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Ottawa Citizen

Rowan Henderson eyes big sophomore season with Sudbury Wolves

Article content Just as it took OHL clubs a little while to truly appreciate Rowan Henderson's game, Sudbury Wolves fans may have needed to watch a few shifts last season before realizing what they had in the rookie forward from Wellesley, Ont. Article content Soon, however, they were bound to note not only Henderson's consistently high work rate, but the effective use of angles, stick placement and speed that made him one of head coach Scott Barney's most trusted penalty killers and a deserving winner of the team's Best Defensive Player. Article content Article content After potting his first goal into an empty net back on Nov. 10, the 5-foot-10, 178-pound Waterloo Wolves minor hockey product also showcased his offensive skill down the stretch, finishing with 11 goals and 13 assists in 66 games. Article content Article content 'I had a lot of fun,' said the 17-year-old son of Andrew and Alecia Henderson, reached in his hometown earlier this month. 'It was really different, meeting all the new guys, but it was such a good group. I had fun coming to the rink every day. Article content 'Being on the ice every day was something new, but I enjoyed it, just showing up, being with the guys and the grind of the season is fun, road trips and all that type of thing. I thought it was successful and it's something to build off of, for sure.' Article content Sudbury's first-round pick, 12th overall, in the OHL Under-18 Priority Selection last year, Henderson followed the likes of Nick DeGrazia, Emmett Serensits, Nate Krawchuk and Mitchell Weeks in making the most of a second chance to turn the heads of Wolves brass. But not even those impressive predecessors made such an impact at such a young age as Henderson, who won't celebrate his 18th birthday until Dec. 10 and isn't eligible for the NHL Entry Draft until next summer. Article content Article content Signed out of training camp last fall, the newcomer embraced his role as a pesky, persistent forechecker and a diligent defender, while adhering strictly to the system put in place by Barney and his staff. Article content 'I think it was just listening to the coaches, listening to what they had to say,' Henderson suggested. 'They know better than me, so I just had to listen and whatever they said, I did. I adjusted my game to what I needed to do and the communication was always great, so I always knew what I had to do and when I had to do it.' Article content He pointed to his vision and ability to read plays, which served him so well on offence while leading Waterloo to the Alliance U18 AAA championship, as attributes that also lent themselves well to his success on the other side of the puck. Article content 'I was always leaned on a little bit more for offence on previous teams,' Henderson said. 'I always killed penalties, but it kind of became an identity for me, being a pesky guy, putting my sticks in the right lanes, being hard to play against and being solid defensively.'