By Raine Hernandez/OHL
Jacob Holmes and Liam Arnsby have seen first-hand how fast time can fly in the Ontario Hockey League.
As the top ’07-born players from across the province compete in the Canada Winter Games this week in Prince Edward Island, the memories began to flood in from the experience of representing Ontario themselves in 2019.
“It’s pretty crazy to think that was four years ago,” said Holmes, now a defenceman for the Windsor Spitfires.
Before entering the league as first-round picks, Holmes and Arnsby were starring for their respective minor hockey teams in the York-Simcoe Express and the Don Mills Flyers respectively. They both ultimately earned a spot playing for Team Ontario at 2019 Canada Winter Games in Red Deer.
Under different circumstances than this year’s team, that had to go through an invite-only training camp to make the squad, Holmes and Arnsby got the phone call just two weeks before the event that they had made the cut.
“I remember it like it was just yesterday, getting the call from Darrell Woodley that I had made the team,” Holmes added.
“Not a lot of guys get to go there,” added Arnsby of the event that occurs every four years. “You have to get lucky with your birth year, so to get to share that experience with that great group of guys was awesome.”
A team that featured the likes of 14 future NHL draft picks, Arnsby, Holmes, and the rest of their Team Ontario teammates traveled to the home of the WHL’s Red Deer Rebels, giving the players their first taste of the Canadian Hockey League.
“I never experienced getting to play in a junior environment before that,” the Battalion captain continued, recalling the memory of playing in front of a sold out crowd of fellow athletes from across the country. “The crowd was pretty cool to play in front of… It was just an awesome experience.”
Although Team Ontario ended up falling short in the gold medal game, losing to Team Quebec in overtime, the bond that they shared throughout the entire tournament still carries to this day. The former teammates frequently cross paths throughout the OHL season.
The strong roots from that experience in Red Deer were even more evident this season, especially when old teammates were re-united via trade. Florida Panthers prospect Arnsby was able to rekindle an old friendship with former Team Ontario teammate Josh Bloom who was acquired by the Battalion from the Saginaw Spirit. Holmes, a Dallas Stars draft pick, was able to re-connect with Shane Wright in Windsor after he was acquired from the Kingston Frontenacs.
“Yeah, it’s funny,” said Arnsby. “When [Josh Bloom] got traded here, he was one of my teammates on our team, and the first thing we were talking about was our time in Red Deer together.”
All in all, the overall experience for Holmes and Arnsby will always stand as one of the most memorable moments in their entire hockey careers.
“It’s right up there at number one,” Holmes said, putting his experience in the conversation with getting drafted in both the OHL and the NHL. “It was something I was so lucky to participate in and something that I’ll never forget.”
With this year’s version of Team Ontario about to enter the knockout stages of the Canada Winter Games, the pair wanted to share some words of advice for the group.
“It’s pretty cliché, but I say just enjoy the moment,” Arnsby noted. “Time goes by fast, and it feels like just yesterday that I was playing there, and I’m almost done my fourth year here in Major Junior.”
“The big thing is to have fun together,” Holmes added. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience, a fast tournament and when you look back, you want to have really good memories of it, so just have fun and leave it all out there.”
After finishing round-robin play as the #1 seed in their pool, Team Ontario is set to play in their quarter-final matchup on Thursday afternoon at 5:00pm ET. Information and Live streaming for the Canada Winter Games can be found here.
