Geertsen looks to draft
Former Oil King ranked 59th heading into NHL draft Sunday
The move from the Edmonton Oil Kings to the Vancouver Giants was a beneficial one, not only for the Oil Kings, who acquired defenceman David Musil, but for Mason Geertsen, who took on a more prominent role with his new Western Hockey League team.
Geertsen, traded to the Giants on Oct. 31, finished the year with two goals, 12 assists and 130 penalty minutes. He’ll go into Sunday’s NHL’s entry draft ranked 59th by Central Scouting.
The defensive defenceman, who is currently carrying 199 pounds on an imposing sixfoot-three frame, was more than satisfied with his testing at the combine, and pronounced that the interviews went better than he expected, given that he had been more nervous about that part of the proceedings.
Geertsen interviewed with 13 teams, then joined a group of prospects invited to Buffalo by the Sabres for a skate and more testing. He then returned to Toronto to undergo more testing with the Maple Leafs before heading back home.
“I really don’t want to get too overwhelmed by it all, but as the draft gets closer it’s hard not to think about it,” he said from his off-season home in Sherwood Park. He’ll fly to New Jersey in the next couple of days with his parents and his sister.
“The combine was definitely something I’ve never been through before. You go from room to room, talking to so many people, then on the testing day, you walk out in your spandex and there’s a roomful of people watching you. It was pretty crazy.”
With the Giants, Geertsen was logging upwards of 30 minutes a game, compared with 10 with the Oil Kings. Additionally, he was on the first penalty-killing unit and the second-line power play.
He admitted there was an adjustment period, but his increased playing time allowed him to eventually play his physical game.
‘It was definitely a big change, and it was a good experience for me. It definitely helped me improve,” he said. “All the scouts got to see me a lot more and in different situations.”
A product of the Leduc Oil Kings, Geertsen was a firstround pick (18th overall) by the Oil Kings in the 2010 WHL bantam draft. The Oil Kings also gave up a firstround pick in the 2013 draft to get Musil.
They did not want to move the rugged defenceman, but the Giants were not going to do the deal if Geertsen wasn’t heading west in the transaction.
“It really felt good knowing they had faith in me and wanted me to be a big part of their organization,” Geertsen said.
“It was a little bit harder playing a lot more, it was definitely harder to keep the intensity up, but as the season went on, I learned how to conserve my energy and still play as physical as I could.”