Drew Owsley Paying Big Dividends for Wichita Thunder
For those who are unfamiliar with the Myers-Briggs test, this is a set of questions that many businesses and psychologists use to determine the kind of personality that a person has. It is not only used to help in treatment plans, but many businesses use it to help them to determine if a person would be the right employee for their company or the right fit on a project team.
The test has also been used to help determine if a person may be right for a specific career path. By examining such factors as introversion vs. extroversion, sensing vs. thinking, among others, the test helps individuals find out if they have the right personality to fit into the character of one who would do well in a specific job.
This is true for the accounting field as well. Of the 16 potential personality types that a person can have, two are more likely to be found in those who are accountants. Generally, accountants are people that trust their senses more than their gut feeling, they are logical and less emotional, but they can be either introverted or extroverted.
These characteristics seem to be the perfect combination for a person who wants to be an accountant, but who would have thought that they would fit perfectly for a person who wanted to be a professional goalie? Fortunately for Wichita Thunder goaltender, Drew Owsley has found that the combination is perfect for him to star at both.
An Investment in the Sport of Hockey
Drew Owsley was fascinated by the sport of hockey from the earliest age that he can remember. His dad played and, growing up in Lethbridge, Alberta, he was able to watch the local junior team and grew to love the sport. His dad allowed him to learn about the sport not only from a playing standpoint but also from the view of a coach.
“My dad played in senior league and he was a coach, as well. So, I used to go and watch him coach and that’s how I got into hockey. I learned a lot from him.”
During his youth, Drew played hockey and baseball, also heading to the golf course in the summer. When he reached high school, he decided to give up on baseball and focus his efforts on hockey. The move was a very calculated one for sure as he was looking where to invest his time and effort to have the greatest chance for success.
He was starring in the net, a position he isn’t exactly sure why he loves so much.
“My dad was a goalie and, honestly, I don’t really know how I got into it, but I just kind of like the gear in the mask and stuff like that. I just started playing it and after that I had the demeanor for it so my dad had me keep with it.”
A High Markup in His Skills
In his early teens, he was making a name for himself. Drew was playing in the Alberta Midget AAA League and earned MVP honors in the 2007-08 season. With this kind of success it drew him a lot of positive attention and so in 2008 he joined the Tri-City Americans in the Western Hockey League (WHL). The league is one of Canada’s most elite in the juniors, as one in five NHL players today came through the league. There is not only an exceptional brand of hockey played there, but the league is one of the best at helping to develop the skills and talents of its players.
Drew would spend four seasons in the league. In his first season, he was the primary backup for the Americans, appearing in 17-games, going 7-5-0 with a 2.94 goals against average (GAA) and a shutout.
It was a solid start for the goalie, but his next two seasons would put his stock on the rise. In 2009-10, Drew appeared in 50-games, posting an impressive 33-11-2 record with an outstanding 2.51 GAA and 4-shutouts. The next season, his numbers would be nearly as impressive. He appeared in 55-games for the Americans, winning 36 games with a 2.71 GAA and another 4-shutouts.
The next season he would move to the Prince George Cougars, where his numbers would see a small decline. Drew posted a 22-38-1 record with a 3.26 GAA, nearly a half goal more than he had the previous season. However, the goalie proved to be a true workhorse, appearing in 64-games. To give some context to that, the team only played 72-games and the other goalies on the team posted a 2-8-1 record.
It had been an impressive four seasons in the WHL. The goalie won 98-games and compiled 12-shutouts in over 10,000 minutes played in the league. That included leading the Americans to the WHL Finals in 2010. However, it was time to move on, and Drew wanted to not only continue play hockey, but look at his long-term future as well. It was time to go to college.
Building Portfolio for Future Success
In 2012, Drew Owsley headed to St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, Nova Scotia. Drew would spend four seasons playing hockey there, appearing in 87 total games. In his freshman season, he appeared in half of his team’s games, making 14-starts and posting an 8-6-0 record with a 3.01 GAA.
For the next three seasons, he would be the X-Men’s top goalie. His sophomore season he made 24-starts and appeared in 25 of the team’s games. Drew was 11-4-0 with a 3.17 GAA, providing a key indicator of good things to come.
In the 2014-15 season, Drew made 24-starts and was 14-8-2 with a miniscule 2.28 GAA. His goals against average was second in the Atlantic University Sport (AUS) conference and his .917 save percentage was third overall.
In his senior season, he would only build on his performance. St. Francis would go 18-6-4 overall, with Drew leading the way with a 16-5-3 record and a 2.54 GAA. His goals against average was fourth in the conference, and he led the AUS in wins. He also played the most minutes (1,463), playing in 110 minutes more than his closest rival. Drew would lead his team to the conference title that season, going 5-1 in the playoffs and posting a superb GAA of 2.17. He was also named a Second Team All-Star in the conference for the second straight season.
