Two-way center Rowan Henderson commits to Merrimack

The Warriors received a commitment on Thursday from OHL center Rowan Henderson. Import Sports Management, which is Henderson’s agent/advisor, announced the commitment on Instagram.

Henderson is from Ontario and was alternate captain of the Sudbury Wolves (OHL) last season. In 62 games for the Wolves, he finished with 32 points (12-20-32). Jewell had 24 points (11-13-24) in 66 games as an OHL rookie in 2024-25.

Henderson went undrafted this past summer but he’s still eligible for the 2027 NHL Draft as a late-2007 birthday. In an annual OHL Coaches Poll, he received votes as one of the best defensive forwards in the league.

After playing in the OHL Top Prospects Game, he was ranked No. 194 by NHL Central Scouting for the 2026 NHL Draft. He was injured in the second half of the season, which cost him a few games down the stretch and may have impacted his draft stock.

Sudbury coach Scott Barney told The Sudbury Star this past season:

“I thought he made great progress this season. He was a leader for us, too, so he had a lot more responsibility. If you look back at the numbers and he probably has our most five-on-five ice time and on the PK, he’s arguably one of the best in the league.

“The way he angles, his habits, his attention to detail are very high. When guys go to pro hockey, coaches usually have to change some of their habits from where they came in junior, but you’ll definitely have zero problems there with Rowan. When he’s tenacious on the forecheck, I think he’s very effective, and I thought in the playoffs, his line was outstanding. They played against O’Brien’s line for a lot of the playoffs and they were really good. I’m sure there were a lot of people watching during playoff time and I thought that was his best hockey of the season.”

Henderson has been added to our recruiting chart.