Oil Capitals centre Ivy League bound

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This article was published 20/01/2022 (1653 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Carson Buydens is proof small miracles sometimes do happen in hockey.

Last season, after the pandemic wiped out all but five games with his Central Plains AAA U18 squad, he had a sparse hockey resume and no clear idea of what he would do next.

“There were a lot of questions,” recalls Buydens, who turns 18 on March 14. “What was next year going to look like? Where was I going to be playing? And so lots was up in the air.”

In recent months, the Gladstone product’s future has come into sharper focus.

The 6-2, 175-pound centre is enjoying an excellent rookie season with the Virden Oil Capitals — he’s tied for third among Manitoba Junior Hockey League rookies with 13 goals and 29 points in 33 games while also commiting to play college hockey at Princeton University.

“It was always kind of just up in the air,” says Buydens, a seventh-round pick of the Spokane Chiefs in the 2019 WHL Prospects Draft.

“I was never 100 per cent (in favour of) the WHL or the NCAA route but once I started talking to Princeton, it definitely leaned me that way because I learned a lot about the NCAA route and it sounded really good. I wanted to do that.”

Buydens, who carries an 87 per cent academic average in high school, is expected to play one more season of junior before joining the Ron Fogarty-coached Tigers in 2023-24.

The Ivy League school has a highly regarded hockey program that produces pro prospects.

“My advisor had sent them some film of my games and they watched it all and liked it and we came into contact and started talking,” said Buydens, who accepted a scholarship offer after Princeton assistant coach Tommy Davis made a trip to Virden in fall. “Obviously, the relationship took off from there.

“I think they must’ve liked me as a person when they first started talking to me and thought that I would be a good fit at their school. And I had the school marks to back that up and the hockey as well.”

Pro scouts have noticed, too.

Last week, Central Scouting rated him the 149th best prospect among North American skaters for the 2022 NHL Draft. He was one of three MJHLers included in mid-season rankings — Selkirk Steelers defenceman Spencer Penner came in at No. 197 and Steinbach Pistons centre Davis Fry was 206th.

“He’s a good player to put in the bank because he’s got the NCAA route,” said director of Central Scouting’s Dan Marr of Buydens. “So you draft him and you’ve got four or five years of development where you can watch it… he’s a pretty complete two-way player, because he plays with authority whether it’s when he’s hitting or shooting and he’s hard to contain at his age.”

LIVING WITH THE PANDEMIC: One of the perils of being a college athlete during the pandemic is your season can be turned upside down at a moment’s notice.

Take Ste. Anne product Raygan Kirk for example.

The 20-year-old goaltender is in her first season with the Ohio State Buckeyes — she transferred from Robert Morris University after the school’s hockey programs were shuttered last year — and reported for her weekly COVID-19 test Wednesday.

Without any obvious symptoms, she was surprised by the positive test.

“I’m on my second bout of COVID,” said Kirk Thursday from Columbus where she is isolating and feeling well except for a headache. “I was boosted, too, so that’s just kind of how the universe works. But the rest of the team is healthy and fine. So, I’m watching from my room and cheering them on.”

Kirk was first stricken with the virus in November of 2020. Unlike her home province, OSU courses are mainly in-person and she has one lecture class with 600 mask-wearing students.

On the No. 2-ranked Buckeyes, Kirk is one of four goaltenders and ice time is at a premium.

She has played three games so far, posting a 1.50 goals-against average and a .852 save percentage but, with No. 1 goalie Andrea Braendli leaving the team to play for Switzerland at the Beijing Olympics, it would have ideal time to get more starts.

Going to isolation means Kirk will miss Ohio State’s weekend series with visiting Minnesota Duluth. She will be tested again Sunday and hopes to be back at practice Monday.

“I’m definitely hoping to get a couple more games,” said Kirk. “(Braendli’s) a very, very good goalie and I knew it would definitely be a battle (to earn playing time) and I’d have work my hardest after choosing to come here.”

mike.sawatzky@winnipegfreepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @sawa14