 BATEMAN NAMED OHF MVP Thousands of five year olds have taken their first strides under the tutelage of Varsity Hockey over the years, and while the focus of the instruction is always on fun and fundamentals, many young skaters step on to the ice with aspirations of greatness. Eight years ago, Adam Bateman was one of them.
The intervening years have seen Bateman emerge as an exciting prospect. Listed at 5-feet-8 ½ inches and125 pounds, the grade seven student at Herb Campbell public school in Caledon played for the Peewee Toronto Red Wings during the 2007-08 season. It was a dream season for the Red Wings, and their star defenseman was a key contributor to their success. Dubbed a “Ray Bourque clone” by thescoutingnews.com, Bateman helped his team win the GTHL Championship, earning them a berth in the OHF championship tournament in Thunder Bay. There, the Red Wings won all seven games to capture the provincial Peewee title, winning the final 8-2 in a game that included a goal by Bateman on a slapper from the point. At the OHF banquet, Bateman was named tournament MVP. When asked about his MVP, Red Wing coach Joey Simon said "I think he will play up a level (with the 1994-born players) next season." Already being mentioned as having “NHL potential” and “one of the best 1995-born defenseman in North America” on scouting websites, Bateman’s success could not be predicted when he began at Varsity, but it wasn’t too long before school Director Adrian Lomonaco noticed his potential and began conducting private lessons with the budding backliner. “He’s a very quick study and has the great combination of having an honest work ethic and being very coachable,” comments Lomonaco. “He can play the game equally well with or without the puck.”
While those who have been around the game for a while know that at 13 years-old it’s too soon to anoint any player as a “future NHLer”, Bateman shows all the tools one could hope for at his young age, including a healthy respect for the team aspect of the game. When the Toronto Star wanted a quote from Bateman about his MVP performance, the defenseman was quick to give credit to his partner Ian Edmondson. "We work well together and that was my success to the MVP," Bateman said.
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