Anderson back in form and ever-evolving for Cats
Josh Anderson has returned to his snarly old self, and that could mean a rough ride for the Portland Winterhawks. The relentlessly physical, punishing style of play he brings to the Prince George Cougars blueline was missing in the 18-year-old Anderson’s game for the first few months of the season. That was to be expected considering the uncertainty he went through last year trying to recover from a cracked vertebra.
Despite the fact Anderson played only the first half of the season in 2015-16, NHL scouts knew he was one of the top defencemen available in the draft and the Colorado Avalanche picked him in the third round, 71st overall.
Cougars fans might have been wondering what happened to that guy earlier this season when they saw the six-foot-three, 220-pound native of Duncan laying off the crushing bodychecks that made him one of the most feared defencemen in the league. But anyone who has seen Anderson in action lately knows he’s back, building on his reputation.
“After being out for the majority of last season I think I was just finding my confidence and the ability to play in the league like I know I can,” said Anderson. “Joining the rush is a little different for me and that’s just what the coaches want and it’ll help us be successful.”
Anderson played all but three games this season and scored three goals and had eight assists in 69 games while keeping alive his streak – in his three seasons with the Cougars he has eight goals and the Cats are a perfect 8-0-0-0 in games in which he’s scored.
“He’s becoming an elite player,” said Cougars head coach Richard Matvichuk. “Even going back to his first NHL camp his back was still sitting in his thoughts. But now he’s lost the weight, he’s in shape and for us he’s one heckuva defenceman.
“He plays big minutes for us – the simple, mean, rugged style he plays makes him hard to play against. He’s tough, he can fight and the good thing is he moves the puck real well. Any time we can get him on the ice against the opposition’s top player it’s going to be an advantage to us.”
Anderson was hurt during the playoffs last year when the Cougars were swept by Seattle and has just two games of WHL post-season experience. Like the rest of his teammates, he’s digging in for a long run. Expectations are running high in Cougarville after the team set a franchise record for wins (45) and points (96) while winning the B.C. Division regular-season title.
“We’ve been working all season just to get another playoff spot here and obviously, getting the banner, we have a lot of confidence coming into playoffs so we just have to be ready to play every night,” said Anderson, who is paired with Shane Collins.
“We have to play hard and physical and play our style of hockey. Everyone’s buying in, you’ve got your fourth-line guys who don’t play very much battling it out, blocking shots, laying hits – everyone’s got a role on this team and they’re playing it right now and it helps us succeed.”
The Winterhawks have given the Cougars trouble this season. They won both games in Portland, 6-3 and 5-4, and came close in both games in Prince George in January, losing 4-3 in regulation, followed by a 6-5 shootout loss to the Cougars.
“They’re a fast, physical team and we’ve been over lots of video the past few days going through their breakouts, their forechecks, their regroups in the neutral zone, all the little stuff that’s going to help us succeed,” said Anderson.
“I think the fans here are in for a treat. The last couple years we’ve been beat out the first round and this year they expect us to succeed down deep into the playoffs and that’s what we’re hoping for.”