Former first-round OHL pick embraced bigger opportunity with the Otters after a difficult start in Kitchener<\/p>\n
Published May 10, 2026 \u00a0\u2022\u00a0 Last updated 11\u00a0minutes ago \u00a0\u2022\u00a0 4 minute read<\/p>\n
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Erie Otters’ Evan Headrick (81) is pursued by Sarnia Sting’s Ben Pickell (12) and Kaden Aucoin (33) at Progressive Auto Sales Arena in Sarnia, Ont., on Wednesday, March 18, 2026. Photo by Mark Malone\/Chatham Daily News\/Postmedia NetworkArticle content<\/p>\n
While spending part of his off-season training in Prince Edward Island with his older brother Owen, Garden River\u2019s Evan Headrick is already looking forward to the summer moments that help him reset from hockey.<\/p>\n
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For the 18-year-old Erie Otters centre, that means heading to the family camp on Meniss Lake, fishing for walleye and spending long days on the water with friends.<\/p>\n
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\u201cWhen you\u2019re fishing, all you\u2019re really thinking about is whether or not a fish is gonna bite your line,\u201d Headrick said. \u201cIt\u2019s really relaxing.\u201d<\/p>\n
After a season filled with challenges, change and signs of progress, Headrick is hoping the same patient approach will pay off on the ice.<\/p>\n
After a difficult start to his Ontario Hockey League career in Kitchener, Headrick found renewed confidence following a December trade that sent the former first-round pick and a 2029 fourth-round selection to Erie in exchange for overage forward Dylan Edwards.<\/p>\n
While Edwards has helped power the Rangers to a 2-0 lead in the OHL championship series over the Barrie Colts, Headrick quietly began to rediscover his game with the rebuilding Otters.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had a really fun second half, and it was a lot of learning, but also a lot of fun,\u201d Headrick told The Sault Star.<\/p>\n
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Erie Otters\u2019 Evan Headrick (81) and Windsor Spitfires\u2019 Nathan Gaymes (19) battle for the puck on Tuesday, March 17, 2026 at the WFCU Centre in Windsor. Photo by (Dan Janisse\/Windsor Star\/Postmedia Network)<\/p>\n
The Garden River First Nation product was selected 15th overall by Kitchener in the 2024 OHL Priority Selection, entering the league with high expectations after starring for the Oakville Rangers program.<\/p>\n
But his rookie season was derailed before it truly began when he fractured his wrist in a pre-season game, limiting him to just 19 regular-season games in 2024-25.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was tough because I really didn\u2019t play many games at all,\u201d Headrick said. \u201cSo this past year was really my rookie year.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He played a full 68 game slate, but it presented a different challenge.<\/p>\n
Kitchener emerged as one of the OHL\u2019s deepest teams, and opportunities were hard to come by for the undersized forward. Headrick recorded three assists in 32 games with the Rangers before the December trade.<\/p>\n
In Erie, however, he found both ice time and confidence.<\/p>\n
The five-foot-eight centre scored nine goals in 36 games in a middle-six role with the Otters after the deal \u2014 modest numbers on paper, but a significant step forward after managing no goals in Kitchener.<\/p>\n
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\u201cThe confidence part just came with playing more and getting more reps,\u201d Headrick said. \u201cJust feeling more comfortable.\u201d<\/p>\n
The move also came with a degree of familiarity.<\/p>\n
Nearly a decade earlier, Headrick\u2019s older brother Owen patrolled the Erie blue line and helped the Otters win an OHL championship in 2017.<\/p>\n
So when it came to walking down the streets of Erie, Evan was already a known commodity.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s super cool going around and people knowing who we are, and knowing who my brother was, and asking me about him,\u201d he said. \u201cThat part of it\u2019s really, really cool.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt made it feel a bit more like home.\u201d<\/p>\n
Headrick said the second half also felt like a turning point physically after the wrist injury and a difficult transition into major junior hockey.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was challenging, but I\u2019m definitely starting to get back on the right track now,\u201d he said. \u201cStarting to get more comfortable with my body and starting to get bigger and stronger, which has been nice.\u201d<\/p>\n
Headrick said he weighed about 145 pounds entering the OHL and is now up to roughly 175, with more growth still a focus this summer.<\/p>\n
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\u201cStill looking to put on a few more pounds and just get bigger and stronger,\u201d he said. \u201cHopefully I\u2019ve still got a little bit of growing to do. My siblings are all tall, so I\u2019m hoping I can get a little bit of it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Even as one of the smaller players on the ice, Headrick said he has learned not to let size define his game.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve played my whole life being undersized,\u201d he said. \u201cNot really anything will change (if I don\u2019t grow taller).\u201d<\/p>\n
That scrappy mindset has been shaped in part by one of Northern Ontario\u2019s busiest hockey families.<\/p>\n