Senior defenseman Josh Healey is headed home to Alberta. The Calgary Flames today announced an agreement between the club and the Edmonton native. He is the first of Ohio State’s 2016-17 senior class to ink a professional deal.
| josh healey | gp | g | a | pts | blk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013-14 | 33 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 51 |
| 2014-15 | 32 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 59 |
| 2015-16 | 33 | 5 | 16 | 21 | 59 |
| 2016-17 | 35 | 4 | 21 | 25 | 72 |
| Career | 133 | 12 | 48 | 60 | 241 |
Healey has been on NHL scouts’ radar all season. Fully aware of the scrutiny, the blue liner posted a career year. He led all Buckeye defenders with 25 points (next on the list was Matt Joyaux with 11) and topped Ohio State’s shot blocking chart (72). Healey continued, as he has from the moment he first donned the block O in his freshman season, to set the physical tone for the Bucks each night.
The Hurt-ah from Alberta regularly brought the pain for OSU opponents, leaving a trail of destruction across college hockey. Big or small, Healey hit them all. He was a valuable weapon for the Bucks, if a two-edged sword. He pushed the boundaries of allowable violence night in and night out. Though his late season suspensions loom large in the immediate memory, more often than not throughout his career Healey’s aggression has been an asset for Ohio State.
Now Healey takes his particular brand of hostility to the pro leagues. Calgary signed him to a two year entry level contract which begins in 2017-18. For now he is headed to the AHL’s Stockton Heat on an ATO. We wish him luck, though it may be the other guys who really need it.
