Baertschi firing on all cylinders
On the subject of Sven Baertschi, Portland Winterhawks head coach Mike Johnston takes a deep breath before he begins gushing about the charismatic Calgary Flames prospect.
“Well, you guys know him a bit up there,” he starts. Know him? At this point, basically every hockey fan in the city has an idea of who the kid is, how many points per game he averaged in the Western Hockey League this season (2.00), how many playoff points he has (24 in 13 games), or how to correctly spell his name (Baertschi or Bartschi?).
And, if not, they will soon.
During a five game, 10-day stint marking his National Hockey League debut on a rare emergency recall basis, Baertschi scored three goals, was a plus-two and recorded 10 shots on net. He also, memorably, in his first NHL game, did his best to give big Winnipeg Jets forward Dustin Byfuglien the business. As such, he was dubbed — in no particular order — a saviour, a breath of fresh air, and, among others, Svensational (cute, right?).
“Pressure doesn’t seem to bother him too much,” Johnston acknowledged, as the Winterhawks prepared for Game 3 of the Western Hockey League’s Western Conference final tonight. “He has a great personality which obviously captured some fans in Calgary. I think a lot of NHL fans, they really take to those players that are sort of an enthusiastic personality and I think he has one of those.
“He’s a lot like (Jarome) Iginla — he has that contagious personality.”
The last time Calgarians heard the name Sven Baertschi, it was reverberating off the Scotiabank Saddledome walls — “Barchee! Bar-chee!” — as the kid’s stint sparked office chatter, adding a bright spot to what turned out to be a gloomy season.
And it also gave hope for the future.
“But expectations have to be tempered a little bit,” warned Johnston, who coached in the NHL with the Los Angeles Kings before joining the Winterhawks in 2008. “He’s not going to come up and be a saviour the first year. He’s going to have situations he’ll need to deal with that will be very challenging.
“He’s a talented player, he’s exciting to watch, and he has the right personality to be able to handle the pressure and notoriety and not to get too consumed by it.”
Next season — perhaps on his 20th birthday Oct. 5 — the Swiss winger could be playing in a Flames jersey, for good.
Abbotsford Heat head coach Troy Ward, amid a first-round American Hockey League playoff series, would love to have him help out his team down the stretch.
But right now, the Flames’ 13th overall pick in 2011 is in Portland — and looking to wrap up his junior career in style.
“Of course, it’s my last chance,” said Baertschi, who has piled up 51 playoff points in 13 games between himself and linemate Ty Rattie of Airdrie. “I want to make sure I’m not coming back to junior next year. A lot of guys aren’t lucky enough to be on a team like ours, that’s really good and has a shot to win the (Memorial) Cup.
“It might be my last year in junior and I hope it ends that way.”
At the moment, they are ahead 2-0 in the best-ofseven series against TriCity. Fellow Flames prospect Tyler Wotherspoon has also established himself as a top shutdown defenceman against high-powered forwards such as Brendan Shinnimin, Adam Hughesman and Patrick Holland. Two more wins, and the Winterhawks will face the winner of the Eastern Conference final between the Edmonton Oil Kings and Moose Jaw Warriors.
Baertschi knows this city is paying attention — and loves the support.
“I get a lot of messages on Twitter and Facebook,” he said. “It’s exciting that fans up there in Calgary are watching what we are doing. It gives me an extra boost of confidence.
“The bad thing is Calgary’s out and didn’t make playoffs, but it’s cool that they are supporting us.”