It’s not uncommon to hear a general manager in the Canadian Hockey League talk about the need for an overage player to be an impact player on their roster.
Looking across the country, there are plenty of overagers who are having major impacts on their respective teams.
In the Ontario Hockey League, Sarnia Sting forward Sean Josling is a prime example.
The fourth-year winger is having a career-year offensively with 28 goals and 62 points in 44 games, and the veteran forward has trended upward each season in the league.
The Toronto native has come a long way since signing with the Sting as a free agent in 2016.
Speaking of OHL teams getting good value from their overage players, the Ottawa 67’s certainly have no complaints.
All three of Ottawa’s overage players – defenceman Noel Hoefenmayer and wingers Joseph Garreffa and Austen Keating – are among the OHL’s top-20 scorers.
For a team that already has a nine-point lead atop their division, the 67’s couldn’t ask for anything more from the trio as they look to make a long run in the playoffs.
In the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, the Chicoutimi Sagueneens have received quality offensive production from winger Rafael Harvey-Pinard after acquiring the veteran forward from the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies over the summer.
Harvey-Pinard, who was selected in last summer’s NHL draft by the Montreal Canadiens, is leading the QMJHL’s top team in scoring.
The Sagueneens went out and added ahead of the QMJHL’s trade deadline, picking up another overage forward in New York Islanders prospect Felix Bibeau from the Quebec Remparts.
Bibeau has fit in nicely with the team, averaging a point per game through 12 games with his new club.
As Alexis Lafreniere continues to do his thing with the Rimouski Oceanic, overage forward Cedric Pare has easily topped his career-highs offensively.
In 45 games, Pare sits second in league scoring to Lafreniere with 70 points, 21 more than his career-high of 49 from last season.
Two seasons ago, Zane Franklin had 38 points in 67 games with the Western Hockey League’s Lethbridge Hurricanes.
Franklin joined the Kamloops Blazers the following season and doubled his goal total to 28 and set a career-high in points with 68 in 68 games.
The trend up has continued this season as the 20-year-old has 72 points in 44 games and is three goals shy of setting a new career-high in that category as well.
To say that the Medicine Hat Tigers have been pleased with former first-round pick James Hamblin would be an understatement.
The soon-to-be 20-year-old center has 261 career points with the club, including 27 goals and 69 points in 44 games this season.
Over the past three seasons, the veteran forward has been a go-to in the faceoff circle as well and he is among the league leaders in faceoffs won this season.
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