If you’re going to be sent down to the minor leagues, California is the place you ought to be.
While it’s not the National Hockey League, or the American Hockey League for that matter, 20-year-old Ryan O’Marra is basking in the sunny weather as a member of the East Coast Hockey League’s Stockton Thunder.
The former Ontario Hockey League all-star from Mississauga was re-assigned to Stockton late last month by the Edmonton Oilers after only getting into three games with the AHL’s Springfield Falcons.
A veteran of only eight professional games with the New York Islanders’ AHL Bridgeport Sound Tigers prior to this season, O’Marra says he’s willing to do whatever it takes to one day live up to his first-round draft status and play in the NHL.
He made a good impression in his first game with the Thunder on Oct. 24 when the centre scored twice in a 4-0 win over the Phoenix Roadrunners.
Since then, O’Marra has averaged a point a game with five goals and one assist in six games.
“They just didn’t want him sitting in Springfield, they wanted him playing,” Stockton coach Chris Cichocki told NHL.com. “He’s played a lot the first two games here, and he’ll continue to play a lot. It’s the best thing for his career.”
O’Marra maintains he’s happy with the move if it means more ice time.
“It didn’t really take me by surprise,” O’Marra said. “I only played in three of eight games (in Springfield). I wasn’t playing much. I was hoping to stay longer, but I’m going to get to play a lot more down here and develop.”
That means the forward, who scored 77 points in 61 games for the Ontario Hockey League’s Erie Otters in 2006, will work on turning in a consistent effort, night after night.
“Right now, I’ve just got to focus on playing my game,” O’Marra said. “I have to be physical and play a two-way game and put up some offensive numbers. One thing I will try to bring is a winning attitude. I try to pride myself in winning at every level. Hopefully if there’s a chance to be called up, I’ll get the call. If not, I’ve just got to keep working hard.”
Cichocki is confident O’Marra will be back with the Oilers soon if he works hard.
“He’s a first-year guy, and he’s going to have to earn his stripes,” Cichocki said.
Ninety miles inland from San Francisco, Stockton is near the wine region and a producer of asparagus, cherries, tomatoes, walnuts and almonds.
With a population of 286,000, Stockton also boasts a large Japanese population, which will allow the Japanese-born O’Marra to polish up on another language.
dwiner@mississauga.net
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