Eric O’Dell

O’Dell was playing junior "A" hockey when the 2007-08 season began, having committed to play at St Cloud State University starting in the fall of 2009. However, after the OHL Oshawa Generals traded his rights to Sudbury, O’Dell determined that major junior hockey was the correct path for him, and he joined the Wolves in January 2008. In 26 regular season games with the OHL team, O’Dell posted 32 points (14 goals and 18 assists). He lead all Sudbury rookies in scoring and was 15th overall among rookies in scoring, even though he played less than half the games of most of the other first year OHLers.

2007-08: O’Dell started the season in junior "A" hockey with Cumberland in the CJHL, having committed to play at St Cloud State University starting in the fall of 2009. In 34 games with the Grads he scored 23 goals with 23 assists. After the OHL Oshawa Generals traded his rights to Sudbury, O’Dell decided to forego college hockey and joined the Wolves in January 2008. In 26 regular season games with the OHL team, he posted 32 points (14 goals and 18 assists) to lead all Sudbury rookies and was 15th overall among rookies in scoring despite playing far fewer games. O’Dell also played for Canada’s U-18 team, scoring 1 goal and 3 assists in seven games. He was drafted by the Anaheim Ducks in the second round (39th overall) of the 2008 draft.

2008-09: O’Dell averaged nearly a point per game in his first full season with the Wolves – scoring 33 goals with 30 assists in 65 games. He added four assists in six playoff games. The Thrashers obtained his rights in a March trade that sent Erik Christensen to Anaheim.

2009-10:While the season was disappointing one team-wise for Sudbury, O’Dell continued to develop and displayed determination and competitiveness despite often being one of the few offensive threats for the Wolves. In 68 regular season games, he scored 33 goals with 35 assists and had a pair of assists in the four Sudbury playoff games. Following the OHL season, he joined Atlanta’s AHL affiliate in Chicago, appearing in three games with no points.

2010-11: Expected to turn pro in 2010, O’Dell instead spent half the season recovering from surgery to repair a heart defect. Making a full recovery in time for the second half of the OHL season, the playmaker proved to be a pacemaker for the Sudbury Wolves, sparking a second half surge with 20 goals and 44 points in 39 games. O’Dell then provided a further 7 goals in 8 playoff games as the Wolves shocked OHL watchers with a sweep of the top seeded Ottawa 67’s.