More mature Anderson finding WHL groove
J
osh Anderson is not the wild and crazy guy he was in his first two seasons playing defence for the Prince George Cougars. He still has that junkyard dog disposition that surfaces occasionally when he drops the gloves to confront an opponent who thinks he can get away with trying to hurt Anderson or one of his teammates.
But along with the maturity that comes with being a 19-year-old NHL-drafted defenceman, Anderson has learned he’s more effective seeking his revenge on the ice with a crunching hit than he is convalescing in the penalty box.
Two seasons ago while building a reputation as a tough defensive defenceman, Anderson already had 10 fights under his belt after 39 games and was pushing his way to the top of the Cougars’ penalty minute list just after the Christmas break in a game in Vancouver when he sidestepped a check from then-Giants forward Radovan Bondra and fell headfirst into the boards. The impact left Anderson with a cracked vertebra and his season was over.
Despite missing 33 games, he was still one of the top defencemen available in the NHL draft and the Colorado Avalanche called his name in the third round, 71st overall.
Last season Anderson was held to three goals and 11 points in 69 games and had 75 minutes in penalty time with nine fighting majors. It was obvious in the early going he was holding back on the physicality that made him so coveted in the draft. Coming off a broken back, that wasn’t a surprise. He got better as the season progressed and attended his second pro camp, playing two of the three games for the Avs in a rookie tournament a few weeks ago in San Jose. Anderson had an assist and fight in the game Sept. 12 against the Anaheim Ducks and figures he played well in both games.
“I think I’m just a lot more confident than I have been in the last couple years – I’m skating a lot better, I’ve worked on that quite a bit on that over the last couple summers and I’m just bigger, faster, stronger,” said the six-footthree, 220-pound native of Duncan. “I’m keeping myself tamed, trying not to run around like I was when I was 17.
“(The injury) was in the back of my mind the first half of the season. Going into the summer not being able to train very hard, there were some things that would limit me and then coming into the season it was a tough thing to do. After the Christmas break it definitely got better.”
Depending on whether he signs with the Avalanche, this could be Anderson’s last season in junior hockey and with so many young new faces on the Cougars’ blueline he knows his role in the pecking order has changed.
“That’s always been my dream to become a leader on this team and help the young guys out like the older guys did with me when I was 16,” said Anderson.
Cougars head coach Richard Matvichuk sees a lot of himself in Anderson. He played a similar style while he was in the WHL with the Saskatoon Blades, which led to a 14-year NHL career and a Stanley Cup championship with the Dallas Stars in 1999.
“He’s one of the guys who has to lead the horses here, he’s a drafted player and a mature player and between ourselves and Colorado he’s been given instructions on exactly what he is – he’s a stay-at-home, shutdown physical defenceman that takes care of business when he has to,” said Matvichuk.
“He’s a good skater, he moves the puck really well and that’s his role. Our ultimate goal is to see how fast we can get Josh to the pro level. He has to lead by example and he has to take guys like (Peter) Kope, (Jonas) Harkins, (Jack) Sander and (Cole) Moberg under his wing to show them the right direction.
“He battled some injuries with his neck and back but that’s all behind him and now it’s a matter of putting the work in to get to the next level,” added Matvichuk. “It’s kind of nice to have a guy like that, it’s pretty much the same way I played – (making) a hard first pass knowing if the opposition’s top line doesn’t score against you, you give your team a real good chance to win.”
The Cougars lost their two opening games last weekend at CN Centre to the Spokane Chiefs and will get back on the ice tonight in Seattle (7:35 p.m. start) against the defending WHLchampion Thunderbirds. Then it’s on to Portland Sunday (5 p.m.) to face the top-ranked Winterhawks, the team that knocked the Cougars out of the playoffs last spring in a six-game openinground series.
After playing the Chiefs, Anderson knows there’s plenty of room for improvement.
“There was a lot of nerves and jitters for a lot of the younger guys, it was their first couple games in the league,” he said. “I think we’ll see a lot of hard work – chipping pucks out and blocking shots. That’s the easiest way for us to win games this year.”