Kenton Helgeson (centre) battles with Troy Murray in front of the Kootenay net during Calgary’s 6-4 come-from-behind win Saturday. Photo from Hitmenhockey.com
Last week was another busy one in the junior hockey world. On top of a pair of road games for the Calgary Hitmen, Hockey Canada released their rosters for the upcoming U-17 Challenge, the Hitmen made a minor trade, and then the Hitmen came home to face off against the Kootenay Ice in a wild one.
Let’s start with the U-17 rosters. Gone are the five Canadian teams of the old days. Canada will now send three squads, each filled with players from all over the country. This seems to be a wise move, as it’ll get players out of their comfort zones a little more, and provide stronger Canadian squads at the tourney.
Two Hitmen players, defenceman Jake Bean and forward Beck Malenstyn, were named to the squads, which for now can act as a very early watch list for the 2016 NHL Draft.
But let’s bring 2015 back into focus. The Hitmen have had a rocky start to the season, which is to be expected with such a disrupted camp, a new coach, and key graduations. And after their loss in Lethbridge last week, the back-to-back games in Edmonton and against the Ice were a bit of a worry for some fans.
The boys acquitted themselves well though, with a pair of wins–a 2-1 nailbiter in Edmonton and 6-4 comeback at home. Although he has held off the scoresheet, Terrell Draude turned in one of the most impressive performances of his young career. During the home opener, Draude looked lost most of the game. But he was better in Calgary’s second home game, piled up four points in their third, and started looking like the player everyone hopes a kid with Draude’s size can be in the win over Kootenay.
In just two weeks, his skating is better, and his decision making is a complete 180 from where it was in the opener. He finally looks comfortable out there. He may still be a little under the radar, but if he plays for the rest of the season the way he did Saturday night, he could climb into the top 100 picks.
From the Kootenay side, get to know the name Cale Fleury. He’s not eligible until the 2017 Draft, which is crazy to be thinking about already. But he’s already getting first-unit power play work from the blue line, finished the night with two assists, and was out there late in the game when Kootenay was pressing to tie.
Among drafted players, Hitmen forward Greg Chase is in the mix for a spot on this year’s World Junior team. He’s a vastly-improved player from the player we saw last season. His puck control really stands out now. He’s listed at 6′ (which is believable), but has shown the reach of a player two or three inches taller. His shot’s improved, he still passes too much, and his defensive game is still very strong. There’s a lot for the Hockey Canada brass to love.
There’s also the part where he was benched for most of the third period after a sequence in which he took a too-long shift, nearly scored on his own goal because of a careless turn in his own end, then took his frustration out of a Kootenay player after the whistle, leading to a penalty against Pavel Karnaukhov who came to his aid. He had the best seat in the house to see Calgary’s four third-period goals. This stuff is part of his game, but he’ll need to show he can tone it down if he wants to make the WJC squad. Hockey Canada won’t want to bring a guy who may find himself stapled to the bench like this.
Up next for the good guys: familiar foes. Former head coach Dave Lowry and his Victoria Royals are in town Friday night. Sunday afternoon, the Hitmen host pre-season East Division favourites (and my favourite rival) Brandon. In non-Hitmen news, we’ll learn whether Red Deer or Vancouver will host the 2016 Memorial Cup. Either city is fine by me. Red Deer is home to Canada’s best donuts at the Donut Mill, and Vancouver is Vancouver.
sayssteve 