After the graduation of five-year captain Brad Good and the pending departure of two more defencemen, the Carleton Ravens men’s hockey team is hoping to shore up their defence with the addition of recruit Tim Billingsley.
“Our aim is always to have eight quality defencemen as part of our program,” said Ravens head coach Marty Johnston. “We watched [Billingsley] play last year and he’s a mobile D that plays in all situations, so we just thought that with his skill level, he’s certainly going to help our team.”
The addition of Billingsley to the roster will provide the Ravens with some options on the back end. Billingsley, a former seventh-round pick of the NHL’s Phoenix Coyotes, joined the Ravens after a brief stint with the Central Hockey League’s Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees. He put up two goals, three assists and 17 penalty minutes in 15 games with the Killer Bees this season.
Before that, he was a defensive regular for the Niagara Ice Dogs and Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), where he recorded a total of 70 points and 322 penalty minutes over the span of five seasons, including playoffs.
“I knew a few guys already, so that kind of helped,” Billingsley said about the Ravens. “Everyone’s been super nice. They’ve all been really helpful.”
During his time in the OHL, Billingsley gained a reputation as a defensive stalwart, one that he hopes will continue as he patrols the defensive end with the Ravens.
“I think I can help out with that kind of aspect,” Billingsley said. “Whatever the team needs at the time is what I’m ready and willing to do.”
Billingsley joins defencemen Mike Folkes and Matt Stanisz as new additions to this season’s Ravens defensive unit, and has been a welcome addition, according to Folkes.
“He knows a lot of the guys he used to play against in the OHL,” he said. “He definitely has come in and fit right in, and I think he’s going to ultimately end up helping the squad out towards the end of the season and the playoffs.”
Billingsley, who was born and raised in the Ottawa area, said Carleton’s location in the capital city played a part in his decision to join the Ravens.
“I’ve always been away for the majority of the winter — for the last five years, now — and then, when I was thinking about going to school . . . I talked to [Johnston],” Billingsley said. “I wanted to see what it’s like living at home, in terms of winter. It [was] a huge factor.”
The 6’3″ defenceman has already suited up for the Ravens in two exhibition games at Lakehead over the winter break, the team’s 2012 opener against the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees and their most recent match against the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières Patriotes.
“The first couple [of games] were good, but tough to get used to. It was a little different,” he said. “Game by game . . . I would say I’m adjusting well and fitting in nicely, playing with the guys and getting used to the system. It’s been good.”
Billingsley was quick to thank his teammates for the smooth switch to Canadian Interuniversity Sport hockey.
“Whenever they think I wasn’t clear about something, there’s always someone there, explaining it,” he said. “They’ve made [the transition] really easy.”
