Ottawa 67's newcomer Zack Pittman hopes USHL tie helps with late jump to OHL

Jumping from college to major junior is something Zack Pittman says just felt right, although the newst Ottawa 67's defenceman acknowledges it sent some apprehension rippling through his support system.

The 6-foot-2, 222-pound defender changed course last week, leaving the Canisius College Golden Griffins to hop aboard with the back-on-Bank-Street Barberpoles, who are hopeful of putting two lost years behind them quickly. The fact the former mainstay with the Lincoln Stars is joining a team guided by fellow USHL alumnus Jeff Brown, who steered the Indiana Ice to the 2014 Clark Cup before making a homecoming, is a boon to  Pittman's hope this move will pay off.

"I thought I could come in [to Canisius] and go to school and handle all the schoolwork and hockey combined," Pittman said after his preseason debut last Saturday with Ottawa, which was a 4-3 win over the QMJHL's Gatineau Olympiques. "And then I got there and started  thinking it was going to be too much for me and I decided to come here.

"Everyone was the same — 'whatever you want to do; whatever makes you happy,' " the Macomb, Mich., native said of his family's reaction to his choice to leave Canisius shortly after enrolling at the Buffalo-area school. "It seemed like a really good chance for me [in Ottawa]. My whole life I wanted to go to school and then I got there and it just wasn't for me. It was an easy decision for me but everyone else was feeling like it was a big difference."

'Kind of the one untouchable on Lincoln'

Lincoln and Indiana were on opposite sides of the USHL last season, so Pittman only had one opportunity to play against his new coach's team last season. That was more than enough for Brown, the former NHL defenceman, to get a read on the 19-year-old.

"I know a lot about him as far as his reputation and his character, that kind of stuff," Brown said. "That's why, when we had the opportunity to get him, we did. I tried [while serving as coach-GM of Indiana] to trade for him last year. He was kind of the one untouchable on Lincoln. That says something about the kid. He wants to be a hockey player. He wants to be a pro ... he has character, a good first pass, he's strong, a good teammate."

A leaky defence was a hallmark of the so-called '68 road games for the 67's' phase where Ottawa played at the cavernous Canadian Tire Centre while TD Place was undergoing construction. The 67's gave up 622 goals over the past two years, worst in the 20-team OHL.

The defence could be much deeper, though. In June, the Los Angeles Kings, whose scouting staff includes former Ottawa coach-GM Chris Byrne, invested draft choices on 19-year-old Alex Lintuniemi (second round) and 18-year-old Jacob Middleton. Nineteen-year-olds Mike Vlajkov (torn labrum) and Taylor Davis (brain injury) are also aiming to come back strongly from injury-shortened seasons. Two 17-year-olds, Troy Henley and Matt Mercer, are also in the mix, although the latter had to play wing in the preseason opener ("he wasn't our 12th forward out there," Brown understated for effect).

Pittman hopes Brown's expertise and their shared connection to the USHL can give him an edge.

"I just hope I can play my role," he says. My role is to stop some guys, not to score some goals ... I'm hoping I can work on my offensive zone, get a couple goals, get a couple points and help the team.

"He [Brown] knows me and my type of game," Pittman added. "I felt like I could come in and do whatever he wanted me to do."

Saturday's tilt was the only game the 67's will play in the city proper before their belated Oct. 10 home opener vs. the Niagara IceDogs. Former London Knights first-rounder Liam Herbst, who turns 18 next week, looked assured in poised in goal. The other obvious takeaway is that Brown wants to buff out some bad habits that might be the residue of those two uphill-battle seasons.

"I'm pleased in the sense that we have some bright spots but I'm disappointed in some of the small stuff I saw tonight, that should have been taught a long time ago," he said on Saturday. "Just from body position stuff and having good sticks. I was a little disappointed in the raw ability but the good news is it's all stuff you can teach as a coach."

Neate Sager is a writer for Yahoo! Canada Sports. Follow him on Twitter @neatebuzzthenet.