Hahn on a mission to get Grizzlies on track

Dante Hahn is back home and looking for a fresh start on a team that could use more than a little life.

How the 20-year-old makes out in his second stint with the 3-11-0-2 Victoria Grizzlies of the B.C. Hockey League is all up to him. He’s obviously going to get his opportunity, playing on a line with Brayden Gelsinger and Colby Livingstone.

“It’s been a crazy ride. I’ve played for quite a few teams now, so I’m just happy to be back in Victoria, especially now that I’m 20. It’s my hometown and playing at home is such a great privilege,” said Hahn, who joined the team last Thursday and recorded two assists in the three-game road trip over the weekend.

It’s been a struggle for Hahn, who first played for the Grizzlies in 2012-13, collecting five goals and 10 assists in 50 games. In 2013-14 he played 48 games with Victoria, recording seven goals and nine assists.

He moved to West Kelowna and Langley in 2014-15, totalling eight goals and 17 assists before starting this campaign in Coquitlam, but lasting just five games with one goal — a power-play marker. In 158 B.C. Hockey League games, the six-foot-one, 190-pounder has 21 goals and 38 assists for 59 points.

With his talent, those are numbers some expected he could achieve in one season, back when he first joined the Grizzlies.

“It’s been a bumpy road, for sure,” added Hahn. “The way you have to look at it is, everything is a learning experience. Now that I’m 20 and back in my hometown, the definite goal is to get some offence going, have a big season and go play college next year.”

The strange part was Hahn had a few offers on his plate back in that first season, which he decided not to take at the time.

“I’m still here and working hard and things will open up, I’m confident in that,” he said. “It’s a tough thing to think about, especially now that I’m 20, but I’m happy with where I’m at. I’m understanding that it’s not always going to be roses. It’s going to be a long road for some people.”

Now he’s focusing on helping the Grizzlies get out of this rut. The work continues tonight in Nanaimo against the 9-6-0-0 Clippers at 7 p.m. at Frank Crane. Victoria is then home to Powell River and Cowichan Valley in two more key Island Division matchups on Thursday and Friday, respectively, at The Q Centre.

The team is in the midst of a four-game 0-for-21 slump on the power play and scored just five goals in the three-game trip to the Interior, in which it managed to win one, 2-0 in Vernon. Hahn had an assist in each of the losses on a goal each from Livingstone and Gelsinger.

“We found some pretty good chemistry. Hopefully we can get some goals going and spark the offence a bit. It was nice to find the scoresheet and just get things rolling right away with the new team and take the pressure off,” said Hahn, who knows exactly where this team sits.

“Obviously, the record is one thing, but I think it’s an underrated team with so many good players and depth. I think it’ll just take a little time.”