By Sam Laskaris /
Even before he was a teenager, Patrick McEachen had a fairly good idea of how he wanted his hockey career to unfold.
McEachen, a native of Stouffville, Ont., was keen to follow in the footsteps of his cousin Mike Sullivan, who played at Clarkson University from 2003 to 2007.
McEachen would make a few trips each year to upper New York state to watch his cousin in action at the Division I school. And he knew early on that he would be keen to play in the NCAA ranks some day.
“Right away that’s what I wanted to do, too,” McEachen said.
The 17-year-old defenceman will get that chance, starting next season, as he’s committed to attend the University of Maine.
As for now, McEachen is in his second season with the Ontario Junior Hockey League’s Stouffville Spirit.
McEachen had been touted as a late first-round or early second-round pick at the 2007 Ontario Hockey League priority selections draft. But a week before that draft, McEachen announced he was going to go the NCAA route and had already committed to Maine, albeit two seasons down the line.
But that didn’t prevent the Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors from taking a chance and selecting McEachen in the sixth round of the ’07 OHL draft.
He opted, however, to retain his NCAA eligibility and suited up for his hometown Spirit last season. And after an impressive rookie campaign, McEachen is now a leader with the Stouffville side, even though he doesn’t even turn 18 until next February.
“He does it all,” Spirit coach and GM Mark Joslin said of his talented blueliner, who is an alternate captain with the club.
Besides taking a regular shift, McEachen, who is 6-1 and 187 pounds, is also one of the first players Joslin sends out when the Spirit has a powerplay or needs to kill a penalty.
Thus, it’s not uncommon for McEachen to play between 25 and 30 minutes per game.
“He’s very, very smart and very, very poised,” Joslin said. “And he holds the blueline well.”
Several others have also taken notice. In fact, Joslin said NHL scouts have been frequent visitors to Spirit games this season. It’s little wonder since McEachen is being tabbed as a potential mid-round pick for next June’s NHL Draft.
“He’s very astute and he loves the game,” McEachen added about his star defenceman. “And he wants to get to the highest level.”
As for his cousin, it’s unlikely McEachen will see Sullivan in action this season. After playing in the East Coast Hockey League with the Idaho Steelheads during his first year as a pro last season, Sullivan has now taken his act overseas. He’s playing in Germany’s pro league with a team called Deggendorf Fire.
“I still talk to him about once a month,” McEachen said. “He just tells me things like to keep working hard.” |