SYDNEY, N.S. — Logan Camp fell in love with the game of hockey at an early age, but it’s not like he had a choice.
The Cape Breton Eagles right winger grew up in a hockey family with his father, uncle and grandfather all playing the sport.
His father Sheldon Camp played four years in the National Collegiate Athletic Association with Clarkson University in the early 1980s, while his uncle Shawn Camp has coached the University of Guelph men’s hockey team for the past 13 seasons.
And closer to Cape Breton, his grandfather John Camp was born and raised in North Sydney and played junior hockey with the Northside Franklin Juniors in the mid-1950s.
“It wasn’t too hard for me to get into the sport,” said Camp. “When your family is heavily involved in something, there’s a good chance you may follow in their footsteps.”
Along with his hockey ties to Cape Breton, Camp still has family on the Northside and is related to the original founder of the famous A&K Lick-A-Chick restaurant in Little Bras d’Or.
Despite being four-plus hours away from his hometown of Bedford, Camp considers Cape Breton a home-away-from-home.
“I love it here and it’s a perfect fit for me,” said Camp. “Cape Breton is super close to my home, so it’s really nice to have the opportunity to play for the Eagles.”
Camp began his hockey career with the Bedford Minor Hockey Association but didn’t always play at the highest level.
Every second year he played triple-A hockey for the Blues organization, before making the Bedford Barrons major bantam team in his first eligible year.
“It was a big jump from playing peewee ‘AAA’, but I had two different coaches both years and they really helped me,” said Camp. “I was the captain of the team my second year — I have lots of great memories.”
After a slow start to his major bantam career, Camp showed his true potential during the 2016-17 season, recording 17 goals and 28 points in 30 games for the Barrons.
The next season, 2017-18, Camp would suit up for the Steele Subaru Major Midgets, notching eight goals and 11 points in 28 games before going on to capture the Nova Scotia Eastlink Major Midget Hockey League championship, knocking off the Halifax McDonalds in seven games in the final.
“I had mono for pretty much most of the season and I wasn’t aware of it until January,” said Camp. “It dampened my mood a little bit, but I was able to come back and play in the playoffs.”
The Dartmouth-based team played in the 2018 Atlantic major midget championship where the club lost to the Moncton Flyers in the tournament final.
“We had an amazing team,” said Camp. “Everyone was so excited and nervous to play in the Atlantics and we all wanted to win really bad, so it was a terrible feeling not making it to the Telus Cup that season.”
In June 2018, Camp was drafted by the Baie-Comeau Drakkar in the seventh-round, No. 122 overall, at the QMJHL Entry Draft.
Camp attended the Baie-Comeau training camp and surprised many when he earned a spot on the Drakkar roster for the 2018-19 season.
He played the first 22 games with Baie-Comeau, who at the time were contenders for the QMJHL title, posting one goal and five penalty minutes.
Camp fell victim to the numbers game with the Drakkar when the team became aggressive on the trade front at Christmas, acquiring nine players for its playoff run.
Camp was reassigned to the Truro Bearcats of the Maritime Junior Hockey League, where he finished the season with a goal and two assists in 19 games.
“They told me to go back and play junior ‘A’ and to get more ice time and I was more than happy to do that,” said Camp. “It wasn’t really a step back for me, it was more like a pause — they wanted me to continue to improve and I was OK with it.”
This year, Camp once again started the season with the Drakkar, but after limited ice time — appearing in just eight games in the first half of the season — he requested a trade in late November.
“I wanted to get better as a player and not playing games and sitting in the stands didn’t really help me,” said Camp.
As he waited for a trade, Camp returned to Nova Scotia and played major midget with the Halifax McDonalds. He was acquired by the Eagles in mid-December.
“When I found out I was traded to Cape Breton I was very excited,” said Camp. “It thought it was an amazing opportunity, and just knowing they wanted me and were willing to trade for me was amazing.”
In an interview with the Cape Breton Post in December, Eagles general manager Jacques Carrière said Camp was a player on the team’s list during his draft year.
“He has good energy and is a very mature guy," he said. "We were surprised when he made Baie-Comeau as a 16-year-old and it proved that another team saw the same quality we saw in him."
Last month, Camp was recalled by the team for the remainder of the season. In 12 games, he has a goal and an assist along with a plus-1 rating.
“I want to continue to get better every day,” said Camp of his goals for the remainder of the year. “I’m trying to add a bit more skill to my game, I know that will come with time.”
Camp and the Eagles (35-17-2-1) will host the Saint John Sea Dogs (27-28-1-0) today. Game time is 7 p.m. at Centre 200 in Sydney.
LOGAN CAMP
• Hometown: Bedford, N.S.
• Age: 17
• Position: Right Wing
• Height: 5’11”
• Weight: 175
• Team: Cape Breton Eagles (QMJHL)
• QMJHL Draft: Selected in the seventh-round, No. 122 overall, by the Baie-Comeau Drakkar in 2018
CAREER STATISTICS
• 2015-16 – Bedford Barrons (major bantam) – GP: 26 – Goals: 8 – Assists: 5 – Points: 13 – PIM: 4
• 2016-17 – Bedford Barrons (major bantam) – GP: 30 – Goals: 17 – Assists: 11 – Points: 28 – PIM: 22
• 2017-18 – Steele Subaru (major midget) – GP: 28 – Goals: 8 – Assists: 3 – Points: 11 – PIM: 12
• 2018-19 – Baie-Comeau Drakkar (QMJHL) – GP: 22 – Goals: 1 – Assists: 0 – Points: 1 – PIM: 1
• 2018-19 – Truro Bearcats (MHL) – GP: 19 – Goals: 1 – Assists: 2 – Points: 3 – PIM: 6
• 2019-20 – Baie-Comeau Drakkar (QMJHL) – GP: 8 – Goals: 0 – Assists: 0 – Points: 0 – PIM: 0
• 2019-20 – Halifax McDonalds (major midget) – GP: 9 – Goals: 2 – Assists: 4 – Points: 6 – PIM: 4
• 2019-20 – Cape Breton Eagles (QMJHL) – GP: 12 – Goals: 1 – Assists: 1 – Points: 2 – PIM: 5
Twitter: @CBPost_Jeremy
