SASKATOON, Sask. – Bo Horvat never had far to look for inspiration.
The London Knights’ jack-of-all-trades forward was a rookie biding his time during the team’s Ontario Hockey League championship season a year ago. As frustrating as it may have been then, Horvat could see the prominent role he would soon take over by a departing veteran.
“It’s a huge learning curve,” he said in reflecting on his rookie season. “You want to be that guy; you want to be the Austin Watson of the team.”
Many of the responsibilities the Knights bestowed upon Watson last year are assigned to Horvat this year. The sophomore forward is a two-way presence with a penchant for blocking shots, a trait he picked up naturally from Watson, whom he described as a “huge, huge mentor.”
Watson was a master at bravely sacrificing his body by fearlessly throwing it in front of shots. His technique was unique, but the result was often the same and the puck would hit him before it would reach the Knights’ goal.
“He would kind of spin around sideways and backwards,” Knights captain Scott Harrington said. “He had it down to an art. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen someone block them like that, but definitely it’s contagious on the bench when you see guys going down and sacrificing like that.”
So contagious that it’s now an art form Horvat is still perfecting. The student isn’t exactly ready to overtake the teacher, but Horvat has certainly earned the respect of his elder teammates for his attention to defence and possessing the same fearless qualities when it comes to shot blocking.
“He’s a horse,” Harrington said of Horvat. “He’s a defenceman’s favourite forward, I guess. It’s awesome. It’s really nice having Bo on the ice whenever I’m on the ice. You know that he’s going to win faceoffs and he plays well all over the ice.”
Watson was similarly loved by his teammates. The influence he played on Horvat can be traced to the pupils’ same mentality. Watson often shrugged off the notion he was so reckless that he must have been black and blue beneath his equipment. If he was, Watson did just as good a job standing in front of a defenceman winding up for a one-timer as he did in concealing the aftereffects.
“You wonder how he gets up from some of the shots he took,” Horvat marveled. “He kind of knew where to take it. He never seemed like he was hurt. He never showed it. He was just a pure warrior.”
Horvat’s shin pads have taken a beating this year and required some repairs. He doesn’t drop to one knee and spin in an attempt to get a piece of an oncoming puck like Watson did, but Horvat learned a few techniques from Watson last season.
“To line up with the stick instead of the body,” Horvat said. “The little things like that he does to get in front of those shots and not to be scared. He did whatever it took to win.”
The same could be said for Horvat.
Watson was on hand to witness Horvat scoring the buzzer beater in Game 7 of the OHL final over the Barrie Colts last Monday. Horvat then captured the Wayne Gretzky 99 award as playoff MVP, the same trophy Watson won a year earlier.
“To be on the same trophy as him,” he said, “is something special.”
The Knights felt Watson’s presence missed around the dressing room this season. Watson was a leader in London last season, which means his leadership qualities also needed to be taken over and replaced. Horvat is among the young leaders on the ice and learned to shoulder much of the load of the player he’s been asked to replace.
“Bo kind of stepped up and filled that role on the ice,” Harrington noted.
“This year,” Horvat said, “I got the opportunity. (Head coach) Dale (Hunter) gave me tons of opportunity to be that guy and I don’t mind that role. I don’t mind it at all. I love it. I love getting all the ice.”
Horvat, who admittedly modelled his game after Watson’s, is enjoying similar success.
As the Knights look to take the next step toward realizing their goal of winning the MasterCard Memorial Cup, Horvat knows he can make the same impact as his mentor.
“There’s always a few that sting, but you never say you shouldn’t have got in front of them,” he said. “You always want to get in front of as many as you can. All the bumps and bruises are worth it now.”
Austin Watson would approve.