Former OHLer Clark joins Durham hockey

With training camp around the corner, UOIT men’s hockey head coach Curtis Hodgins landed a big recruit with local ties as he signed forward Everett Clark, a Whitby native who will be attending criminology and justice studies.

“I’ve known guys that have been through the program and they all said nothing but good things”, said Clark. “Curtis Hodgins, the coach, I have a lot of friends that he’s coached too and I’ve heard nothing but great things so I want to be a part of it.”

The five-foot-nine centre brings 236 games of Ontario Hockey League (OHL) experience over four years with him to UOIT.

Clark was drafted 93rd overall in the 2012 OHL Priority Selection by the Mississauga Steelheads. Starting with the 2013-2014 season, he would go on to play three seasons in Mississauga and accumulate 72 points and 211 penalty minutes over 171 games. Playing in Flint for his final season, Clark recorded 16 goals and 23 assists in 65 games.

“He’s a great addition to our program and a solid two-way player,” said Hodgins. “He’s tough, he competes and he is a great faceoff guy and that’s one thing we’ve been really looking at – some help in the faceoff dot.”

A noted quality that Clark will be bringing to the Ridgebacks is his natural ability to be a leader. In his final season with Mississauga, he served as an alternate captain – a badge of leadership that we would carry over to the Flint Firebirds in the trade for Detroit Red Wings prospect Vili Saarijärvi.

“In my OHL career I was more of a two-way player,” said Clark. “I play physical when needed and I would get a few points here and there.”

Clark looks forward to coming back to the Durham Region, where he spent several years playing minor hockey in the Whitby Wildcats system, and a pair of games with the Whitby Fury of the Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL). He was a member of the Whitby Wildcats team that won the 2012-2013 OMHA midget AAA championship.

The Ridgebacks 2017-2018 regular season home opener takes place on Friday, Oct. 13 at 7:30 p.m. against the RMC Paladins.