Future looking bright for Ice

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This article was published 27/04/2021 (1788 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

James Patrick understands the task ahead.

After a second-place finish in the WHL’s East Division hub, the head coach of the Winnipeg Ice is plotting a course to the top of the heap in 2021-22.

That path will almost certainly go through Brandon, where the Wheat Kings will be the defending East champs while also having assembled the deepest array of young talent east of Prince George.

Patrick likes his club’s collection of high-end skill, too, especially with rookie phenoms Conor Geekie and Zach Benson back for their sophomore seasons.

He will also have the luxury of getting game-breaking forward Matt Savoie back in the fold. With the WHL on hold in fall, Savoie joined USHL Dubuque at mid-season and he’s been ripping it up there, scoring 21 goals and 38 points in 34 games.

“I expect (Savoie) to be a huge part of our team,” said Patrick by phone prior to Winnipeg’s hub finale against the Regina Pats Tuesday night. “I look at him to be in our top six. I just think him and Geekie are going to be pushing each other and I expect them to be as good as any 17-year-olds in the league. I have big expectations for both guys.”

Savoie can play centre or the wing and may be used in both roles, which could be a convenient solution when Patrick considers how to replace captain Peyton Krebs on the club’s top line with likely returnees Connor McClennon and Owen Pederson.

Krebs, McClennon and Pederson were scary good in the hub, combining for a league-leading 40 goals and 107 points in 24 games.

Savoie or Geekie could replace Krebs as the centre on the No. 1 unit but Pederson could also slide into the middle. Patrick will be considering multiple combinations.

The forward depth doesn’t end there. Jakin Smallwood has had a sneaky good season, scoring 13 goals, including seven on the power play and one short-handed. Smallwood played all over the lineup and should be a lock to be one of the club’s three 20-year-olds next fall.

“For me, he was the most improved player from a year ago,” said Patrick. “And we felt like we got a lot of improvement from a lot of players but he’s very mature, he’s a very important leader on our team and he’s very (well) conditioned.”

The departure of Jackson Leppard will be the most acutely felt loss among the overage players. Leppard was not a big offensive producer but his grit and nastiness will be difficult to replace.

Meanwhile, Winnipeg’s defence was in tatters by the middle of the hub season, with both top pairing blue-liners only active briefly.

Carson Lambos played two games and is scheduled for a medical procedure to repair an as yet unspecified medical issue Wednesday while Nolan Orzeck suited up for only 10 games, his season cut short by a lower-body injury. Both players are expected to make full a full recovery.

An unintended spinoff of these injuries was increased playing time for the likes of Ben Zloty, Mike Ladyman, Anson McMaster and Karter Prosofsky. Often times their playing time was almost double the amount they had been expected to play under normal circumstances.

“We felt at times there was a bit of a downside because we felt we overplayed guys and there was some fatigue in their games but the benefits far outweighed those thoughts,” said Patrick.

“From Karter Prosofsky and Anson McMaster, the improvement they had in their games and for Ben (Zloty), we thought he took his game to another level at times. As far as an offensive defenceman, he’s really shown what he can do on that side of the puck.”

Curiously, the team’s goaltending situation was a major vulnerablility heading into the hub but now the position appears healthier than anyone could have imagined.

Towering second-year man Gage Alexander has established himself as the probable No. 1, with rookie Daniel Hauser not far behind. Alexander and Hauser split their hub starts almost evenly with Carl Stankowski and mostly outplayed the free-agent overage addition.

“That was a huge question mark coming in,” said Patrick. “We just wanted to see if they could play in the league. They both have proven that and now it’s can they play consistently and can they keep pushing themselves to get better?”

That question also applies to the rest of the squad, especially players such as Benson and Geekie who will draw tougher matchups in 2021-22 after establishing themselves as offensive threats in their first year.

“I think Winnipeg will have a terrific team,” said Wheat Kings head coach Don MacGillivray, whose club swept the four-game hub series with the Ice although three of those were one-goal decisions.

“But at the same time, I look at some other teams that are in the hub here — Prince Albert will be a good team, Moose Jaw will be a lot better, Regina’s got the superstar (Connor Bedard) and they’re gonna have a good team. There will be no easy games in this division.”

mike.sawatzky@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @sawa14