Isaacson second in OHL in plus/minus rating
19-year-old Petes forward makes huge rebound from shoulder surgery that sidelined him for half of last season
Nick Isaacson may or may not have known it but he came into Peterborough Petes training camp as a bubble player.
A lot is expected of 19-year-old players in junior hockey and Isaacson had yet to score more than five goals in an OHL season.
He was also coming off shoulder surgery which sidelined him the last half of 2017-18. He missed 39 games in total producing just three goals and seven points in 29 games.
New head coach Rob Wilson admits he wasn’t sure where Isaacson would fit in. Lines in pre-season and practice had Isaacson outside the top nine forwards.
Isaacson quickly rose up those ranks.
He ranks second in team scoring, and 34th in the OHL, with 10 points in 10 games on five goals and five assists. He is second in the league in plus-minus at +13 behind only OHL scoring leader Austen Keating (+14) of the Ottawa 67’s.
“I talked to Nick a couple of times in the summer and he came to see me in training camp which I liked. It showed initiative,” Wilson said.
“I told him nothing is given here. I don’t care how long you’ve been here or what you think you are. He was really challenged. He was probably thinking, is this worth it? He’s shown his character and that he’s willing to do the things it’s going to take to play.
“He has had some hard luck but I wasn’t here for that. I can’t judge on that,” Wilson said.
“I can only judge on what is happening today in front of me. He’s been put in a position where he had to fight for it. Nothing has been given to Nick. He’s done a phenomenal job.”
Coming off surgery and having missed so much time, Isaacson said he worked hard in the summer to be as prepared as possible.
“I had a ton of time to work out and get better,” Isaacson said.
“I worked on my mental side of the game, too. That’s a huge part, having confidence going into every game. I feel like I have an extra step in my stride. I feel so much more explosive. Everything is working out.”
Training camp is where he worked off the rust, Isaacson said.
“Training camp wasn’t very easy,” he said. “Getting back into game shape was really hard especially not having played since February. Once the regular season started I felt fine.
“You realize how much you miss the game when you’ve been out that long. It’s great to be back.”
Wilson said it begins with Isaacson’s work rate.
“He’s battling in all three zones and he’s being rewarded,” Wilson said. “He’s working off the puck. He’s doing all the little things well. He’s going to the net hard. (Saturday) he went to the net hard and he got rewarded.”
He banged in Chris Paquette’s rebound and added an empty-net goal to secure a 4-2 win over the Windsor Spitfires. It was the Petes’ fourth straight win giving them a league best 8-2 record. They host the Oshawa Generals at 7:05 p.m. Thursday at the PMC.
NOTES: Petes coach Rob Wilson said he does not expect Nick Robertson to return this weekend. Robertson is practising in a non-contact jersey but Wilson said his wrist injury needs more time to heal.… The Petes were ranked fifth in Canada in the CHL Top 10 rankings released Wednesday .... Peterborough natives Barrett Hayton and Owen Tippett, along with Petes goalie Hunter Jones and defenceman Declan Chisholm, were named Wednesday to the Team OHL rosters for the 2018 CIBC Canada Russia Series. Tippett and Hayton will suit up for two games against the Russian national junior team, Nov. 8 in Sarnia and Nov. 12 in Oshawa, while Jones and Chisholm will only be in the lineup for the Nov. 12 game in Oshawa .... The Petes also have road games this weekend at 7 p.m. Friday against the Mississauga Steelheads and a return match with Oshawa at 6:05 p.m. Sunday. … Fans can enter a contest in the north lobby with sponsor The Wolf 101.5FM to win tickets to see Stone Temple Pilots Nov. 9 at the PMC.