While Justin Levac, Yves Bastien and countless other young hockey prospects from across the province begin their journey through another phase of their hockey development this weekend with the OHL Draft, local product Scott Restoule is a clear example that the route to the OHL may cover a long and winding road.

Originally selected in the fourth round of the 2003 OHL Entry Draft, Restoule had progressed though the local "AAA" hockey ranks, hitting the ice with the Sudbury Northern Wolves of the NOJHL in the summer of 2002. Ironically, Restoule says he entered his draft year with no clear idea of where he would play. "The Northern Wolves invited me to their mini-camp and before I knew it, they were asking me to sign...I really didn't think about it that much."

Two events during the 2002-03 season had a substantial impact on the future of the talented young forward: Steve Warner, who is also a scout with the London Knights, assumed the head coaching duties of the Northern Wolves midway through the season and a short while later matched Restoule with his cousin Matt Restoule and sniper Brian McGarry on what would become one of the league's top offensive units.

After a successful season of junior hockey, Restoule entered the OHL draft with no false illusions. "I had been told that I was an "A" rated player which meant I would probably go anywhere from the third to the seventh round" explained Restoule. As the smooth-skating Sudbury native prepared for his first OHL training camp in London, he was fully aware of the process of building an OHL powerhouse had begun to take place.

"Drafted in the fourth, you usually don't have a great chance to make the team but I had a pretty good training camp" admits Restoule. Still, the beginning of the regular season saw Restoule moved to the Strathroy Jr B team, a team which struggled that year. "We only won maybe 10 or 12 games but personally, the season went pretty well", he said. And the early post-season exit for Strathroy allowed Restoule to spend a great deal of time practicing with the "big club", hitting the ice with the OHLers for the better part of the final three months of the season.

After a knee injury spoiled plans for a mid-season call-up in Sarnia with the Knights, Restoule persevered and did suit up in his first OHL game with London. "We played in the Sault, right near the end of the year" stated Restoule, who also notes that the business side of the game is much more evident at the OHL level than in Junior "B" hockey. After a summer of off-ice training, Restoule knew entering the 2004-05 season that the task before him was a daunting one. Well before the London Knights would go on to set a new Canadian Junior hockey standard with a 31-game unbeaten streak to open the season, OHL prognosticators knew the Knights had the makings of a championship squad.

"I'm a natural centre and I thought they had one or two spots open" said Restoule, who roomed with Josh Beaulieu throughout the exhibition season. Just two days before the start of the '04-'05 season, Restoule would come face to face with the business side of the game, as the Knights shipped the 2nd year forward to the Sarnia Sting for defenseman Jeff Whitfield. "I was pretty startled...I hadn't heard any rumours" said Restoule, who still remembers wondering where exactly Sarnia was upon being informed of the trade.

But Knights assistant GM Jim McKellar would stress what many others would soon repeat - that the move to the younger Sting organization would provide a good opportunity for Restoule to progress. "Jim said that I would obviously be getting a lot more playing time" said Restoule. "And I really just wanted to play - it didn't matter that much where. It would have been fun to be a part of what London accomplished this year but if you're not playing, it's hard to feel like you're part of it."

In Sarnia, Restoule found an organization that was still in search of respectability both on and off the ice. "With Shawn Camp and Al Miller, they made it clear that we had to look better in the community" offers Restoule, noting the OHL team did not have the best of reputations within the border city. Restoule found the first half of the season quite challenging, hitting the Christmas break with just five points to his credit.

"But we regrouped after Christmas and things started coming together" said Restoule, who scored his first OHL goal against Plymouth en route to a 25 point season that included five goals, good for eighth in team scoring with the Sting. "Confidence is the biggest thing - you get one goal and start feeling better about yourself, believing you are capable of doing more" said Restoule.

While the solid second half seems to leave Restoule well-positioned heading to training camp in September, there remains some challenges. In May, Restoule undergoes surgery on his shoulder and while he hopes it heals quickly and that physio goes well, he admits he may not see the ice in a regular season game until some time in October. In the meantime, he continues to train locally with long-time friend and fellow OHLer J.F. Houle (Brampton), working with former Sudbury Wolf Steve Potvin on plyometrics, aiming to increase his foot speed.

And he remains encouraged with the feedback that he has received to date from the Sting organization. "They tell me that they definately see me in their future." Words that the likes of Justin Levac, Yves Bastien and hundreds of OHL hopefuls are likely to hear for the first time this weekend.