by Tim Morris
Sammy Edwards wears his bruises as badges of honour.
The 20-year-old Ottawa Junior Senator forward takes pride in being a player who does the little things that win games, like blocking shots, forechecking and winning 50-50 battles.
“When you block shots, your teammates will definitely let you know about it,” he explained. “The guys appreciate that you make that kind of play.”
They’re called winning plays which is why Edwards has fit in so well with the Junior Senators, who are sitting comfortably in first place in the Yzerman Division of the Central Canada Hockey League with a 31-4-1-1 record that included an 11-game winning streak.
“The coaching staff holds everyone accountable,” Edwards remarked. “The Junior Senators are all about team, not individual.
“Our guys will take a hit or block a shot for their teammates.”
Edwards, at 6-0 and 180 pounds, likes the physicality of hockey. He’s a forward who will go into the corners or along the boards and win possession of the puck for his team. When he’s helping to kill penalties he’ll throw himself on the ice and block a shot, painful as it may be. He takes pride in the bruises and his teammates take note of his commitment to the team.
“I’m not that big but, I try to play big,” said the Ottawa native. “I like to hit and forecheck. I’m willing to put my body on the line.”
Lest you think that Edwards is just a player who bangs his body around, he can contribute on the scoreboard as well.
“I have pretty good offensive skills and I can skate,” noted Edwards, who has three goals and 10 assists for the Junior Senators thus far in 2021-22. “I’m a very responsible player in my end. I pay attention to details.”
Edwards’s physicality, attention to details and willingness to block shots come in handy killing penalties. That’s why he’s a big part of Ottawa’s short-handed unit.
In describing the team’s penalty-killing, Edwards said the Junior Senators have two approaches. One, he noted, is when the team on the man advantage is controlling the puck, the goal is for the Junior Senator defenders to stay back and work together, get into the passing lanes, block shots and when they can, clear the puck down ice.
Against teams whose power plays appear disorganized, the goal is to be aggressive and attack the puck. Either way is fine with Edwards.
The forward credits the Junior Senators’ participation in a pre-season tournament, the six-team Collingwood Cottage Cup Showcase in Ontario, for the team’s success.
“The Cottage Cup helped us bond,” noted Edwards. “We developed team chemistry a lot earlier that the others (Yzerman Division teams). We hit the road running and have had a great start to the season.”
It certainly helped that the Junior Senators didn’t just participate in the tournament. They won it.
Edwards likes Ottawa’s prospects for the remainder of the season and playoffs.
“We have a really special team,” said Edwards.
Since joining the Junior Senators, Edwards has had the extra challenge of the pandemic. He arrived in Ottawa just before the CCHL shut down the 2020-21 season and last year, save what amounted to some scrimmage games, there was no season.
“Last year was tough,” Edwards remarked. “It was a big help that we played games. It helped me get used to the speed of the game. That helped me feel more comfortable and calm out there. It wasn’t a totally wasted year.”
Like his teammates and just about everyone else in the CCHL, Edwards is looking forward to the next step, Division I college hockey. But, for the Junior Senator, that will have to wait. He has something more immediate on his mind.
“I’m currently focused on winning championships,” he pointed out.
