Giants must be `dialed in' to weather absences
Junior team has learned from last year's experience
The Vancouver Giants are hoping that this holiday sequel has a better ending than the original.
Team-leading scorer Samuel Honzek leaves the Giants on Thursday to begin preparations with his Slovak teammates for the world junior championship in Moncton and Halifax.
Giants captain Zack Ostapchuk, who had been playing alongside Honzek on Vancouver's top line, has been away since last weekend getting ready with the Canadian side.
The world juniors wrap up on Jan. 5 and Vancouver is expected to be without both Honzek and Ostapchuk for at least another five games.
The Giants carried an 11-14-3-2 record into a Wednesday visit to the Victoria Royals. They lost two of their first three games minus Ostapchuk.
Vancouver's 2021-22 season went off the rails during world junior time, when the Giants had coach Michael Dyck, athletic trainer Mike Burnstein and forward Justin Sourdif representing Canada and goaltender Jesper Vikman and winger Fabian Lysell with the Swedes.
The Giants went 1-9-0-0 from the time they started to lose players and staff to when they started coming back to the club.
Giants defenceman Brenden Pentecost said he believes it's something this year's group has learned from.
“It has to be a team effort. We have to stay connected as one,” Pentecost said. “Guys play as individuals and it's not going to turn out well. We need to play as a team and do it for the full 60 minutes. “We all have to be dialed in.” Dyck remaining is a big difference. The leadership and the messaging won't change. Last year, then-associate coach Keith McCambridge took the reins with Dyck away. As well, Vancouver keeps its starting goalie over this period since Vikman, at 20, is too old for world juniors this time around. The Giants allowed five or more goals in six of those 10 games a year ago.
Here's a look at how the Western Conference stacks up over the world junior time. All the records are as of Wednesday morning.
Players could miss an extra game or two, depending on whether clubs give them some time off.
PORTLAND WINTERHAWKS
Where they're sitting: 21-4-2-1, 45 points
Who they're playing: Five games (two with Vancouver, two with Everett, one with Tri-City)
Who they're missing: D Marek Alscher (26-6-5-11) to Czechia
SEATTLE THUNDERBIRDS
Where they're sitting: 21-4-1-1, 44 points
Who they're playing: Six games (two with Everett, two with Spokane, two with Kelowna)
Who they're missing: D Nolan Allan (23-5-9-14), D Kevin Korchinski (21-3-25-28), LW Reid Schaefer (22-15-12-27) and G Thomas Milic (11-2-1-0, 2.35, .919) to Canada
KAMLOOPS BLAZERS
Where they're sitting: 16-6-3-2, 37 points
Who they're playing: Seven games (four with Prince George, two with Kelowna, one with Everett)
Who they're missing: C Logan Stankoven (21-17-27-44) and LW Caedan Bankier (24-20-13-33) to Canada
EVERETT SILVERTIPS
Where they're sitting: 15-12-1-0, 31 points
Who they're playing: Six games (two with Seattle, two with Portland, one with Tri-City, one with Kamloops)
Who they're missing: D Olen Zellweger
(23-10-18-28) and coach Dennis Williams to Canada
PRINCE GEORGE COUGARS
Where they're sitting: 14-15-1-0, 29 points
Who they're playing: Four games
(all vs. Kamloops)
Who they're missing: F Ondrej Becher (29-5-9-14) to Czechia
TRI-CITY AMERICANS
Where they're sitting: 14-13-0-0, 28 points
Who they're playing: Six games (two with Victoria, two with Spokane, one with Everett, one with Portland)
Who they're missing: G Tomas Suchanek (13-9-0-0, 3.61, .901) and F Adam Mechura (27-11-9-20) to Czechia
VANCOUVER GIANTS
Where they're sitting: 11-14-3-2, 27 points
Who they're playing: Five games (two with Portland, three with Victoria)
Who they're missing: LW Samuel Honzek (30-16-25-41) to Slovakia, C Zack Ostapchuk (21-10-19-29) to Canada
KELOWNA ROCKETS
Where they're sitting: 10-13-3-0, 23 points
Who they're playing: Seven games (two with Kamloops, two with Seattle, one with Victoria, one with Medicine Hat, one with Lethbridge)
Who they're missing: LW Gabriel Szturc (26-10-27-37) to Czechia, C Colton Dach (14-9-8-17) to Canada
SPOKANE CHIEFS
Where they're sitting: 6-20-0-1, 13 points
Who they're playing: Six games (two with Seattle, two with TriCity, one with Prince Albert, one with Saskatoon)
Who they're missing: No one
VICTORIA ROYALS
Where they're sitting: 5-22-3-0, 13 points
Who they're playing: Six games (three with Vancouver, two with Tri-City, one with Kelowna)
Who they're missing: RW Marcus Almquist (13-3-0-3) to Denmark