Oil Kings rookie fitting in the second time around
Carter Souch is making the most of his second chance with the Edmonton Oil Kings.
The 16-year-old forward has been called up from his midget AAA club and is fitting in well at the Western Hockey League level.
With two assists in four games, the Edmonton product will remain in the lineup on Thursday as the Oil Kings host the Moose Jaw Warriors (7 p.m.) at Rogers Place.
“He was real good in the preseason and he made a real case (to make the team),” said head coach Steve Hamilton. “But it comes down to whether or not you can get him in enough situations where he continues to be effective. He needs to be in those situations.”
After being cut from the Oil Kings in training camp, Souch returned to the Northern Alberta XTreme Prep team, where he scored eight goals and had 21 points in 18 games.
But with the Oil Kings running short on healthy forwards, Souch was recalled to play with the WHL club in late November. As an affiliate, Souch can only play 10 games before being returned to his midget club.
“He’s good and poised with the puck and he’s very smart,” said Hamilton, whose club has the option to keep Souch on a full-time basis for the rest of the season.
“His physical stature doesn’t yet measure with his hockey IQ. He’s still growing. But you can see the poise he has with the puck to make plays, and he’s fit in. With the injuries we’ve had, it’s a good time for him to play in different spots in our lineup.”
His ability to play up and down the lineup has made Souch valuable as the Oil Kings find themselves thin up front due to injuries.
“He’s played with everybody,” Hamilton said. “So, he’s certainly seen maximum exposure in his time here.”
Souch was selected by the Oil Kings in the fourth round (75th overall) of the 2016 WHL Bantam Draft. He had nine goals and 13 points in 18 games with the Northern Alberta Elite 15s last year before a back injury ended his season prematurely.
Souch went nearly 10 months between games, but returned in time to take part in the Oil Kings rookie camp in August.
“It was tough to get back a little bit, especially not being able to play a game for a while,” Souch said. “My first game injury-free since November was at rookie camp.”
Despite turning heads at rookie camp and into main camp, the decision was made to send him back to midget.
“Obviously, I was disappointed at the time, but I was kind of hurt all of last year, so going back to midget wasn’t the end of the world,” Souch said. “It sucked for a couple of hours, but you had to move on.”
Souch made his Oil Kings debut against the Portland Winterhawks on Nov. 25. He picked up his first assist in his third game with the club during Saturday’s Teddy Bear Toss night in a 4-1 win over the Prince Albert Raiders. Souch collected another assist Sunday in a 7-2 loss to the Lethbridge Hurricanes.
“I think the biggest thing for me is just going out and playing and not really thinking about anything,” Souch said. “It’s just about going out and playing the way I can play. Obviously, the pace is faster, but practising with the team here will help me with that.”
With the Oil Kings having lost 11 of their past 12 games, Souch represents a light in what has otherwise been a dark season. His 10 games can be viewed as another audition, and depending where the club is at that point, he could benefit from being a younger player.
Much like last season, if the playoffs are out of the picture for the Oil Kings, they’ll likely give more opportunities to younger players.
“I guess you can say it’s a tryout, but at the end of day, I’m just here to play,” Souch said. “If I can help the team while I’m up, I’ll sure try and do that.”