniors, Sophomores, and Seniors. Now visualize the same scenario, but instead, with physicality, speed, and aggression, battling on the highest level of sports chasing after a miniature black rubber cylinder on the slippery slope that is a sheet of ice.
When it comes to competing with the best of the best as a freshman, it can be intimidating. This was the “welcome to the league moment” for current sophomore Justin Bottineau of the Kitchener Rangers. As an up-and-coming player originally from Burlington, Ontario, Bottineau entered the OHL last season as a 16-year-old, making him the youngest player on the roster. Despite this, he is living out the opportunity of a lifetime through a journey he embarked on at just three years old.
“I started at about three years old. I played on a team with my brother growing up, my dad was actually the coach. Ever since I started, I loved it. I started with sticks and pucks then I eventually got playing, and I wanted to be a hockey player when I grew up.”
His love for the game thrives through the relationship he has with his older brother, both on and off the ice. As he recalls, everything was about hockey growing up and the two were inseparable. Bottineau credits his brother for pushing him as far as he could go, and even preparing him to face off against older, stronger, and stiffer competition. The Bottineau family is tightly knit and an aspect of life that is cherished by the Centerman.
For as long as he can remember, his family has supported him, starting with his minor hockey days playing for the historic Toronto Marlboros of the GTHL. Through glacial snowstorms, icy trips across Southern Ontario, and expensive weekend getaways for hockey tournaments up North, his family pursued his dreams just as much as he did.
“My family has come out to every home game to support me, making time for me, for as long as I can remember. I think just being able to keep in touch with my parents is pretty special because they are a big part of my life.”
Bottineau took great pleasure in wearing the classical Maple Leaf emblem across his chest, in what he believes jumpstarted his Junior career. Through battling adversity, competing against the most elite players, and the dedication he attributed to his game, his experience in the GTHL was second to none.
In his Minor Midget season, Bottineau learned valuable lessons in a dreadful quarterfinal loss that resonated with him in his Freshman season in the OHL. As a leading favourite in the OHL Cup, the Marlboros were eliminated as an early exit. In his first year with the Rangers, Bottineau was on the other side of defeat, as the Rangers made history sweeping the one-seeded Windsor Spitfires, which is a moment he won’t forget for his entire life.
“Minor Midget we had a really good team and we lost in the quarterfinals of the OHL Cup. It was a tough moment because we were a great team, but I had to learn to move forward and take nothing for granted. When I got to Kitchener, we swept Windsor, that was a really special moment for our group, our organization, and our fans. To do it on home ice and be on the winning side, was unbelievable.”
As a 56th overall selection, Bottineau has a ton of upside and is extremely valuable on both sides of the ice as a well-rounded player. Despite this, he is still learning the ropes from players who are considered veterans in the league. As a now 17-year-old, he has been adapting to the OHL play style over time and producing highlight-reel goals with a quick release.
In his spare time, he’s attempting to do his part to put himself in the best possible situations. His key takeaways from last season focus on conditioning, skating, and shooting abilities, which are areas he has challenged himself to improve on in the beginning half of the year.
“It’s way different than minor hockey. We are playing against bigger, faster, and stronger guys, nineteen, twenty-year-olds. Getting used to the speed was a huge thing my first year that I had to adapt to but I’m way more comfortable playing in my second year.
For Bottineau and the Rangers, they are a young team with high ambitions to achieve success this postseason. Bottineau is keen on taking advantage of the loudest rink in the OHL with his squad that is loaded with confidence on Game 5 in Kitchener on Friday.
