Jake Withers won only 11.7% of his clamps in 2021. The next lowest faceoff athlete? Stephen Kelly. At 43.8%.

Withers is the king of counters. He won 52.6% of faceoffs following a clamp loss. Read that back. When Withers lost the clamp, he was still more likely to win the faceoff than his opponent whose head was smothering the ball. Insane.

“He doesn’t just give (the Waterdogs) a faceoff guy, he gives them an identity,” Ohio State head coach Nick Myers told Josh Schafer last summer. “He walks out there, like Jake Withers, that’s a tough son of a b****... he walks out there, that’s an attitude.”

Withers’ chemistry with his wingmen -- Zach Currier (dating back to middle school in Peterborough) and Ryland Rees -- was formed with Team Canada. After Currier gathers a one-handed groundball off the wing, he’ll often use his other arm to wave for Withers to stay and play. Their two-man games in space are tough for one SSDM and one faceoff athlete to contain.