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Terriers captain hopes to help team become league's King

Owen King is the only player remaining from four-win team of 2017; 'I’ve matured and become more confident ... (and) we've gotten better as a team'
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Owen King was named captain of the Orillia Terriers in December. He's hoping to continue his stellar season by leading his team to a title. Tyler Evans/OrilliaMatters

When the Orillia Terriers parted ways with former captain Kyle Heitzner in November, it left a leadership void in the Terriers' locker room.

Team management needed somebody to step up and take the reins, so they turned to veteran forward Owen King and selected him as the team's captain.

“I wasn’t expecting it. I was already an assistant captain, but I thought (Zane) Morris, who is an overager this year, deserved it. I thought a lot of guys deserved it, but I was lucky to be given the opportunity,” King said.

Terriers head coach Dallyn Telford explained why King was the team's first choice to wear the ‘C’.

“Owen is a mature 21-year-old, he’s got goals in life, he carries himself well on and off the ice and his teammates look up to him,” Telford said.

While he's not a vocal leader, he's effective, Telford said.

“When he does speak, guys listen. He’s really good with the younger guys on the team, he’s got a lot of really good leadership qualities and he’s proven it since being named captain,” Telford said.

The Elmvale native started his Provincial Junior Hockey League (PJHL) career with the Penetang Kings in 2016 and was traded to the Terriers a year later during a season in which they won just four games. 

King knew he was part of a rebuilding team, but he was determined to be part of the solution to help turn things around.   

“I just wanted to keep playing here,” he said. “I loved the guys on the team and every year since we’ve been getting better and better. Sticking around was obviously a good decision,” King said.

King is the only remaining Terrier from the team that registered just eight points during the 2017-18 season, finishing in last place in the Carruthers Division.

Since that forgettable season, the Terriers have improved each year. They ended the 2019-20 campaign with a strong third-place finish in their division. 

Along with the team, King has also mightily improved over the years. In each of King’s first two years in the PJHL, he registered 12 points. 

Last season, he improved to 34 points and this season he averages over a point a game with 45.

“I think just getting older helps. I’ve matured and become more confident with the puck,” said King. “Obviously, we’ve gotten better as a team, too, which helps us all get better each year.”

King’s career-high in points comes in a season where he has been given extra responsibility as the team’s captain. 

“I don’t think there is any extra pressure. I think I rely on the guys and they rely on me and we all just do our own jobs on the ice and it’s been going good,” he said.

Becoming captain hasn't changed his approach on or off the ice.

“I haven’t changed anything about the way I am in the locker room,” King said. “I’ll say a couple things here and there but I’m not really a great speaker. The guys respect the way I lead our team.”

That style of leadership from the Terriers captain is patterned after another former captain that King played with, Jake Beard.

“I also played lacrosse with Jake and he was our captain for that, too. I respected him and learned a lot of things from him like being confident with the guys, how to give a speech and lead the guys on the ice,” King explained.

In December, former Terriers captain Kyle Heitzner returned to the Terries after a brief stint in Junior ‘B’. Despite his return, the team stuck with King as their leader and he said there was no elephant in the room situation over the captaincy.

“I think he knew he messed up and he’s told me that and apologized. Obviously, we love having him on the team. It wasn’t awkward. We all just moved forward with the same goal,” King said.

That common goal is winning the Schmalz Cup. Their playoff quest begins on Thursday.

“We want to win our division and go for it. That would be extra special as a guy who played here on a team that only won four games ... I think we’ve earned it,” King said.

The Terriers finished in third place after compiling a record of 24-14-0-3; they play a makeup game against Penetang tonight.

Orillia will clash with sixth-place Schomberg (11-22-1-2) in the first round of the playoffs.

Game 1 will be played in Schomberg Thursday night, with Game 2 slated for Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. at Orillia's Rotary Place.

Game 3 goes Feb. 10 in Schomberg, with a fourth game slated for Saturday, Feb. 15 in Orillia at 7:30 p.m.

If necessary, a fifth game would be played in Orillia Feb. 18, Game 6 is slated for Feb. 20 in Schomberg and a seventh game would be played Feb. 22 in Orillia.


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Tyler Evans

About the Author: Tyler Evans

Tyler Evans got his start in the news business when he was just 15-years-old and now serves as a video producer and reporter with OrilliaMatters
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