Eric O’Dell has already had a distinguished hockey career, and he’s only 25.  He’s been an Ontario Hockey League (OHL) All-Star, second round NHL draft pick, won gold at the 2008 IIHF World Under-18 Championships, and been to the Calder Cup Finals, among many other accomplishments.  During the off-season, O’Dell was a free agent for the first time in his career and promptly signed with his hometown Ottawa Senators, where he is determined to secure a full-time role in the NHL.

“I was a free agent and had heard from a few teams who were looking to sign me,” explained O’Dell.  “Fortunately, Ottawa happened to be one of them.  I discussed the opportunities with my family, and signed with the Senators which will be nice being so close to home.”

O’Dell has always been a highly touted prospect.  Once he began his Junior career with the Sudbury Wolves in January, 2008, he recorded 32 points in only 26 games, finishing 15^th overall among rookie scoring in the League. 

“I didn’t know Sudbury too well at the time, and I was pretty nervous to leave home at such a young age, but it felt like a warm welcome once I arrived.  The fans were awesome, which definitely helped make the transition a lot easier.  I still keep in touch with a lot of my former Wolves teammates which is great.”

O’Dell’s strong play during his rookie season with the Wolves caught the attention of NHL scouts.  He was drafted by the Anaheim Ducks in the second round, 39^th overall, of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, and soon thereafter attended his first NHL camp. 

“I remember going to my first NHL development camp which was a surreal experience.  So much fun and learned a lot.“

“Then faster than I knew it I was traded to Atlanta.” 

O’Dell was somewhat caught off guard by the trade that sent Erik Christensen to Anaheim in exchange for O’Dell.  He was in the midst of a successful sophomore season with the Wolves where he finished with 63 points in 65 games.

“I was actually with some of the guys in the Wolves dressing room watching the NHL trade deadline coverage when I saw my name come across the ticker.”

The Thrashers liked what they saw in O’Dell, and rewarded him following the 2009-10 season with a recall to their American Hockey League affiliate, the Chicago Wolves, to gain a sense of what the pro game is like. 

“At the end of that season, Atlanta had recalled a few players to join the Chicago Wolves.  I was actually up for about a month and a half and got into 3 games.  It was pretty cool and I found myself getting nervous again to play hockey.  It was definitely a lot of fun and a great experience to learn from the guys in that room.”

O’Dell took what he gained from his first professional experience and finished his fourth and final year of junior with 44 points in 39 games. 

Shortly thereafter, in May of 2011, the Atlanta Thrashers franchise was sold to True North Sports & Entertainment, and relocated to Winnipeg, Manitoba, becoming the second incarnation of the Winnipeg Jets. 

“I think most guys on the team were probably thinking about the move from Atlanta to Winnipeg, but it didn’t weight too much on my mind.  I believe that if you are playing good hockey you’ll set yourself up for future opportunities.”

The Jets then announced that their AHL affiliate would be harbored in St. John’s, Newfoundland (the Chicago Wolves subsequently affiliated with the Vancouver Canucks) and named the Ice Caps.  The team quickly became the hottest ticket in town.

“St. John’s was amazing.  The support the city showed us right off the bat was awesome,” said O’Dell, who was assigned to the Ice Caps for their inaugural season in 2011-12.

O’Dell flourished in his new surroundings.  During the 2012-13 season, he scored at almost a point per game pace with 55 points in 59 games, including 29 goals which still stands as the club record for goals in a single season.

After continuing his torrid pace into the next season, O’Dell finally received the call he had been waiting for.  In December 2013, he was called up by Winnipeg to play his first NHL game.

“As a kid, it was always my dream to play in the NHL.  I called my parents as soon as I found out.” 

O’Dell joined the Jets in Buffalo and made his NHL debut on December 17^th against the Sabres. 

“It was pretty special stepping onto the ice for the first time.  Almost felt like a dream at first.  I was so nervous for the first 2 periods, but settled in during the third and I played a lot better.“

Seven games in to his NHL career, O’Dell notched his first NHL goal against Curtis McElhinney of the Columbus Blue Jackets. 

“Scoring that first NHL goal was a huge weight off my shoulders.  I didn’t grip the stick so tight after that and found things got easier as time went by.”

WATCH: Eric O’Dell score his first NHL goal

He finished the regular season with 3 goals and 4 assists in 30 NHL games with Winnipeg, plus an additional 42 points in 42 games with St. John’s. 

He remained with the Jets until the end of the NHL regular season.  However, as Winnipeg failed to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and with the Ice Caps in a playoff position, O’Dell was reassigned back to St. John’s, where he was about to be part of an historic playoff run.

“Going to the Calder Cup Finals with St. John’s in 2014 was one of my most fun times ever playing hockey.  It was an epic run. Teams didn’t expect us to even make the playoffs that year let alone go to the finals.” 

The fourth seeded Ice Caps defeated the Albany Devils, Norfolk Admirals, and Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins before falling to the Western Conference Champion Texas Stars in 5 games.  Although he was disappointed with the eventual outcome, O’Dell took the loss in stride.

“We had a great group of guys and really grew together and excelled as a team.  The city was absolutely wild and was one of the most memorable experiences in my hockey career.”

For O’Dell, the 2014-15 season began back in St. John’s.  After again putting up respectable numbers, he earned a recall to Winnipeg the following February where he saw action in 11 games.

Following the season, O’Dell’s contract was up where he was an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his career, meaning he could sign with any team of his choosing.  He selected the Ottawa Senators and has been eagerly awaiting the start of training camp ever since.

“It definitely added some motivation to work even harder during the summer.  It’s reassuring to know that the team wanted you.  So now as a player, you have to prove to them what you’re all about, as well as showing other teams what they’re missing out on.”

This offseason, O’Dell kept busy, balancing training with family commitments.  “I was working out Monday to Friday for 2 hours a day, and loved spending time with my family including my one and a half year old daughter.  I also joined a baseball League this summer which was cool.”

Throughout his career, O’Dell has been fortunate to learn from veteran leaders such as Jason Jaffray, who not only Captained the Ice Caps, but also served as the team’s Professional Hockey Players’ Association (PHPA) Player Representative.  Jaffray was also a vocal member of the PHPA player Executive Committee, which helps guide the Association.

“A lot of younger guys coming into the League don’t really know what the PHPA is all about at first.  Jaffs did a great job educating us about what our union does.  It helps when you have a guy like that who can explain first hand how the PHPA helps players. “

As NHL training camps open, O’Dell is poised to crack the Ottawa Senators lineup, hoping to add plenty more NHL experience to his already impressive hockey resume.

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