Behind the Jersey: Mitch Young

Mitch Young is a longstanding Sting in his final overage year, and has spent the entirety of his OHL playing career in Sarnia. Young has been with the organization since 2022 and has become a pinnacle player who represents the Sting’s core values.

The Owen Sound Attack drafted Young in the seventh round of the 2021 OHL Priority Selection Draft, although the season didn’t go according to plan due to Covid-19 impacting the play schedule. He practiced with the team, but didn’t officially play any games as an Attack player. The 2022-23 following season, Owen Sound found themselves with a surplus of talent on the blueline and had to make some moves. They informed the young player that they would be working out a deal and finding him a team that would benefit his development.

Sarnia Sting receive prospect, Mitch Young, in trade with Owen Sound Attack

The Sting traded for Young’s rights on a try-out deal during the pre-season. General manager Dylan Seca and the coaching staff at the time were impressed by Young’s performance and went forward with signing the defenceman full-time. Young joined the Sting during a peak in the team’s recent history. They went on to finish second in their division in the regular season and played through the playoffs before being eliminated by the London Knights in the Western Conference Final. Young said coming to the team with such success helped propel his growth. He said, “It was crazy coming to such a good team. It was really exciting. Getting to play with those guys really kick-started my career”.

At 20 years old, all 188 of his OHL games—and counting—have been played with one team: the Sarnia Sting. Although Young himself is now amongst the overagers and the teammates he grew up alongside have moved on, he said creating chemistry was a key factor in his career. “Building that chemistry in my first year with all the rookies I was with and the other guys was huge. Over the past four seasons, and especially last year, we all knew where each other were at. It really helped in the locker room”.

The tenured blueliner says that spending his whole career with the same team has helped establish his place and routine. He said, “I like it here, the room, the staff, the players and my billets. That comfort level I’ve built over the years is special”.

Young owes much of his love for hockey to his hometown of Elmira, which he says is a hockey town through and through. “On Friday and Saturday nights, I was just buzzing around the rink watching my brother’s or any games. It really instilled the hockey mindset in me”. The small town of Elmira, which is North of Waterloo, has a small population, but a lot of hockey. Young said he often watched the local Junior B games, and if he wasn’t playing, he was always watching whichever game he could.

Young is the youngest of three and says his two older brothers played hockey his whole life, and are the reason he got into the sport himself. “I didn’t really have a choice. I always saw them playing, and decided I’m going to play hockey too”.

Hockey players are known to be some of the most superstitious and ritual-dependent athletes around, but not Mitch Young, who claims to be “one of the least superstitious on the team”. He says listening to what his body needs instead of following a strict regimen works best for him. However, one step he won’t skip is his 20-minute pre-game nap. Young says after his morning skate, he’ll have his one large meal for the day, then hit the hay before its gametime. “As long as I get my nap. That’s the most superstitious I get”.

The Sting veteran has naturally taken on leadership roles after each season with the team, and was newly named as an assistant captain earlier this season. “Over the years, I’ve become familiar with staff and management, and always saw myself in a role where I could hopefully be a good influence on the guys”. Young knows the importance of being a teammate that others can look up to and rely on, he said, “When I look back, when I was a younger player, having those leaders meant so much. I’m 20 now and don’t feel old, but back then those guys seemed so old to me”.

Among the older players that Young looked up to was former Sting defenceman Ethan Ritchie. During his rookie season, Young spent some time billeting with the then-overager, who “helped me immensely. Explaining how everything works, how the dynamics work, and what to do at the rink”. That first year in Sarnia built the foundation for Young’s mentality as a Sting, he said, “Practising with those guys, seeing the work they put in every day, how much they cared and how much they wanted to win, really started my career”. Relationships and influences like these helped form Young into the leader he has grown into.

Young’s time as a Sting is coming to an end as it is his final overage season in the league. He has undoubtedly gained experience and hockey knowledge, but for him, he’s learned so much more. When asked what his takeaways are from being a Sting player these last four seasons, this is what he said:

“Its been everything. I’ve learned so much here, how to treat people, how the business side of hockey works, the dynamics you’ll face in life, and how to be a good friend and teammate. Invaluable lessons that I will take with me forever.”

Mitch Young represents what it means to be a Sting in every sense, and will surely leave his mark and legacy when he moves on to his next chapter.