Tigers’ Shaw riding high
Mason Shaw wasn’t happy with his start to the 2016-17 WHL season, but after collecting 14 points in his last five games to sit atop the league’s leading scorers, the 17-yearold forward says he’s at the top of his game.
“I’m pretty happy with how my season is going so far. I worked hard in the off-season and focused more than I ever have on getting better in the little areas so I guess it’s nice to see it paying off so far,” said Shaw, who leads the WHL with 23 points and 19 assists in his first 12 games. “I wasn’t real happy with how my first four games went, but I think since then I’ve kind of simplified my game a bit.”
Shaw finished last season with 17 goals and 43 assists through an 67-game campaign, but the Lloydminster product says the summer helped pave the way for a strong start to his first year of NHL draft eligibility.
Just days after being ousted from WHL playoff contention by the Edmonton Oil Kings in a Game 73 tiebreaker, Shaw was invited to don the maple leaf and hit the ice in North Dakota with Team Canada for the IIHF U18 World Championship. It’s something Shaw says immediately gave him a boost of confidence heading into a highly productive summer of training and development.
“It was a huge honour and gave me a lot of confidence just being there. When I was there I felt I had a good tournament and I could keep up with the best in the world at my age,” he said. “It was a huge confidence boost and also got my summer kick started.”
Tigers head coach and general manager Shaun Clouston says he noticed the shift in Shaw’s approach after competing with Team Canada in North Dakota. The tournament served as confirmation that Medicine Hat’s No. 18 can be one of the biggest threats the WHL has to offer.
“He realized he’s right there with the best players in his age group,” said Clouston. “He came in here with the mindset that he’s a real good player.”
Shaw seems to have found his groove alongside linemates John Dahlstrom and Matthew Bradley. After Chad Butcher was forced off the ice for three games due to a suspension for a slash on Calgary Hitmen defenceman Jake Bean, Clouston was forced to juggle lines and slotted Shaw in a group with Bradley and Dahlstrom.
Over the course of the next three games, the trio combined for 21 points — including 10 assists out of Shaw. Even Butcher says it’s hard not to notice the chemistry.
“He looks great out there. Especially when I was up in the stands there for a couple of games I got to really watch,” said Butcher. “He’s really coming into his own. We always knew he had that potential.”
Clouston added Shaw is showing signs of a major junior superstar in the making, one of which is his ability to see the game and take control of the action. Even Shaw says “the game is kind of slowing down a little bit” since finding his strengths over the past handful of games.
“He’s doing things he wants to do on the ice,” said Clouston. “That’s a transition you hope players get to, where things were a little bit out of their reach and they’re just playing and trying to keep up and trying to minimize mistakes. But Mason is at the point where he’s able to know what he wants to do and then go out there. He has the speed and the skill and the experience to do it.”
“He plays with great energy and passion, he competes hard every shift, and when you add his skill level there’s an opportunity to do some real good things this year.”