Korostelev close to returning
Won’t be in lineup tonight but skated in practice; injury to star scorer has meant more ice time for rookie Declan Chisholm
Declan Chisholm has been one of the beneficiaries of the injuries the Peterborough Petes have dealt with lately. Nikita Korostelev is getting close to returning from a lower body injury but is not expected to play Thursday when the Ottawa 67’s visit the PMC. He participated in his first full contact practice in two weeks on Wednesday.
“He’s been skating, he’s just not had any contact,” said Petes coach Jody Hull. “He’s going to get back into that (Wednesday) and we’ll just go from there. We’re just going to go day-to-day.”
Cole Fraser is expected back after missing Saturday’s game against the Barrie Colts with a minor upper body injury. Zach Gallant returned last week from an eye injury.
The Petes are on the road this weekend facing the Hamilton Bulldogs Saturday and the first place overall Erie Otters on Sunday. The Petes hold a six-point lead on the Oshawa Generals atop the OHL’s Eastern Conference with six games left for both teams.
As much as Hull would prefer to not have injuries, it did solve one issue he had of how to get Chisholm into the lineup. The 16-year-old defenceman, the Petes’ second pick in the 2016 OHL draft, is the only rookie on a veteran-laden blueline. But he’s played so well that when the team is at full strength it’s still hard to keep Chisholm on the sidelines.
“Declan has come a long way since the beginning of the year,” Hull said. “I think everything was a bit new and different for him, the pace of the game and things like that, but with his skating ability he was able to adapt pretty quickly.”
To that point, the club has even used Fraser at forward on occasion to keep Chisholm in the lineup.
“He’s made huge strides,” Hull said. “The last three or four weeks we’ve been trying to find more ice time for him to get into games because we like what we’re seeing. It’s sometimes difficult but injuries have afforded us that and I think he’s taken advantage of it.
“He’s done some things just with his skating ability and agility on the back-end that don’t necessarily always come along with defencemen. He’s got a good offensive mindset and vision on the ice. Usually the plays he makes are the right ones. That’s tough for young defencemen, it usually takes a little bit longer to develop but I think he’s adapted well to those situations and has proven he can play on a regular basis at this level.”
Chisholm, a Bowmanville native, said he’s gained a lot of confidence as the season has progressed and lately has been adding to the offensive side of his game.
“I’m definitely rushing the puck more and making more plays,” Chisholm said. “I have more games under my belt now. I’m really looking forward to the next couple of games because I do have a lot more confidence now.”
Chisholm will be relied on heavily next season.
“We’re going to be graduating some guys on the back-end, three probably,” said Hull, “so he’s going to be put into a different situation next year. He’s going to see more time on power play opportunities and his ice-time is going to go up just based on those players graduating.”
NOTE: Thursday’s game is a $5 student’s night. All elementary, high school and post-secondary students can purchase a seat in the Sun LIfe Family Zone for $5 while supplies last.