Rockets likely to have both Foote brothers on hand another season
Younger Foote brother poised to play key role in the Rockets’ offence
Nolan Foote could should be in for a breakout season as a sophomore in the Western Hockey League.
Still three months shy of his 17th birthday and not NHL draft eligible until 2019, it’s probably safe to set the over/under bar at 30 goals and 60 points — and to bet on the kid who is drawing favourable comparisons to Jamie Benn.
A fitting comparable since both are products of the Kelowna Rockets and power forwards with wicked shots, but Foote is far ahead of Benn at this stage in his development.
Benn, now 28, captain of the Dallas Stars and an Art Ross Trophy winner as the NHL’s leading scorer, was a late-bloomer — as evidenced by being a fifth-round pick in the 2007 draft — while Foote is projected as a first-round pick and potentially a top-five selection in 2019.
That is a lot of pressure and hype to live up to, but Foote already carries himself like a pro — the younger son of former NHLer Adam Foote — and he’s taking those lofty expectations in stride.
“I’m going to come in and play my role and step up because that’s what we’re going to need,” said Foote, a 6-foot-3 left winger who weighed in at 186 pounds during Friday’s fitness testing to open Kelowna’s training camp.
He could end up flanking second-round NHL draft picks Dillon Dube (Calgary, 2016) and Kole Lind (Vancouver, 2017) on the Rockets’ top line, and Foote should be a triggerman on the power play now that Reid Gardiner has graduated to the pro ranks, along with fellow top-six forwards Calvin Thurkauf, Nick Merkley and possibly Tomas Soustal.
“I’ll get more opportunity, which will be good, and I just have to use that to my advantage,” Foote said. “I’m hoping it’ll be a breakout year, for sure.”
For the record, Foote didn’t throw out those numbers — 30 goals and 60 points — but they are realistic benchmarks considering he produced 19 goals and 35 points in 52 regular-season games as a rookie. This, despite missing last year’s training camp and Kelowna’s first six games while recovering from mononucleosis, which flared up again after Christmas in costing him eight more games in January.
Foote missed 20 games in total — the other six while playing for Canada Black at the World Under-17 Challenge between Oct. 22 and Nov. 12 — and he’s excited to see what he’s capable of over 72 games.
“This is my first summer being healthy in a while,” Foote said, “so just keep training, keep getting better and bring it out on the ice. I know I gained some pounds in the gym, which is what I needed.
“I learned that it’s a big league, there’s strong guys and it’s fast, so you’ve just got to work to improve to hang on with them.”
Foote should certainly be able to hold his own now that he has a season under his belt. He may be pushing the pace from the outset this fall — thanks to that restored strength, with mono a thing of the past.
“I want to work on my skating, my puck protection and, with that, deception — just put it all in my game,” said Foote, who added eight points (two goals) in 17 playoff games this spring as Kelowna advanced to the third round for the fourth straight year.
Those expectations remain high, at least internally.
“It should be another good year for us,” Foote said. “Our first line is going to be one of the best in the league, all top six of our forwards will contribute, and I think we’ll be a good offensive team this season.”
Foote is returning from a short but eventful off-season — highlighted by helping Canada win gold at the Ivan Hlinka Memorial under-18 tournament earlier this month in the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
“It was a great experience, playing with that good of players from around all of Canada,” said Foote, whose team overcame the adversity of losing their opener to Russia (4-3 in a shootout) and went unbeaten the rest of the way with wins over Finland (5-1), Slovakia (6-1), Sweden in the semifinals (4-1) and the co-host Czech Republic in the gold-medal game (4-1).
Foote was the youngest player on Canada’s roster — he doesn’t turn 17 until Nov. 29 — and the only player who isn’t eligible for the 2018 NHL draft. Kelowna general manager Bruce Hamilton helped put that team together, but Foote proved he belonged amongst those 2000-born peers.
Playing on a line with OHL products Barrett Hayton of the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds and Akil Thomas of the Niagara IceDogs, Foote finished with two points in five games — scoring a goal against Finland and adding an assist against Slovakia.
“I felt good. I think I fit right in,” Foote said. “I think we were the go-to line. Our role was to shut down the other team’s best line every night and I think we did that, and we also contributed a lot (offensively) on the power play and 5-on-5.”
Hayton and Thomas, both with six points, tied for second in team scoring — behind QMJHL centre Joe Veleno (2-5-7), a top-10 prospect for 2018 — while Hayton also tied for the team lead in goals, with three.
“We figured each other out pretty well, and all around it was fun to play with those two — they were really skilled and really good,” said Foote, who was also the fourth biggest player on Canada’s roster. “Watching their skill, you learn a lot from them and you can put it into your game and become an even better player.”
It was Foote’s second time representing Canada on the international stage, rather than the United States despite growing up in Denver, Colo. He didn’t have to face the Americans at this tournament, with the U.S. playing in the other pool and failing to make the semifinals.
