High hockey IQ impresses Falcons
Kyle West unanimous choice as new team captain
In terms of hockey IQ, especially the experience of overcoming the ups and downs that go hand-inglove with the game, Kyle West is older than his years.
The new captain of the St. Catharines Falcons is also much more travelled than the average overager heading into his final season at the junior B level.
Though only 20, the son of one-time pro Mark West was born in Sundsvall, Sweden, and lived “pretty much everywhere,” including Switzerland, Italy and England, while his father played overseas.
“There wasn’t always times when I loved playing it, but he pushed me through it, and I’m glad he did,” West said. “I love the game more than anything now.”
Mark West, who spent 14 years playing professionally followed by three more at the senior A level with the Dundas Real McCoys, was a role model, on and off the ice.
“He’s coached me through this whole journey, he’s had the same ups and downs as me, going to the OHL and then getting cut,” West said. “He’s just been a great role model through it all and showed me the way.
“He helped my stay positive through all the ups and downs and kept me believing in myself.”
Though he only joined the Falcons organization midway into last season following a trade with the Brantford 99ers, it didn’t take West long to demonstrate the qualities St. Catharines was looking for in a new captain for the 2018-19 season.
“First and foremost, he’s a 20-year-old, he’s a veteran in the league,” general manager-head coach Frank Girhiny said. “He
comes with good pedigree — his father played lots of hockey in Europe — so he has a really good understanding of the game.”
“More importantly, when he came here halfway through last season from Brantford he just showed how he’s a hockey player.”
In his new role, the 6-foot-3, 180-pound left-shooting forward’s actions are expected to speak much louder than his words.
“He’s not a rah-rah kind of guy, although he does play with a little bit of edge,” Girhiny said. “There’s no doubt he has our trust as coaches.”
In 12 regular-season games with the Falcons last season, West scored four goals and collected 10 assists. The 2014 Guelph Storm draft pick, seventh round, 140th overall, had four goals and nine assists in 23 games with Brantford to start the season,
West added four goals and four assists in 11 playoff games in a Falcons uniform.
The choice among the coaches was unanimous when West’s name was suggested for the captaincy.
“We have a really good dialogue already, so we will be able to continue that.”
Tuesday afternoon’s announcement, which also introduced Dakota Miskolczi and Andrew Sommerville as alternates, caught West by surprise.
“I’m an OA (overager) this year and I know he’s been kind of harping on me to be a leader out there,” he said. “I didn’t know if it meant actually having a letter or just being an older guy showing the young guys the way.”
Over the years West has learned a lot from the captains he has played with.
“I find it’s not always the mostvocal guys, it’s just the guys who lead by example and do the right things every day.”
West, who will be wearing a letter for the first time in his career, succeeds Tyler McArthur as Falcons captain.
“McArthur last year was an awesome captain,” he said. “He didn’t say a whole ton in the room, but just every night he was a beast.
“I’m just going to try my best to
‘‘ “First and foremost, he’s a 20-year-old, he’s a veteran in the league. He comes with good pedigree – his father played lots of hockey in Europe – so he has a really good understanding of the game.” FRANK GIRHINY St. Catharines Falcons head coach
follow in his footsteps.”
McArthur never took a night off, nor will West.
“You want to set a good example, especially for the young guys, that’s the most important thing,” said West, who lives in Burlington and is starting his second year studying criminal justice and public policy at the University of Guelph.
“A lot of people can say and talk about what we should do, but you have to be the guy who actually goes out there and shows them.”
West isn’t vocal but he won’t be afraid to speak up when he needs to.
“There is a time when you do have to speak up, for sure,” he said. “You do have to be vocal, you can’t be completely quiet.”
West doesn’t expect the added responsibility of being a captain will adversely affect his game.
“I’m just going to keep playing my same game,” he said. “That’s what the coaches want to see from me, to keep doing the same thing and just lead the way.
“I don’t really think much about having a letter on my shoulder, I’m just going to play.”
Joining the St. Catharines organization after starting the season in Brantford helped prepare West for his first full season with the Falcons and his final year in junior B.
“You know what to expect coming in, you know the guys, you know the coaches,” he said. “You know what they expect from me.
“It’s just a huge benefit having that experience from last year.”
Before going on to play university hockey at Guelph, West would like nothing better than to hoist the Sutherland Cup.
“I want to have some good team success here, I believe we have a good team that we can do it,” he said. “Make it past last year, where we left off in the playoffs.
“This is my last year, I really want to win a Suthie (Sutherland Cup) and lead as best I can the guys to a Suthie.”
West played in 45 Ontario Hockey League games with Guelph in 2015-16 and split the following season in junior B with 19 games with the Caledonia Corvairs followed by 23 with the 99ers.
The graduate of the Burlington Eagles triple A minor midget program began his junior career in 2014-15 scoring nine goals and adding 22 assists in 50 games with the Burlington Cougars of the Ontario Junior Hockey League.
The Falcons open the regular season with a home-and-home series with the Niagara Falls Canucks.
They are home Friday for a 7 p.m. faceoff at Jack Gatecliff Arena and visit Gale Centre for a 6 p.m. puck drop Sunday.
Niagara Falls compiled a 3-11-0 record in the pre-season while St. Catharines went 2-2.