Luke Ormsby’s biggest “wow” moment at the Memorial Cup may not have come on the ice, but rather off it.
The Snohomish County native was a member of the Seattle Thunderbirds team that played at the Memorial Cup — Canadian junior hockey’s biggest stage — in late May in Windsor, Ontario. But in one way the most eye-opening moment for Ormsby was his brush with one of his idols, junior hockey superstar Dylan Strome.
“I liked watching him play even before I was in the WHL,” Ormsby said of Strome, another participant at the Memorial Cup as a member of the Erie Otters and the third overall pick in the 2015 NHL draft by the Arizona Coyotes. “I was walking down the hallway and he was right behind me.”
But hobnobbing with junior hockey royalty was just part of what made the Memorial Cup experience a memorable one for Ormsby.
Ormsby, who grew up in Everett and Monroe, is believed to be one of just two Snohomish County products ever to play in the WHL (the other being current Everett Silvertips defenseman Wyatte Wylie). This past season the winger was a 17-year-old rookie for the T-birds, who won their first WHL championship in the franchise’s 40-year history.
That title gave Ormsby the chance to play at the Memorial Cup, which pits the champions of the WHL, Ontario Hockey League and Quebec Major Junior Hockey League along with a host team for supremacy of Canadian junior hockey. This year’s Memorial Cup took place May 19-28.
“Man, it was quite the experience,” Ormsby said when reached in Scottsdale, Arizona, where he’s spending the offseason. “It was a crazy experience, it goes by quick. It was a crazy atmosphere with all the different teams and players you hear about. It was a cool travel experience, flying around in private jets. It was just an awesome experience.”
Ormsby, who learned how to skate at the Comcast Community Ice Rink in Everett, played in one of Seattle’s three games at the Memorial Cup. He was scratched for Seattle’s 4-2 loss to OHL-champion Erie on May 20 and the T-birds’ 7-1 loss to the host Windsor Spitfires the next day. But he played in Seattle’s 7-0 loss to the QMJHL-champion Saint John Sea Dogs on May 23.
“I hadn’t played in a couple games, but I thought I stepped in and did what I could,” Ormsby said of his performance. “It’s not easy hopping into a game after a while, especially at the Memorial Cup. But it was a cool experience, definitely an experience for a lifetime.”
It ended up being a rough tournament for Seattle, which was the first team eliminated. Ormsby and the rest of the T-birds struggled to keep up with the fast-paced style played by the teams from the other leagues.
“I think we came into it pretty prepared,” Ormsby said. “We were coming off a big high from winning the WHL championship. At the Memorial Cup I think we were ready, we had all the film and were pretty prepared. The Erie game we held our own. Then we moved on to Windsor and it was hard because we’re used to running right through guys and making it our puck, but they were so smart with the puck. They get the puck off their stick quickly and make plays.”
However, the struggles at the Memorial Cup didn’t diminish the thrill of lifting the Ed Chynoweth Cup as WHL champions.
“I got to spend the prior playoffs with the team as a call-up and the team went all the way to the WHL championships before getting knocked out,” Ormsby said. “All the guys were crying in the room, and even as a call-up it wasn’t a good feeling. I felt like I wanted to take it to the next level the next season and make it happen, so even I had a bit of a chip on my shoulder.”
The Memorial Cup capped off what was a solid rookie campaign for Ormsby. The speedy 5-foot-10, 181-pounder had six goals and five assists in 65 games during the regular season, then added an assist in 13 playoff contests.
“He had different steps,” Seattle coach Steve Konowalchuk said of Ormsby’s season. “Early on he was learning the league and playing in a third- or fourth-line role. Then at the mid part of the season we had a lot of guys out and he stepped up and played some good hockey in a second- or third-line role. We had everyone back for most of the playoffs, so he saw spot duty then. But he kept a positive attitude and when he got a shift, he was ready to play. He’s a good kid to work with, he wants to be a hockey player, and he’s a top-character kid.”
“I thought from beginning to end I majorly progressed,” Ormsby said. “I think at the start I thought I was better than I was. I came into the season and thought I had all the systems down. I’d never had video before, so that helped me pick things up — our team’s coaches constantly broke down video with me and I got better and better. The first half of the season was a lot of learning, but by Christmas I was ready to step up. If I had mentally continued to think I was good, I wouldn’t have had as much of a role.”
Ormsby will be an 18-year-old next season, an age at which players are expected to begin being significant contributors. Seattle had a veteran team this season, meaning the T-birds will lose a number of its top players either to graduation or the professional ranks. Therefore, the opportunity is there for Ormsby to claim a larger role next season.
But Ormsby has other goals.
“Defending the cup at this point (is the biggest goal),” he said. “Every game we’ll be defending the cup. That’s my goal next season, along with establishing myself as a player in the league and helping my team win every night.”
If you have an idea for a community sports story, e-mail Nick Patterson at npatterson@heraldnet.com.
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