by Warren Rappleyea
Throughout the campaign, the Ottawa Junior Senators have been among the Central Canada Hockey League’s (CCHL) leaders in fewest goals against. The play of defenseman Robbie Stewart has significantly contributed to his team’s stinginess.
Ottawa’s opponents are very aware of the 6-3, 185-pounder when they approach the blue line. Stewart is positionally sound and he’s always willing to take the body. He’s also developed into a vocal leader on and off the ice.
“Robbie is a ‘glue’ guy that the rest of the team wants to be around,” Junior Senators coach Kyle Makaric said. “He really understands his role and he’s got a lot of hockey sense. He’s also chips in with some offense and he makes a great first pass out of our zone.”
Stewart’s leadership also manifests itself in disciplined play—he’s been whistled for just 56 minutes in penalties. Besides his defensive efforts, Stewart has posted three goals to go along with 11 assists. The team’s overall results this season speak for themselves. With 50 games in the books, the Junior Senators have clinched the CCHL’s best record as well as the Yzerman Division title.
My role is to be a hard guy to play against and I want to be known as a reliable teammate,” Stewart said. “I like to use my body and play physical as much as I can, but I’m also a pretty good skater and I’m able to find the open man.”
The St. Catherines, ON, resident has always been a defender. He began playing at an early age under the tutelage of his dad, Brad, and his uncle, Brian, and later played youth hockey in the Niagara North Stars organization. Stewart came to Ottawa after spending two seasons playing for Ridley College in his hometown, where he drew the attention of Junior Sens GM Jamie Mayo, who helped bring the youngster to the capital.
“It was very exciting for me to come to Ottawa,” Stewart said. “It’s great place to play, the team is consistently a contender, and the bar is high here. It’s a team that brings out the best in its players.”
The pandemic tempered that excitement and made the 2020-21 something as a transitional season as the Junior Senators were limited to practicing and playing a handful of exhibition games.
“The pace is definitely faster here and it took a few games at the start for me to adjust,” he said. “The good news though was that we were always together during the pandemic and that created closeness with all the guys who returned. That’s a huge plus and it also helped us welcome the new guys and get them to blend in.”
It was then a natural progression for Stewart to become a team leader.
“Because I knew so many of the guys from last year it’s easy for me to be more vocal, but I also think we have a lot of leaders on this team. Guys who go out and do their job and help their teammates,” he added.
In addition to his duties with the Junior Senators, Stewart attends classes part-time at the University of Ottawa, where his sister, Maddie, also studies. In his spare time Stewart plays guitar, citing U2 and Tom Petty as a few of his favorites. With one more year of junior eligibility remaining, he’s hoping to pursue a degree at a Division I college in the US, where he can continue his hockey career.
Right now, however, the focus is on the playoffs. “We’re ready to get going,” he said.
