Every junior hockey story is unique, and the story of Powassan Voodoos captain Parker Bowman is no exception.
Accounts of the romanticized grind, travelling up and down dark Canadian highways on the team bus trying to make the most the whole experience, are compelling ones that Bowman shared his version of with BayToday during an interview following a recent 4-1 Voodoos victory over the Cochrane Crunch.
“It was not a tough decision to choose to wear the Voodoos jersey again.” said Bowman, who rejoined Powassan back in August for his last year of junior eligibility. “I had an awesome experience with the organization in my first year of junior, and I knew deep down that I wanted to finish my junior career back where it all started.”
The Bracebridge native was a AAA player for the North Central Predators organization, which draws players from a large area stretching from Trout Creek and Orillia to the north and south, and as far as Parry Sound and Penetang to the west. Undrafted in the OHL Priority Selection, Bowman played 2015-16 season with the major midget Predators before coming to the Voodoos for what would be a memorable 2016-17 campaign, where the club won the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League Championship. Bowman cites the run as one of his best hockey memories.
“Winning the NOJHL Championship in 2016-17 was amazing, going 12-0 in our playoff run. It was great being able to win that in my first year. It was even more incredible that we won it with the group of guys we had on the Voodoos that season.”
Powassan was led that season by Gary Mantz, eventual North Bay Battalion member Andy Baker and goaltender Nate McDonald, but it was the rookie Bowman who surprised with his increased offensive output. Scoring 11 goals and 9 assists during the 12-game undefeated stretch, Bowman was named the NOJHL playoff MVP and attracted attention at the Dudley Hewitt Cup, the Ontario Jr. A Championship, held that year in Trenton. Though the Voodoos fell in the semifinals to the Georgetown Raiders, his terrific stretch of play would lead to him getting a shot at the major junior level.
“At the Dudley Hewitt Cup, we had more opportunities to be spotted by scouts at the next level. NCAA schools, CIS schools, and major junior teams were all in attendance. I was scouted by the QMJHL’s (Quebec Major Junior Hockey League) Charlottetown Islanders and Rimouski Oceanic. Throughout that summer, I kept in the back of my mind to not ruin my NCAA eligibility.”
Junior hockey players often face a decision between major junior and USA collegiate hockey, with the catch being that once a player plays one exhibition or regular season game for any Canadian Hockey League club, they are no longer eligible to play for any NCAA university.
“After talking with Rimouski, they agreed to not make me play in any exhibition games, but I had to show what I had in intrasquad scrimmages. In August, I flew out east to participate in the Oceanic training camp and signed as an undrafted free agent, leading to two of my most memorable years.”
Bowman spoke highly of the Oceanic organization, calling it “second to none” and referencing the culture of excellence that the franchise exuded. The Oceanic are a very successful QMJHL club that boasts alumni like Vincent Lecavalier, Brad Richards and Sidney Crosby. Bowman described the large crowds that Rimouski draws as “feeling as if you’re in the bigs when you’re playing”.
Bowman played for Rimouski in 2017-18 and 2018-19, taking on a different role as a checking bottom-six forward. He scored 25 points and accumulated 199 penalty minutes in 123 games across those two seasons, before a number’s game forced him to look elsewhere for 2019-20. This led to eventually returning to Powassan where he had begun his junior career.
“We had ten 1999-born players on our roster after the 2018-19 season, and the CHL rules are that you can only have three 20-year olds dress for each game, so unfortunately the math wasn’t in my favour. I knew I still had a passion for hockey and that I wanted to continue playing.”
Enter Voodoos management, including owner Jim Bruce, general manager Chris Dawson and associate GM Brent Tomlinson. Bowman named all three as contributing to his decision to return to Powassan, with Dawson praising Tomlinson’s work in particular as being critical in reacquiring their eventual captain in late August.
“As an overage, he became available from Rimouski and after discussions throughout the summer and after a lot of hard work by Brent, Parker decided to return home”.
The move has so far paid off, with Bowman’s Voodoos currently sitting in first place in the 12-team NOJHL. Playing on rotating top lines with other Voodoos top scorers like Tomas Yachmenev (24+23), Seiji Martone (14+34) and Gregory Trudeau-Paquet (29+42), Bowman himself has 70 points (33 goals, 37 assists) while playing in 43 of Powassan’s 44 games so far this season. Recently named the league’s player of the month for January, his production and leadership have been crucial to the team’s success and the Voodoos brass acknowledged it will continue to be going forward.
“Parker was always known as a great teammate in his time with the Voodoos.” said Dawson. “In the Q, he may not have been a prolific scorer but he was known as a ‘glue-guy’. He has been all we could have asked for and more. He brings scoring, physicality and more importantly leadership. He has been one of the many pleasant surprises.”
“(Bowman) has been invaluable to our team this year.” echoed Voodoos head coach Max Gavin. “From the moment he was named captain, he has really done everything the right way and we wouldn’t be where we are without his leadership on and off the ice. He is a great role model for all the guys on the team and younger players in the community to emulate as a player and person. We are very lucky to have him with us.”
When asked to peg down a reason as to why the Voodoos have had such a strong season thus far, Bowman, a traditional power forward in the ilk of Cam Neely or Todd Bertuzzi, pointed to the team’s effort and resilience.
“I think it comes down to our competiveness. Each guy in our locker room wants to win and we aren’t satisfied with anything other than winning. We do have an older group which gives us experience, but this Voodoos team trusts one another and is willing to do whatever it takes to be successful.”
With a dozen regular-season games remaining on the schedule, the path to another NOJHL Championship will not be easy. The Voodoos have been in a dogfight all season with the Timmins Rock for first place in the East Division, and nine of the league’s 12 teams have records at or over .500. The goal for Powassan remains a league title and a berth in the Dudley Hewitt Cup title, with an eventual spot in the Centennial Cup tournament to determine Canada’s national junior A champion being the loftiest goal of all. With experienced players like Bowman piloting the Voodoos, the franchise believes it has a chance to make some noise in its quest to reach the Canadian Junior Hockey League mountaintop.
