Hopes up high, head down low

By Joel Wittnebel/The Oshawa Express

Would you feel the pressure?

Drafted in the first round of the 2011 OHL Priority Draft, 16^th overall, labeled as an all-around player who can do it all. Two years later, the Vancouver Canucks picked him up in the third round of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft. On top of that, his father is a 16-season NHL veteran, who led the OHL in assists and points in the 1987-88 season on his way to becoming the league’s MVP that year.

A career year developing, the door to a career in the AHL and potentially the NHL is slowly opening before him.

Would you feel the pressure?

Not Cole Cassels.

The Oshawa General, now in his fourth season with the club, says he has no problem putting those things out of his head when his skates hit the ice.

“I’m lucky enough to not really let that bother me, and wash everything out of my head when I’m playing a hockey game,” Cassels says. “Whether it’s pick-up or an OHL game, I don’t really think about too many other things when I’m on the ice and just play in the now and worry about tomorrow when it comes.”

And this year, it’s been showing.

Cassels has broken all of his previous point totals this season, netting 30 goals, surpassing his total of 24 set last year. In the helpers category, his 51 assists tops his 49 from last year. He ends the season totaling 81 points, eight points above last season’s mark of 73.

“I’ve adapted to the speed and the cerebral part of the game,” Cassels says of his success this year. “I think it’s kind of helped me and I’ve been able to make plays and be more confident. Confidence is key in this league.”

It’s a theme in Cassels’ OHL career, with each subsequent year being more successful than the last, developing from only three goals and eight assists in his rookie year.

Again, point totals are not something Cassels puts too much stake in.

“Obviously, you’re going to be happy for yourself, but you can’t be over-excited about it,” he says. “It’s points. It doesn’t speak volumes to your game.”

Finding success

Cassels credits part of this year’s success to his linemates Bradley Latour and Hunter.

“They know how to get open and they know I’m a pass first kind of guy, but they also know how to slow a game down with the cycle and they both forecheck and backcheck just as hard as I do, and I do it just as hard as they do,” he says.

He also gives much of the credit to his coaches, specifically DJ Smith, who he has worked under for the past three years.

“I really couldn’t say enough about him and I give a lot of credit for my success to him,” Cassels says.

Early on

Cassels was introduced to hockey early while spending time in Ontario and British Columbia. However, growing up in a football-crazed town in Ohio, he said it was an effort to get his childhood friends to put down the pigskin and pick up a hockey stick.

Eventually, Cassels found himself playing for the U16 Ohio Blue Jackets.

“It wasn’t that big of a hockey town,” Cassels says. “But the triple-A program has done a great job expanding and it is becoming a lot bigger in Columbus now.”

When the time came, Cassels chose to take the step to the OHL instead of staying south of the border, looking to follow in the footsteps of his father, Andrew Cassels.

The elder Cassels spent three years playing with the Ottawa 67s, being named the league MVP in the 1987-88 season for leading the league in assists and points. He would later go on to play 16 seasons in the NHL for a variety of clubs, including the Montreal Canadiens, Calgary Flames, Washington Capitals and Vancouver Canucks.

“My dad is a pretty big role model for me and he played in the OHL and that’s the route he took, so I always kind of wanted to follow in his footsteps,” Cassels says.

The dialogue between father and son is constant, Cassels says, explaining his dad always has feedback on his game.

“He’s got feedback all the time, mostly positive. But you know, dads are dads; they’re not afraid to let you know,” he says.

Looking ahead

With his foot in the door, Cassels is eyeing a potential career with the Canucks, but knows it’s going to be a tough line to cross.

“It’s a big step to the AHL and an even bigger step to the NHL and I know that, so I’m not going to have big expectations. But that is my goal, to play for the Canucks, obviously as soon as possible, and I’ll work my hardest to achieve that goal,” he says, noting the additions of strength and speed to his game could better the chances of making the move.

Before that, Cassels and the Generals are looking forward from a successful OHL season, topping the CHL rankings for months, and clinching the Eastern Conference title. Playoff success and a potential Memorial Cup run are all in the cards for the Oshawa team.

Cassels says he’s focusing on staying healthy and keeping the team’s momentum moving.

“It’s all about keeping your body up to shape and making sure, playing wise, we’re playing our systems to a tee,” he says.

“It’s a big step,” adds Cassels of competing for the Memorial Cup. “That’s the main event and I think our team was built for those kinds of games, the bigger games and we’ve got a lot of character in our room and I think it will be fun if we have the opportunity to get there.”

For Cassels, he can’t see a better way of ending four years in Oshawa.

“Oshawa has been my home for the past four years and I’d like nothing more than to go out on top and win an OHL championships and, hopefully, a Memorial Cup.”