“It’s an honour to wear the Maple Leaf,” said Foote, noting he knew some kids on the USA roster at the Ivan Hlinka. “I think I made the right decision, not only just following in my dad’s footsteps, but I think it was the right decision for me.”
With that showcase behind him and his draft year still two seasons away, the upcoming campaign should be relatively stress-free for Foote. In saying that, he’ll remain under the scouting microscope and could be at risk of over-exposure.
“Even though I do have a late birthday, I’ll take that as my advantage and use another year to develop,” Foote said of becoming a dominant force in the WHL by 2019. “With the three full seasons, I just want to become a leader, become a veteran on the team and just play a key role.”
“There’s a lot of hockey to be played before any of those events, so just keep playing my game and trying to develop as much as I can, and we’ll see what happens,” said Foote, not wanting to assess his chances of making Canada’s world-junior team for the 2018 tournament being held in Buffalo from Dec. 26 to Jan. 5.
At the Summer Showcase, Foote made a strong impression in suiting up for two games — a 2-1 win over the U.S. on Aug. 1 and a 7-4 victory over Sweden on Aug. 4. He had a plus-1 rating in the latter contest and recorded a shot on goal in each game while playing solid defensively.
“It was a great camp for all of us, a good week in Plymouth,” Foote said. “We were stunned the first game (Canada’s other split-squad team lost 8-2 to the U.S. on Aug. 1) and we weren’t happy with our finish as well (another loss to the U.S., 7-5 on Aug. 5 without Foote in the lineup), but I think we made some huge strides as a team and as a group of 40.”
Foote wasn’t alone there, with Kelowna teammates Dube and Kole Lind also in the mix to make Team Canada.
Dube should be considered a lock, having played a key role on a checking line for the 2017 silver medal-winning squad, while Lind is more of a long-shot as a late addition to the summer camp.
“It was nice to have Dillon there,” Foote said. “He’s been through it and he’s gone all the way, so it was good to have him on my side and telling me what was going to come up. I know Kole would say the same thing, that it was very nice to have Dillon there to help us out.”
Foote also knew a good number of players on Team USA from his days in Denver, but he wasn’t referring to any of them as friends — only as foes.
“You know them from playing against each other in youth hockey and stuff like that,” Foote said, “but when it comes to that, you’re Team Canada and you don’t like them. Even though I grew up down there, I’m Canadian.”
Hockey Canada evidently thinks highly of both Foote brothers, with Nolan helping to win under-18 gold overseas this summer.
As for what he’s aiming to accomplish in Kelowna this season — assuming he’s back — Cal Foote said: “Just keep pushing . . . try to play a two-way game, protect my own end but try to push and get up in the play a little more — try to add to my offensive game.
“And just try to help all the guys around me,” he added. “I believe we’re going to have another good year here. We’re going to have another strong team and make another good push.”
Sounding like a leader already, Foote will wear a letter with the Rockets this season — it’s just a matter of whether it’ll be a ‘C’ or an ‘A’.
In regards to the captaincy and possibly replacing graduated forward Rod Southam in that role, Foote said: “That would definitely be a huge honour, and whoever gets it is going to be a leader.
“We’ll see what happens there, but I’m just focusing on my play for now. That will come down the road, and you can’t think too much into that kind of stuff, you just have to play your game.”
In terms of playing style and NHL potential, Foote reminds some of Brent Seabrook, who was ironically drafted in the same spot (14th overall by Chicago) back in 2003 following his second of four seasons with the Lethbridge Hurricanes.
Seabrook served as Lethbridge’s captain for his final three WHL seasons (2002-05), while also captaining Canada to under-18 gold in 2003 before winning world-junior gold as part of Canada’s stacked team in 2005.
In making that comparison, their WHL stat-lines are somewhat similar too — with Seabrook posting point totals of 39, 42, 41 and 54 while increasing his goal total from six to nine to consecutive seasons of 12.
Foote enjoyed a significant jump in production from his rookie season (36 points) to his sophomore campaign (57 points), even though his goal total dipped from eight to six.
That might have been due to misfortune as much as anything, but Foote hopes to find the back of the net more this season — with 15 or even 20 goals within the realm of possibility, especially if he’s quarterbacking the power play and blasting shots from the point.
Nolan Foote is known for his shot — that being, arguably, his strongest asset — but Cal’s is constantly improving as he strives to be a heavy shooter too.
“Obviously you want to work on all of your skills, like your passing and shooting. For me, I always try to get that shot through — whether it’s a hard slapper or just getting a wrister on net,” Foote said. “That’s always a focus, for all of our defencemen. This year, it’s definitely going to be a focus to get more shots through — even if it’s not the hardest shot, just get it on net because good things happen when you put it on net.”