An Insurance Policy of Sorts
Despite the outstanding performance that Drew Owsley had shown in his four years at St. Francis University, he was not drafted by an NHL organization. He had graduated from the school with a degree in accounting, and had many opportunities to begin a career apart from hockey. However, he was not done playing the sport. He knew he had the requisite skill set to be a big asset for a professional team if he was just given the chance.
That chance came when Malcolm Cameron became the head coach of the Wichita Thunder. Coach Cameron is well-known for his impressive memory, and that became a big part of why Drew joined the Thunder as one of their goalies.
“He had coached against me in juniors in my last year and he only saw me play one game that year, but he had some connections back in our conference in college and that’s how I got hooked up to come here. I wanted to continue playing and the coach reached out to me this summer and thought it was a good fit. Right away, I liked what was going on here and so this was a good opportunity.”
They say that you only have one chance to make a first impression and clearly Drew Owsley had made quite an impression that Coach Cameron would remember him and how well he played from five years ago. The Coach remembered how well Drew performed and knew he was the ideal fit..
“I only saw him the once, but he did make an impression. You could see, even back then, that he had the right kind of makeup to be a professional goalie and so I knew he would be a good fit here. Plus, I received really good reports on him from other coaches and people in the game who I trust, and so I brought him in.”
Blessed with a Host of Intangible Assets
There are few positions in the sports world that require as much mental focus on the game like that of a goalie. The goaltender can spend long periods of time, even up to four or five minutes, with no action, then be forced to defend a breakaway or a 100-mph slapshot. The game changes in the blink of an eye, and requires the man between the pipes to put aside a goal he has allowed or to not become too enamored with a big save. There simply isn’t time to revel in successes or wallow in a mistake.
This is how the accounting personality fits makes Drew Owsley such a good goalie. For the rookie, this is about pure numbers. Is he allowing fewer goals than the guy who is in the other net? When the numbers are against him, either on the scoreboard or in the number of players descending upon his net, is he trusting that his best move, his reflexes, and his mental focus is better than that of the players on the opposing side? Is he always viewing a game as a scoreless tie, where the next goal allowed means a win or a loss? These are the challenges that a goalie must face, and this is where Drew excels.
“You just worry about making the next save and that’s all you can control. You just have to be ready. It does not matter what is going on in the game, you have to be ready at any moment. Hockey is the best game, the funnest sport in the world, but part of the fun is that it challenges you. As a goalie, you simply can’t be worried about what has gone on before or what is going on down in the other end of the rink. You have to win your own battle every time you are challenged.”
Part of what makes Drew so impressive in his mental approach is that he is not exactly sure of when he is going to be between the pipes. When the season began, the Ottawa Senators, the parent club to the Thunder, sent down Scott Greenham to be the team’s primary netminder. That meant that Drew would be filling a backup role, however, it also meant that Greenham could be called up at any moment, either to the Binghamton Senators or to the NHL club, and he could arrive at the rink as Wichita’s No. 1 goalie. That takes a certain kind of mental toughness, and Drew has proven to be up to the challenge.
Drew has appeared in eight of the Thunder’s 21-games this season, and has been outstanding. He is only 3-4-1 to this point, but has an impressive 2.55 GAA. That would be tied for 12th in the ECHL if he had appeared in enough games to qualify. The rookie has proven that when called upon, he delivers.
It’s Not All About Calculations
While Drew Owsley takes an accountant type approach to playing goalie, no one should believe that he is without passion. Playing hockey gives him the opportunity to play a sport he loves with people who have become some of his best friends. For him, there is nothing like it.
“Being out there being with the guys. It’s enjoyable. That you get to compete with guys on the team, your friends, is what makes this the best sport.”
He also loves that he is playing a game that his parents, especially his father loves. He wants to show his appreciation for all they have invested in him by doing his best every time he takes to the ice.
“Being the parents of a goalie is kind of a tough gig for sure. My parents have always supported me and helped me to strive for my dream. They are my biggest inspiration, especially my dad. I grew up watching him play and he is ultimately the reason why I became a goalie.”
At 21-games into the season, the Wichita Thunder already have 23-points, nearly half as many as the team had in 72-games last year. This is a team on the rise, whose long-term projections boast well for a run toward the playoffs. That kind of run requires outstanding goaltending and Drew Owsley has been a big part of why the Wichita Thunder are 12th in the league in goals against average (3.10) despite giving up the most shots in the league (37.9 shots per game). Those are the kind of numbers that don’t seem to add up, but the future accountant has found a way to make it balance out. That’s just another piece of the added value that Drew Owsley brings to the Wichita Thunder.
By Robert Pannier