Winnipeg-born D-man proud member of Moose with big-league dreams

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This article was published 28/09/2017 (2990 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Peter Stoykewych is coming off his best pro season, one that saw him go from being a fringe American Hockey League player to a reliable, everyday player.

Now the Winnipeg-born defenceman is looking to take another big step as he continues to chase the dream of one day suiting up for a National Hockey League game.

“I’d love to play there at one point. And I’m going to give it everything I have,” Stoykewych, 25, said Thursday following the fourth day of Manitoba Moose training camp. He’s currently signed to an AHL-only deal but hopes another good year could open the door to a two-way contract.

Stoykewych played two seasons with the Winnipeg South Blues before heading to Colorado College, where he spent four productive years refining both his game and his education. He played his first full season in the AHL with the Moose in 2015-16, putting up seven assists in 47 games. But last year, Stoykewych dressed for 72 games and scored five goals and added 15 assists.

“I think the offensive side came from just being put in a position, being put on the ice more. I think a lot of it had to do with confidence. You learn the league a bit, you learn the players, you know when to take chances and when to sit back,” he said.

Stoykewych credited some of the veteran blue-liners on last year’s team, including Brian Strait and Kevin Czuczman, with helping his growth. Now he’s seen as one of the veterans on this year’s team, which is loaded with young prospects.

“I love being a part of this team. It’s the team I grew up watching. It’s something that I’m proud to be a part of,” he said. “I think as a team we need to take a step forward. We need to make a push here and prove to the rest of the league, and to ourselves, that we’re headed in the right direction here as an organization. Which I believe we are.”

•••

The Moose are taking their show on the road, setting up in North Dakota for a pair of weekend exhibition games that will help trim the herd.

A total of 28 players — 14 forwards, 11 defencemen and three goalies — made the quick bus trip south. The Moose will take on the Iowa Wild Friday in Grand Forks, then play a rematch Saturday in Fargo.

Coach Pascal Vincent will then have to cut down his roster, which will grow some early next week when the Winnipeg Jets make final cuts before they open the NHL season Wednesday.

The Moose reduced their numbers Thursday, releasing six players who were on professional tryouts: Travis Brown, Cristiano DiGiacinto, Chase Harrison, Kameron Kielly, Alexandre Ranger and Michael Webster.

Unlike the NHL, there is no 23-man maximum roster size in the AHL. Vincent said it’s possible he could start the year with a handful of extra healthy bodies around.

“That’s the one thing we can take advantage of, we don’t have a set number. We can keep more players, but it also has an impact on our practices. You have too many bodies, you slow down the practice, you slow down your drills, not enough repetition,” he said.

“So we want to bring the number to a number that is fair to practice that makes sense to us, but we’re not going to make cuts if we feel the player can be an eventual player for us.”

The regular-season begins next Friday in Grand Rapids.

•••

Michael Hutchinson’s demotion to the Moose was hardly a surprise. From the moment the Jets signed Steve Mason in the summer to take some of the workload and pressure off Connor Hellebuyck, it became clear there would be no room in the crease for him.

But Hutchinson is apparently not ready to share his thoughts on the move just yet, declining a pair of interview requests from the Free Press this week.

Vincent said Thursday it’s a case of actions speaking louder than words — and he believes Hutchinson is ready to compete to get his career back on track. Of course, that could mean spending a lot of time on the bench watching Eric Comrie get the big share of the workload.

“Well it’s an adjustment for him. He’s been working hard all summer, he’s in good shape. He’s a very mature person, very intelligent. He’s got a plan,” Vincent said. “Like I tell all the players, I’m like a GPS in your car. You have a final destination, I’m there to assist you. And if you take a detour I’ll try to take you back to the highway. Hutch, he’s a smart kid, he’ll be fine.”

•••

Buddy Robinson could be a big part of the equation if the Moose are to enjoy some success this season.

And we do mean big, as the 25-year-old forward stands six-foot-six and weighs in at more than 230 pounds. He’s a proven player at this level and said Thursday he’s anxious to show his new organization what he can do in game action.

“Looking forward to some games here, that’s why we play. We want to go out there and get the season started,” said Robinson. “Timing is everything. You just need to get your legs back under you, get back into a game pace and find chemistry with your teammates, knowing where guys are gonna be. It’s a new system for myself this year on a new team.”

Robinson got in four NHL games last year with the Ottawa Senators and put up 10 goals and nine assists in 33 AHL games with the San Jose Barracuda.

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca