Pats’ Pierce finding his niche
He isn’t a natural scorer, but he can kill a penalty, and he likes to through a check
Duncan Pierce has gone from the fringe to the fire with the Regina Pats.
After two years serving as an occasional fill-in player, the 18-year-old forward has earned a full-time spot this season, establishing himself as a reliable thirdline performer and special-teams contributor.
“Even though I wasn’t playing in the past couple years, I was still having lots of fun with the guys in practice, just getting to know everyone’s roles and what things are expected,” said Pierce, whose team plays host to the Tri-city Americans on Friday (7 p.m., Brandt Centre). “Now, getting the chance to be in that role, I know what I’m supposed to do and how to react to situations. It’s a ton of fun.”
Pierce dressed for just 17 WHL games in each of the past two regular seasons, splitting time between Regina and the midget AAA Winnipeg Thrashers (201617), followed by the Pats and the Manitoba junior league’s Portage Terriers (2017-18).
After being limited to two assists in his first 34 WHL contests, Pierce already has four goals and seven points in 16 games this season.
“Experience definitely plays a big factor,” he said. “I remember my first game. I was pretty nervous but now when I step on the ice it’s something I’m doing every day. It’s getting easier and easier. Not that the games are easy but just being able to play my position and stuff like that, it becomes more routine.”
Not only has he grown more comfortable, he has also earned the trust of his coaches.
“Duncan has been here as a fringe player and he has worked himself into a role,” said assistant coach Brad Herauf. “He has always been a big, strong kid who has the ability to skate. But he has really worked on his game on and off the ice. We’re starting to see the benefits of his hard work.”
Since he arrived in Regina, Pierce hasn’t been shy about getting into the dirty areas. The six-foot-one, 188-pounder is a hard hitter who embraces contact in the open ice as well as the corners.
“Even when I was younger, it was just fun to hit a guy,” he said with a smile. “It’s easier to hit a guy than score a goal sometimes. The goals are always fun to get but being able to hit somebody and get the puck and create plays, you’re always smiling doing that.”
Pierce isn’t a natural scorer but he has shown impressive flashes. His resume also includes some relevant history, recording 10 goals and 23 points in 25 midget AAA games during the 2016-17 campaign. He also had eight goals in 26 junior A contests last season.
“I never used to be a giant goal scorer but I always liked to put the puck in the net,” he said. “We lost a lot of goal scorers from our team (after) last year. Now there’s a lot more roles to be filled. Every chance you get, you just want to take advantage of it.”
Pierce has also embraced the chance to contribute on the penalty kill — a role that tends to fly under the radar, but not in Regina.
“It’s unsung but that’s something every team needs,” said Herauf. “The common fan maybe doesn’t notice it very much, but what he has brought to our team has been consistency. It’s something we can rely on and trust.”
NOTE: The Pats acquired D Kyle Walker, 18, from the Everett Silvertips on Thursday for a fifth-round pick in the 2019 bantam draft. The second-year WHLER has one goal and five assists in 64 career games.