Cloutier, Capitals were on a roll

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This article was published 12/11/2020 (2018 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Hunter Cloutier was off to the best start to a season of his junior hockey career and the Virden Oil Capitals were riding high in the Interior Division when the MJHL put its regular season on hold Thursday.

The disappointment was real but it was impossible to not see this move coming. Four MJHL players have tested positive for COVID-19 in the past two weeks and with Manitoba health decreeing a provincewide move to code-red status, an immediate halt to hockey was set in stone.

When the players will be permitted to return to the ice is unknown but even though the current health order expires on Dec. 11, the league announced its intention to restart the regular season on Jan. 1.

“It wasn’t ideal,” said Cloutier, an overage right-winger who leads the league scoring race with six goals and 17 points in nine games. “Our team was on a really big roll there, so it sucks that that takes away from our momentum but you know it’s all about the safety of everyone.”

Cloutier and his teammates, who own a sparkling 8-0-1-0 record, were given permission to head home after a team meeting Wednesday night. How they spend the intervening six weeks should have a major influence on how they finish the 2020-21 season. 

Cloutier, a Winnipegger, will do his best to stay sharp.

“It’s obviously going to be harder with no gyms being open or anything,” he said. “I personally have a bike at home that I’m going to use and probably go for some runs outside and just try to like stay in the best shape I can during this time off so I’m ready to go when January comes around.”

A Jan. 1 start begs the question: how many games can teams expect to play after a lengthy delay. A 40-game regular season, down from the normal 60, was an early concession to the difficulty of playing during a pandemic.

“Our aim is for as close to 40 games as we can, however it will be dependent on what the situation looks like at that time within our province,” said MJHL commissioner Kevin Saurette in a text message. “We are also going to be re-evaluating our second-half schedule over the coming weeks as it relates to matchups, etc.”

Peyton Gorski, a 20-year-old defenceman from Regina in his third season with the Portage Terriers, said he won’t be lacking for inspiration to prepare for a restart, whenever that happens. 

“You can never make up for what you do on the ice and you can never make up for bettering your hockey skills but you’ve gotta do what you can with the cards that you’re dealt,” said Gorski.

“You have to find a way to improve, be a better person, to get better as a player in any way that you can given what’s going on in the world. Because it’s more than just hockey, at this point, and hockey is just the blessing to get to play.”

Forward Tyler Van Deynze is one of nine Terriers, including Gorski, who works as educational assistants in the Portage la Prairie school system.

Their weekday routine involves a 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. shift in class before heading to Stride Place for practice. 

“I’ll definitely try to stay busy — going to work every day and definitely staying home besides going to work,” said Van Deynze, 20. “Other than that, you just got to do your part to stay at hom. I’ve got a little weight set at home, so I’ll do my best to stay in shape that way and just try to keep busy for sure.”

Gorski said the Grade 8 students he works with have been accepting of the pandemic restrictions.

“The kids are good, the protocols are up to par,” he said. “The schools are doing a great job with everything, like following the guidelines to make sure the proper social distancing is taking place. It’s honestly unreal and kids are doing their part as well.”

For Van Deynze, who grew up in Portage la Prairie, playing in his hometown is a real comfort.

“I think I got a little bit of an advantage in that sense,” said Van Deynze. “I’m just living at home with my family, so I know I’ve got people I can be with all the time and I can’t be homesick or anything with the people you love.” 

A season that was already a logistical nightmare has also become more complicated for coaches and managers.

Neepawa Natives general manager/head coach Ken Pearson admits he has more to worry about than the Jan. 10 trade deadline.

“For the players, mentally, it’s going to be tough to stay engaged if you don’t continue to have that dialogue with them,” said Pearson. “So what we want to do is maybe give them a couple days here to digest everything that’s going on and then get back in touch with them after the weekend.”

Pearson said important off-ice issues, such as college destinations for some of his graduating players next season, can receive extra attention now rather than later.

He also plans to spend extra time scouting prospects from his home base.

“As a general manager it’ll give myself a lot more time to watch different leagues, not just junior, but now a lot of the leagues in the west, east and midget and whatnot, you can watch those games online,” said Pearson. “They’re produced very well, so you’re going to get a good visual of how guys play.”

The unscheduled break also probably means the end of the line for the major-junior players who were granted temporary transfers to MJHL teams in order to prepare for the start of the WHL season on Jan. 8.

The Natives bolstered their roster with forwards Dallon Wilton, Zak Smith and Calder Anderson, who were booked to return to their WHL teams on Dec. 20.

“If they’re going to play, I would think we’re going to be playing,” said Pearson of the WHL restart. “It was still good to have those three guys with us for the short term if nothing else, for their practice habits.”

mike.sawatzky@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @sawa14