AMHERST – One of the Amherst Ramblers’ longest tenured players is now its captain.
Kody Orr, who is entering his fifth season with the club, was named its captain on Thursday.
“It’s a tremendous honour, especially when I think about some of the guys who have come before me,” said Orr, whose gritty style made him a fan favourite from the time he joined the team in 2008. “This is such a great franchise and I’ve been with the club for so long. I’m just happy the coaching staff has so much trust in me and is relying on me to be captain. It feels good.”
Ramblers’ coach Jim Bottomley said Orr has become the identity of the franchise with his leadership and work ethic.
“He’s someone the younger players can look up to. He brings it to the rink every night and leaves nothing on the ice,” Bottomley said. “We’re honoured to have Kody as our team captain.”
In 49 games last year, Orr had nine goals and 10 assists along with 56 penalty minutes. He added two assists and 21 penalty minutes in the playoffs.
“I’ve had some great captains over the years. Travis Turner, Adam Chipman, Ryan Matheson and Justin Matthews were great leaders. I learned a lot from them and enjoyed watching them go to work every day,” said Orr.
Orr said he’s looking forward to the upcoming season and working with a new group of players.
“We’ve had quite a transition. I think we’re going to be really tenacious and a fun team to play with and watch develop,” said Orr. “We did lose a lot of veterans, but we also have a lot of guys coming back. Some of those guys are going to have to step up, but we also have some good guys coming back. We’re going to be in the thick of things. Our division is always tough and every game is a tough game. We’re going to have to come to play right from the beginning.”
dcole@amherstdaily.com
