With less than a month remaining in summer, junior players like Owen Fowler are getting ready to head back to their teams as the 2021-22 hockey season is just around the corner. The Tewksbury, Mass. native and Omaha Lancers left wing is looking forward to his second full campaign in the USHL.
A product of Central Catholic High and The Governor’s Academy, the UMass Lowell recruit played his minor hockey with the New England Bulldogs and Northern Cyclones, then spent most of his pre-high school years with the Top Gun program in Salem, N.H.
It was there that he made the connection with his eventual head coach at Governor’s, Brian McGuirk. After four years at Boston University and a few more in the AHL and ECHL, McGuirk took over the Governor's varsity prep program in 2018, bringing Fowler on board in his first season.
Originally chosen by the Des Moines Buccaneers in the 2018 USHL futures draft, Fowler was with them to start the 2020-21 regular season. He was selected coming out of Central Catholic and the Neponset Valley River Rats 15-U split-season team, having not yet played a game at Governor’s.
“That's when I learned what my game was,” Fowler told New England Hockey Journal when asked about how he was able to get drafted in the USHL during his freshman year of high school. “I wasn’t a flashy guy or a skill guy, I learned to use my physical aspects and outwork people and go to the dirty areas. I learned how to play both ways and I think that led to me getting drafted.”
Fowler said he had some contact with a few USHL clubs before the draft, but Des Moines was not one of them, so it came as a surprise when he found out they took him in the ninth round, 130th overall. He credits Kim Brandvold, his head coach at Central Catholic, for helping him make the transition to prep hockey and the USHL. Brandvold is the skills coach for the Boston Bruins, so the connection has been highly beneficial for Fowler.
“Going into my freshman year, I didn’t really know where I stood with my skill game and he took me aside and opened my eyes to everything,” he said of Brandvold. “I worked with him the last couple of summers with my skating and skills. He’s a good guy to talk to; I can call him about anything. He really helped me in my development.”
After a few weekend games as an affiliate/prospect player in 2019-20, Fowler played 17 games with the Bucs last season. The Lancers acquired him just after the new year for incoming Harvard freshman Zakary Karpa and Minnesota high school defender Zach Reim.
“It was a little bit of a jump,” Fowler said of making the USHL transition. “Obviously, when you go up in the levels the speed picks up and you have to make quicker decisions and plays. I honestly didn’t know much about junior hockey until I got to the league, other than what I saw on social media and things like that, but I was excited to go out and play the first time and experience it.”
As a rookie, Fowler completed his prep school requirements via online distance learning. The lack of in-person classes or a prep season at Governor’s in 2020-21 allowed him to begin his junior hockey career a year earlier than anticipated. While trading a high school student in the middle of the season is relatively unusual in the USHL, Fowler rolled with the punches and was able to seamlessly complete his academic requirements after moving to Omaha. The Lancers recognized some real potential, and the trade worked out for both clubs.
“It opened my eyes to so much," he said of getting traded for the first time. "I didn’t realize how much hockey is a business. At the time, it was a little bit of a rocky road and I can remember calling my parents because I wasn’t sure what was going on. It all worked out, but it was something I didn’t expect at age 18.”
Fowler made his presence known right away, registering his first two-goal game in the USHL in a Lancers win against the rival Lincoln Stars on Jan. 15.
With speed and hard skill, Fowler is a gritty, competitive forward who is effective on the forecheck and creates chaos when he crashes the net. At 5-foot-8, he may not be tall, but his stocky build and low center of gravity allow him to roll away from body checks and stay on his feet after contact. He can handle pucks in tight spaces, has a quick release, and is especially effective in small areas. He brings some industrial-grade sandpaper to his playing style as well.
“Once I got to Omaha, I settled in and saw what the team had and where my game could go,” he said. “Coach (David) Wilkie gave me all the opportunities to succeed and I liked where I was at the end of the year in terms of my confidence and game. I’m excited to go back there and play a second year.”
Fowler didn’t grow up with a specific plan in mind to play junior hockey, and he certainly didn’t envision that he would end up in Iowa and Nebraska. Now, it is time for him to take another step in the USHL toward being ready to join the Lowell Riverhawks and carve a niche for himself in the Hockey East.
He will soon travel back to the Midwest and get the Omaha preseason camp underway with a new head coach in Chadd Cassidy. Fowler took some time to reflect on his path and provide the following advice to younger players who are considering a similar challenge:
“Keep working; it’s a marathon, not a sprint,” he said. “I got drafted in the USHL after my freshman year, so I could’ve tried out for the team in Des Moines right away, but personally, I wasn’t ready, so I stayed home and played prep hockey for a couple of years. Some kids develop quicker than others, so take your time and look at the opportunities in front of you. Focus on being the best player you can be at the level you’re playing at and don’t look too far ahead to the next thing.”
