The past few days have been busy for Henry Mews, though he hasn’t missed a beat.
Earlier this week, he was in New Brunswick at this year’s Top Prospects Game for the Canadian Hockey League (CHL).
“It was an unbelievable experience. The amount of competition up there, the top 40 best players in the CHL draft,” said Mews. “You make some new friends.”
The 40 players come from the Western Hockey League (WHL), the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), and the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL).
In front of dozens of NHL scouts and hundreds of fans, players take part in a skills combine and a game. It might seem like a lot of pressure, but for Mews, he kept it simple.
“Obviously it’s a huge game, but it’s not the end of the world,” he said. “You just want to play a simple game, have fun out there with your teammates. You want to have fun — that’s why you’re there.”
And playing his game is just what Mews did, he said, while sporting an “A” on his jersey. For him, that letter was an honour, he said.
“To get to wear a letter and a leadership role was extra special to me, but honestly there’s so many guys who are leaders on their teams that are there.”
Waking up at 7:30 a.m. for a two-and-a-half-hour bus ride to Fredericton International Airport was the first step on Mews’ journey back home. From there, a helping hand brought him to his game against the Petes.
“I got to Toronto around one o’clock. And then my GM picked me up from the airport, and drove me to Peterborough, which was another two hours from the airport, then I played in the game last night.”
Coming back to OHL action, Mews made it in time for a game in Peterborough against the Petes on Thursday.
Ottawa won that game 4-2 and Mews had two assists.
“It was fun, that’s something I definitely wanted to do,” the 17-year-old said.
Mews returned to Ottawa at 2 a.m. on Friday. No sign of a dull moment for the young man this week, barring some off-ice duties.
“I have so much homework,” Mews said with a sigh. “Hopefully I get it all wrapped up by next week.”
“To have that chance to be on the ice with the best players across the CHL, I think that was the best part of it and something that will stay in my mind for a long time.”
Ottawa 67’s Henry Mews
But whether he’s sitting down to keep up with his education, or on the ice for another practice at TD Place, his time at the Top Prospects Game is something that’ll always stick with him.
“To have that chance to be on the ice with the best players across the CHL, I think that was the best part of it and something that will stay in my mind for a long time.”
Ottawa plays again today against the Niagara Ice Dogs. Whether Ottawa wins and Mews gets on the score sheet is TBD.
