Joel Mazzilli is having himself a year.
His three goals against the Strathroy Rockets on Sunday came very close to bringing to Komoka Kings all the way back in what ended up being a 5-4 loss. Still, Mazzilli now has 36 goals on the year and that is more than any other player in any of the three conferences in the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League.
Mazzilli has landed on the ice with the Kings with a whole lot more force than you would expect from a guy who stands 5’10 and weighs 187 pounds. Mazzilli is averaging a point and a half per game. Along with leading the way in goals, he leads all Western Conference rookies in scoring and is in a neck-and-race with Kaleb Pearson of the Stratford Warriors for the overall rookie scoring title.
Those certainly aren’t the numbers that Mazzilli expected to be putting up when he joined the Kings.
“At a Junior B level, I wasn’t quite sure how things would go because I had never played it before,” Mazzilli says. “They started the year giving me lots of opportunities and they continue to give me great opportunities.”
But, much of his success rests on Mazzilli’s own shoulders. When someone fails to take advantage of the chances they get, those chances can go to other players. But Mazzilli seems to have discovered one of the keys to being productive at higher levels of hockey.
Call it going to the grey areas or the dirty areas.
Rick Nash often chalks up his 41-goal, Rocket Richard Trophy-winning season in 2003-04 with the Columbus Blue Jackets to the time he spent watching hockey highlights the year before. As an 18-year old rookie, Nash lived by himself and didn’t miss too many game recaps. He kept noticing how close to the net players tended to be when the puck crosses the line and set out to do the same thing in his sophomore season. Things turned out quite well.
The same can be said for Mazzilli.
“I’ve been able to score lots of goals because I’ve been going to the net. I’ve been battling hard in front of the net and that’s where most of my goals have come from.”
One of those goals has stood out to create the only blemish on the London Nationals incredible run that dated back to Nov. 10. London went 21 games without losing in regulation. Their only loss at all came at the hands of Mazzilli and the Kings on Dec. 9, after the teams ended regulation tied 2-2.
“It was at a time when we had a few new players and everyone was excited to play,” Mazzilli recalls. “London’s a great team, sitting in first place. When they came to our barn, we felt it was time to beat them and everything fell into place. It was a tight game until the end. In overtime, I got a break and scored and we won. Our team enjoyed it and it’s been the highlight of our year so far.”
Mazzilli was selected by the Niagara Ice Dogs in the 2016 OHL Priority Selection.
His name was called in the seventh round, which is usually a tough spot to come from if you are hoping to make an Ontario Hockey League team at 16. When he didn’t make it at 17, the Lambeth native chose a league that mimicked the OHL in terms of player ages and sizes.
“Playing against guys who are three years older is a bit of a change. You’re up against bigger and strong (players). You’ve just got to change your game. But it’s been very exciting and I’ve enjoyed it.”
As a guy who just turned 18, his learning process is far from over. But Mazzilli admits he’s been able to play for some great coaches and they’ve helped him to make the improvements to his game that have brought him to the top of the GOJHL goal-scoring race. Yet a pivotal influence also goes all the way back to Pee Wee.
“If there’s one person I can think of, it’s John Caldorozzi in Pee Wee. I learned so much about the game and who I am as a person. He taught me how to compete, how to play. Coming out of there into triple-A benefited me a lot.”
The record for most goals in a GOJHL season belongs to Josh McQuade, who scored 64 with Brantford in 2009-10.
Mazzilli’s ultimate goal remains a spot on an Ontario Hockey League roster. If he keeps up his pace with the Kings, Mazzilli might just make that his next stop in hockey.
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