Calgary Hitmen mid-term report card
For the most part, the opening half of the 2012-13 Western Hockey League season has been kind to the Calgary Hitmen.
They’ve learned how to win, improved when they’ve struggled, and — most importantly — have done so with very little time spent away from the top of the Eastern Conference and WHL’s elite teams.
The Hitmen have had their hands full with the league’s top opponents, losing both clashes to the hotshot Kamloops Blazers, an early season meeting with the real-deal Prince Albert Raiders, and have had their share of battles in six games against the Edmonton Oil Kings. But there have been head-scratchers. A 10-1 (!) thumping by the Medicine Hat Tigers (Oct. 26). A 4-0 blanking by the rebuilding Kootenay Ice (Nov. 12) and a series of home games that don’t exactly inspire confidence in the team’s ability to play at the Scotiabank Saddledome.
At this point — 35 games into the season — the Hitmen have established a 23-8-1-3 record and the fourth-highest points total in the WHL (50).
However, the biggest critique is their mediocre 11-7-3 mark in Calgary, which dropped again after Tuesday’s 4-1 loss to the visiting Oil Kings. And it’s left the Hitmen coaching staff to contemplate solutions after the Christmas break.
“We have to be better, more consistent here,” said Hitmen head coach Mike Williamson, whose club is near-perfect on the road at 12-1-0-1. “I think we have been as of late but we have these periods that creep into our game that make it very difficult especially when we’re playing good hockey teams.”
For the time being, they’ll put the issue to rest and take off on a nine-day holiday break before hitting the ice again on Dec. 28 to host the Lethbridge Hurricanes. But, considering this is the unofficial midway point of the season, it’s the perfect opportunity for a breakdown of the team’s progress as a whole up until this point:
FORWARDS ... B+
Only one Hitmen forward sits among the top-20 scorers in the league and it’s 20-year-old veteran Brooks Macek with 15 goals and 25 assists in 34 games. Both he and Brady Brassart have been averaging over a point per game. Macek’s 1.18 average leads the team while Brassart’s 1.14 mark (after nine goals and 23 assists in 28 dates) is No. 2. Captain Cody Sylvester is leading the team in goals (20) but other than that, the Hitmen have been scoring by committee for most of the year. Their strength is in their depth. They’ve been getting nice production from energy forward Zane Jones, an early season pickup from the Victoria Royals, and secondyear Greg Chase has been heating up as of late. They also regained the services of Swedish import Victor Rask who returned from the Carolina Hurricanes farm club in Charlotte after 10 games. He’ll be with the Swedish junior team again after capturing gold last winter in Calgary but, upon his return, the Hitmen will need some big-time minutes from one of their most gifted players. Injuries have been minimal and not debilitating. All in all, a decent showing.
DEFENCE ... B
For a group of teenagers — all of whom stand over six-feet tall — the Hitmen should be absolutely punishing opponents and removing any and all traffic away from goalie Chris Driedger’s vicinity. It’s been the case some nights and they do lead the WHL in fighting majors (47). But it’s alarming how much they rely on their goalie. On the whole, however, the Hitmen have a powerful blueline. Overage veteran Spencer Humphries has been a steadying influence. Washington Capitals pick Jaynen Rissling and Alex Roach, property of the L.A. Kings, have broken a few bones and bruised a few ankles with their powerful point shots. Kenton Helgesen and Peter Kosterman have also been reliable and the addition of 16-year-old Josh Thrower this
year has also made them a little meaner. However, consistency is their biggest issue.
GOALIES ... A
This year, goaltending has been a strength for the Hitmen and Chris Driedger’s consistency has been instrumental. After spending much of last season splitting time with Brandon Glover, Driedger’s workload expanded this year when he took on the full-fledged starting role. And he’s flourished. The thirdround draft pick of the Ottawa Senators has been technically sound and, at times, their saviour with a 18-6-1-2 record, a 0.922 save percentage and 2.28 goals against average. The Hitmen are also confident in lanky 17-year-old WHL rookie Mack Shields, who has produced wins in his last two starts and has a 5-2-0-1 record, 0.897 save percentage and 2.89 goals against average.
ROOKIES ... A+
It’s becoming more obvious that Jake Virtanen and Josh Thrower are not your typical rookies. Virtanen, the first overall WHL bantam pick in 2011, is six-foot-one, 191 pounds and runs over anything on skates, throws players around, and has wheels. In 30 dates, Virtanen has six goals, two assists, is a plus-9 and has 34 (!) penalty minutes. Meanwhile, Thrower, the 23rd overall pick from that 2011 crop, has mature hockey sense wise beyond his 16 years. He’s also not afraid to fight anyone, at any given time, and look out because he can deliver the most punishing bodychecks. In total, Thrower has been in four fights and has a goal and two assists in 20 games. Both of these kids are showing promise — both are flourishing in their first year in the WHL, playing some key minutes. Both are heading to the under-17 world championships to represent
Team Pacific. Meanwhile, rookie forwards Elliott Peterson, Austin Calladine, and Chase Lang along with defenceman Colby Harmsworth — who have al played between 17-25 games — are starting to pick up the pace.
COACHING ... B
General manager Kelly Kisio, head coach Mike Williamson, associate coach Brent Kisio and their staff have done a respectable job until this point. But will this assembled group have it in them to go all the way? Last season, the Hitmen bounced back nicely and back into playoffs after a horrible 2010-11 campaign that saw them finish dead-last in the WHL. This year, the first-round simply won’t do. It’s doubtful Kisio will make a blockbuster trade at the Jan. 16 deadline — the prices are simply too steep these days for high-end talent. However, a solid puckmoving defenceman would look good on the back-end (the Hitmen, for the most part, have stayat-home d-men).