Owen Taylor- Junior Review

[Owen Taylor 5]

Owen Taylor has always been perseverant in his quest to reach the VHL. Growing up in rural Saskatchewan, Owen had nowhere to go and nothing to do besides play hockey.

 

When he was 14, he got cut from his AAA team, so he joined the U15 AA North West Sask. Stars. In this season, he thrived in the gritty hitting and heavy slapshot style of HC John Weston, registering 36 Goals, 22 Assists, 392 Hits and 247 PIM in 62 Games. He led the league in Hits and PIM, and he was invited to join a AAA Team for his next year of hockey.

 

In this next year in hockey, earmarked by The Hockey News as a player to watch in the Saskatchewan AAA Circuit, Taylor joined the Battlefords Stars U16 AAA Hockey Team. When playing, Taylor realized he needed to possess better skating and more finesse to succeed in this league. With Battlefords, Owen faced severe regression in all stats besides PIM. He was suspended for 18 games due to fighting a referee after a game misconduct for KOing an opposing player from Saskatoon who called him a "Dirty Hick". In his 42 games, Taylor skated mainly with the bottom 6, and put up 8 Goals, 13 Assists, 284 Hits and 429 PIM, facing an average over 10 minutes spent in the box per game. 

 

Taylor's fortunes changed vastly however, when in the playoff run, Battlefords, a 6th seed, best out the heavily favoured Estevan Bears in the first round, with Taylor carrying the team on his back through the upset. in 6 games, Taylor had 10 goals and 11 assists. In the next round, the Stars faced the Warman Wildcats, and Taylor continued on his torrid pace. He scored another 7 Goals and 4 Assists in a 5 game Rout of the Wildcats. With his newfound first line wing role, Taylor and the Stars faced the Saskatoon Contacts in the final. Lining up against the player who caused his suspension earlier in the season, in the 7 game series, Taylor registered 9 fighting majors, 2 game misconducts, 7 instigation penalties and a whopping 87 PIM. While Taylor was in the box for a great portion of the game, the competition shook when lining up against him. He potted 19 Goals on the Contacts, with 4 assists to his name as well. He was named the SMAAAHL U16 Playoff MVP, with the Stars winning the competition in a cinderella run.

 

On the back of his monstrous playoff, Taylor was scouted to join the historic Flin Flon Bombers SJHL Franchise. With the Bombers, Taylor instantly made an impact, both on the scoresheet and against any player to have the misfortune to get in the way of his stone hands. He instantly drew comparison to Former Bomber Great Bobby Clarke. In this season, while the Bombers performed unremarkably, Taylor excelled. In 84 Games, Taylor potted 78 Goals and 64 Assists, while drawing 345 PIM. 

 

In this great campaign, Taylor finished his high school 2 years before schedule, being no slouch in the classroom, and taking his SAT. He was recruited to Providence College, and eagerly awaited his flight to Providence.

 

When he finally joined the Friars, Taylor made his much-awaited NCAA Debut at 17 years old. In his first game vs. Merrimack College, he registered 2 Goals, 1 Assist and 7 PIM. The Friars had continued success throughout the year, behind Taylor. Taylor led the Friars to a National Championship Game after Leading the NCAA and Hockey East with 29 Goals and 31 Assists in 34 games. In the Final Game, Taylor potted a hat trick, 2 assists and 2 fights in a 7-4 rout of the Boston University Terriers. After this season, Taylor declared for the VHLM Draft, and the rest is history.

[animal74 1,605]

Great write-up, @Owen Taylor! Glad to have you on the Hounds!