NEWS

(pictured - Joe McKeown started the year wearing an 'A' on his chest for the Wellington Dukes, but was named the club's captain midway through the season - photo credit:  Tim Bates/OJHL Images)

The smallest community in the Ontario Junior Hockey league sits on the shores of Lake Ontario about 20 minutes south of Belleville.  The town’s population, according to the signs, is 1,700, but even that seems like it could be a stretch.  Welcome to Wellington: a small community in Prince Edward County with one school, one traffic light and one Junior ‘A’ hockey team with a lot of history called the Wellington Dukes.  Since about 2000 the Dukes have been considered annual contenders on the Ontario junior hockey scene, a fact that isn’t lost on this year’s incoming captain Joe McKeown.

”It is nice to be a captain in a hockey town like Wellington because they have expectations for the hockey team and they make sure we are playing as hard as we can every night. I wouldn’t have it any other way. A team without expectations doesn’t have anything to push for.”

Joe McKeown comes to the Dukes via the Campbellford Rebels, his hometown Junior 'C; team.  To get to the Junior 'A' level, Joe took what you would call the traditional route.  He played minor hockey before plying his trade in the Junior 'C' ranks.  From there, Wellington Dukes GM & Coach Marty Abrams saw something he liked and extended an invitation to McKeown to attend training camp.  From there, Joe let his play do the talking.  However, it wasn’t an easy transition to a higher level of hockey. In fact, the speed and physicality were the two areas that McKeown struggled with in the early goings.

“The jump from Junior 'C' toJunior 'A' was tougher than I expected it to be.  The game got much faster and players were much stronger on the puck. For me, this meant I had to become a more heads up player and play with a bigger push than in Junior 'C'.” Instead of seeing it as a negative, McKeown turned it into a positive by putting in the extra work to stay at the higher level. 

 From day one, Joe has been an important piece of the puzzle for the Wellington Dukes.  Initially his role was to be a shutdown player in his first 2 years as a Dukes. “When I first came to Wellington it was my role to shut down other teams top lines. This made it tough to put up points because you were always playing against the other teams top guys. After playing against other teams top lines for two years I developed as a player and was able to take on an offensive role.” Things changed after his second year.  He had put up 20 points in his rookie season and then followed it up by tallying 32 points in his sophomore year.  Because of this, his role evolved and he was promoted to the top line for this year.  When I asked Marty Abrams about McKeown’s development he said that it was something they’re very proud of.

“We’re very proud on how his game has evolved over his three seasons here and he basically exemplifies what our organization is about, and the fact he is a local player is a huge plus. Joe has developed in all areas of his game, including physically. He is very mature and takes being the captain very seriously.”

For almost two months this year, the Dukes played without a captain.  They had shipped former captain Erick Delaurentis to the Hamilton Red Wings and now had a vacant ‘C’ that was up for grabs. From the time that trade was complete, it seemed like only a matter of time before McKeown would wind up wearing the captaincy.  When asked about the process, Marty Abrams echoed similar words:

“We had just traded our captain so it was a matter of taking our time and letting the dust settle before naming Joe as captain. We based our decision on his on and off ice leadership skills.”

McKeown has had some good experiences to build on as a leader of a young club.  Last year, as hosts, the Dukes were one of four teams vying for the Dudley-Hewitt Cup being played in Wellington.  After many wrote the team off due to a first round playoff exit, the Dukes managed to win their way into the finals against the Toronto Lakeshore Patriots, going perfect through round robin play.  In one of the best games all year, the Dukes wound up the short end of a 2-1 result, a game that game down to capitalizing on chances. “The Dudley-Hewitt Cup was a great experience and an amazing feeling playing in our own rink with a full crowd. It was a very close game and we missed the chances we had and they didn’t.”

Due to the turnover from the Dudley-Hewitt Cup, the Dukes have had a younger team this season.  One thing that a young squad needs is leadership and that’s something that McKeown has both at the rink and away from it.  He carries himself in a professional manner, one that has been noticed by his Coach & GM.

“Joe leads by example and that is what we were looking for in respect to leading the new players in the right direction both on and off the ice. We expect a lot from our players and Joe understands the expectations here in Wellington.”

Now in his 3rd season as a Duke, McKeown currently sits first in team scoring with 18 goals, 20 assists and 38 points.  His coach describes him as a, “lead by example type of captain, who has a style similar to Jarome Iginla,” and, “physically strong and has great puck possession skills. Hs is a prototypical 200 foot player, and plays in all situations.” 

It’s a pretty big comparison, but one that fits if you’ve watched #19 on the ice.  He brings a good philosophy to the rink with him every night, one he says that he learned from previous captains.  “I learned from my previous captains that you always have to believe in your team and never give up on a game, play, loose puck, or at any other time in the game.”

Next season McKeown will be headed to NCAA Division I Bowling Green State University  to join the Falcon’s hockey team of the WCHA.  There he’ll join former Duke Rusty Hafner as part of the Falcon’s squad.  McKeown knows that to be successful in the NCAA ranks, it’ll take some work, including putting in more time away from the rink. “I think that moving on to NCAA the players will be faster, bigger and stronger so off ice training will become a lot more important.”
 
I asked Joe what he wanted people to remember about him and the teams he’s played on while in Wellington. Although his answer was simple, what it really boils down to is playing with pride every night. “When people look back on the teams I played on I want them to remember how we would give it everything we had every night and would never quit.”

Allan Etmanski covers the OJHL East Division for In The O... and more articles by the author can be found at intheoradio.com. In The O...goes beyond conventional coverage of junior hockey providing unprecedented coverage of Minor Midget, OJHL, CCHL and the OHL.