Pats welcome real Mccoy to the team
Marc McCoy has always been quick on the draw.
His deft trigger in the faceoff circle is one of the reasons why the WHL’s Regina Pats acquired him on Wednesday from the Red Deer Rebels.
“I’ve been a centreman since I was four or five,” explained McCoy, whose team opens a three-game road trip tonight against the Calgary Hitmen. “Me and my dad always used to practise. He’d drop pucks for me in the back yard. It’s something I take pride in. If you can start with the puck in your own zone or in the offensive zone it’s a huge advantage.”
The Pats haven’t had that luxury while dealing with injuries to their top two centres — Chandler Stephenson and Trent Ouellette. Their absence forced the club to utilize players who don’t naturally play in the middle.
As a result, the Pats have won a paltry 35 per cent of their draws this season. That number should rise with the return of Ouellette and the addition of McCoy, who won 60 per cent of his faceoffs in his debut Thursday against the Prince Albert Raiders — a 3-0 victory which snapped Regina’s seven-game losing streak.
“You wonder why we’re a tired hockey club, you wonder why we have a tough time sustaining any type of forecheck or getting anything going,” noted head coach Pat Conacher. “It’s because we’re chasing the puck all the time. That was one of the reasons (they got McCoy). We noticed right off the hop with Red Deer, he came out for big draws and won the majority of them. For us as a hockey team moving forward to have a guy (who can win faceoffs), it’s imperative.”
That’s not to say McCoy is a one-trick pony. The 6-foot-2, 195-pounder wants to contribute to the Pats in a variety of ways — with and without the puck. He did pretty well Thursday, scoring a key power-play goal in the third period while using his big body to cause problems in front of the net.
“I’m definitely a physical power forward,” said McCoy, 18. “I have some skill. I’m excited to bring my size and physicality. I just try to be a well-rounded guy, good in my D zones but also try to step up and score some big goals like I did (Thursday).”
McCoy had just one goal and five assists in 28 games with Red Deer this season after notching five goals and five helpers in 63 contests as a WHL rookie in 2011-12.
However, he believes there is a lot more to give from an offensive standpoint.
“I had a little bit of a limited role (in Red Deer),” he said. “Maybe I wasn’t given the opportunity I would have liked. They did a great job prepping me defensively. I felt I had a couple good games coming in here from Red Deer so my confidence is pretty high. Hopefully I can carry some offence through, not put any pressure on myself but I definitely want to step into a role like that.”
McCoy admitted he was initially “shocked” by the deal that sent him to Regina along with left-winger Filip Vasko and a conditional fifthround pick in 2015 for the rights to forward Dominik Volek. Although McCoy performed well Thursday, he knows the transition will take time.
“You just have to take things minute by minute,” he said. “It can be kind of overwhelming if you don’t. You’re coming into a new environment, new coaches, new players, new billets. You don’t even know anybody. It’s kind of stressful but you have to be mentally tough and be excited for the opportunity and try to embrace it.”
The Pats certainly feel that way.
“We expect him to be a big piece,” added Conacher. “He brings that physical presence that we need to get on the forecheck. He skates very well. He’s a big man. He’s going to go down and bang bodies and get possession of the puck and help us. You talk to the kid, he understands what he is and he’ll just be that guy. We’re going to expand his role here, bigger than what he had in Red Deer. I think he’s very open to it.
“It’s a very good trade for us and a very good trade for him.”