New Blade Gerlach could be mistaken for traded Hebig
Saskatoon Blades fans may find themselves doing a double-take when they look onto the ice and see newcomer Max Gerlach.
Gerlach — who was obtained from the Medicine Hat Tigers prior to the Jan. 10 Western Hockey League trade deadline — is wearing the same No. 9 as former Blade forward Cam Hebig.
He’s also been wearing a full cage on his helmet, much like Hebig has done in the past month or so.
He has also taken Hebig’s place in the lineup.
“Out of the available numbers, that was just my favourite — I wore 9 a lot growing up,” explains Gerlach, a native of Flower Mound, Texas. “It’s kind of funny how I’m also wearing a cage right now. I’m getting some dental work done and I think he had something with his jaw. It’s kind of funny how there are some coincidences like that.”
Gerlach is smaller at 5-foot-9 and 162 pounds, while Hebig, a Saskatoon native now skating for the Regina Pats, is listed at 6 feet and 182 pounds.
They both shoot right. Hebig, who turned 21 last week, has 34 goals and 33 assists for 67 points in 46 games.
Gerlach, 19, has 22 goals and 21 assists for 43 points in 42 games this season. He has another year of junior eligibility while Hebig does not.
“He’s put up some points on the board, for sure, and that’s one of the reasons why we wanted to get him,” Blades head coach Dean Brockman says of Gerlach. “He’s a ’98 with eligibility to come back and play. He was part of a good program that won a lot of games so you want to bring that, also, over to your room.
“Those things add up to why he’s a Blade now.”
Gerlach was part of a three-team deal that initially sent Hebig and goalie Ryan Kubic to the Regina Pats for goalie Tyler Brown, Bryan Lockner and four bantam draft picks.
The Blades then flipped Lockner, and two bantam draft picks, to acquire the sniper, Gerlach, from Medicine Hat.
“Around trade deadline, those few days were pretty hectic,” recalls Gerlach. “I found out pretty late, on the ninth, that I was going to be traded. Obviously, I had to come here the next day and play against the Tigers. It was a pretty crazy series of events. And then we went on the road right away. It was nice to get to know the guys a little bit and get comfortable that way and play a couple of games. Now that I’ve been here a couple of weeks I’m starting to settle in.”
Gerlach says he hadn’t even seen Hebig play very much, since Hebig missed all of last season due to injury.
“I don’t know what his full game is like and what similarities we have,” says Gerlach. “I know he’s a pretty offensive player by the looks of his numbers.
“There will always be comparisons, no matter what, when trades are made; like, ‘Who wins this and who wins that?’ I’m just here to fill a role, be kind of an older offensive guy and play a 200-foot game. I’m having fun with it.”
The Blades, who play host to the Edmonton Oil Kings today and Prince George Cougars on Saturday, are currently 23-23-2-1 and just four points ahead of the rival Prince Albert Raiders for that final WHL Eastern Conference wildcard berth, but the Raiders have two games in hand.
“We had a good meeting (Thursday) about our strengths and positives in our game,” says Gerlach. “One of the things we have to work on, to keep that final spot, is just our effort every night and play every night like we’re playing a top team and good things will happen.”