Macmaster impresses scouts with his skills
Boris Rybalka has seen his fair share of young phenoms make their mark in the Alberta Junior Hockey League. The 16-year-old kid he’s got right now ranks up there with all of them.
“We’ve talked about it as a coaching staff and it’s interesting, he is right up there with the elite,” said the Camrose Kodiaks head coach/ GM of Calgarian Tanner MacMaster. “He’s got a bit of Mike Connolly in him because he’s not afraid and (has Joe) Colborne’s skill or the (Mason) Raymond skill. You tie those in and he’s got a bit of both.
“He’s not overly big, but he’s got the heart and the desire. The biggest thing is he wants it. He wants to be that player.”
And that’s what has the scouts drooling on their notepads almost nightly. As of this writing, MacMaster continued to be one of the most sought after free-agents on the hotly contested NCAA recruiting market. In a recent interview, the deftly talented centre hinted he would be committing to a school any day, even though he won’t be headed south of the border until the 2014-15 season.
That would put him back in Camrose for another year, a place he’s settling in nicely to, taking over the Kodiaks’ scoring lead with 14 goals and 28 points in 35 games. The closest 16-year-old to his totals is Spruce Grove’s Cameron Hughes, who has 18 points. More than that is the Colborne comparison — big Joe, now in the Toronto Maple Leafs system, had 48 points in 53 games with Camrose at the same age.
“What he sees, you can’t teach. What he does, you can’t teach,” Rybalka said of MacMaster, who rose out of the Calgary Bisons/ Buffaloes organizations. “So I look at him and he’s got all the pro potential he wants.
“He might not be big (5-foot-9, although he likely has a growth spurt left in him), but you look at how he plays. He doesn’t back down from players and his sight for the game is exceptional.”
And that includes the upcoming World Under 17 Challenge (starting Dec. 29 in Quebec), where he is the only AJHL player on a Team Pacific roster full of Western Hockey League talent, including Calgary Hitmen phenoms Josh Thrower and Jake Virtanen.
“A lot of the major junior guys make that team. Playing in the AJ this year, more of a development year for me, it’s a big honour to be able to make that team,” said MacMaster.
He could have played in the WHL himself, but the Spokane Chiefs’ first rounder in the 2011 bantam draft made the Junior A choice not only because of the NCAA possibility but because of playing time.
“Just for my benefit, I thought I’d develop here and get a lot more ice here. It’s all about my development, so I just thought it was the best choice for me.”
It helps that he’s able to bounce ideas off his older brother Nathan, who played 270 games in the WHL, including parts of two seasons with the Hitmen. Nathan, now 20 and playing his rookie season for the Mount Royal Cougars, also participated in the World Under 17 Challenge, in 2009, making the team as an energy player, so the advice he can offer is indispensable.
“I kind of just said it’s the first big stage he’s going to get to play on. Stay calm, play your own game, don’t try to do too much,” said Nathan, who has had a chance to watch his brother play for the Kodiaks this season and likes what he sees.
“He definitely has more skill than I ever did,” he quipped.
“He has some very great talents that you don’t see in a lot of 16 year olds. But you have to credit Boris, who has given him a lot of offensive opportunities.
“Tanner has worked hard for everything he’s got and he’s definitely being rewarded for it.”