Czech Soustal a team leader and a point getter
Tomas Soustal knew he was coming into a different situation with the Edmonton Oil Kings than the one he had been in with the Kelowna Rockets.
The Oil Kings acquired Soustal, 21, from the Rockets early in the year looking for scoring punch and leadership ability.
The product of Unicov, Czech Republic, provided both.
Heading into the final three games of his Western Hockey League career, starting Tuesday against the Lethbridge Hurricanes (7 p.m.) at Rogers Place, Soustal has 19 goals and 58 points in 66 games.
“He’s been hugely impactful in terms of being a role model,” said Oil Kings head coach Steve Hamilton. “He’s able to do some things that a bigger, stronger guy can do that our guys can see first-hand not only in practice but in games, so you see him in circumstances where he can protect the puck down low.”
Soustal was selected by Kelowna in the first round — 60th overall — of the 2014 CHL Import Draft.
He spent his first three years in the league with the Kelowna, going to the Memorial Cup in 2015, when the Rockets lost in the final to the Oshawa Generals. Last season, Soustal scored 19 goals and 47 points for the Rockets.
“I think everybody welcomed me well here. I didn’t have to get used to it too much. I think the transition was pretty easy,” Soustal said. “I think it’s been good, it’s been different from Kelowna. They had success here before, but now they’re trying to rebuild the team and, hopefully, set up for the next couple of years and the future.”
Heading into the second year of a rebuild, the Oil Kings were deep in young talent but lacking veteran leadership. Outside of Colton Kehler, 20, Travis Child, 20, Davis Koch, 19, and Josh Dechaine, 19, the majority of the Oil Kings were aged 18 or under. Soustal was brought in to add to that leadership group.
Just prior to the Christmas break, Child was lost to a shoulder injury. Koch was dealt to the Vancouver Giants in early January, leavings Soustal, Kehler and Dechaine as the only veterans on the team.
“When you have only a few of those guys, there is nothing, no substitute for first-hand experience or first-hand battling against those guys in practice,” Hamilton said. “The fact that Tomas wanted to stay at the (trade) deadline, knowing we were probably not a playoff team but was happy to stay and mentor the guys, and he’s just been a great teammate, too.
“The guys rally around him, love him, and so that part right there is full value.”
Soustal will finish the season as the Oil Kings’ second-leading scorer behind Trey Fix-Wolansky, 18, who has scored 30 goals and 83 points heading into the game against the Hurricanes.
With Soustal graduating after the season and the Oil Kings well out of a playoff spot, there was a possibility of moving Soustal to a contending team before the WHL trade deadline in January.
But the overage winger wanted to stay with the Oil Kings and help develop their younger players.
“I thought around Christmastime we could push for playoffs, we had a good run and we were picking up points and all that,” Soustal said. “Sometimes our inexperience set us back, but I think whatever experience these guys can get from playing big games in front of huge crowds like Edmonton has is good. It’s going to help them in the future and the next couple of years.”