Two down. Three to go.
With three pre-season games left on the menu, it will be a pivotal week for many trying to crack the Kelowna Rockets roster.
Even if you make it to opening night, that doesn’t necessarily signal you will be playing with the team – full time – in October.
Why?
If you are a veteran and the bad habits you showed a season ago still exist, you are in trouble. In pre-season, this is where you work out the kinks, get rid of those old tendencies, and show the coaches the new you. Slow to loose pucks won’t cut it. Soft plays stick out. The ability to skate fast, yet your acceleration is hampered by your unwillingness to get involved, is an ugly sign.
As head coach Kris Mallette told RocketFAN last night, he will give veteran players the benefit of the doubt in pre-season, but the leash can’t be a long one. If a younger, less experienced player has more desire and urgency to compete, Mallette will reward that individual with ice time and will take the lumps that come with it.
I watched last night’s 6-5 overtime loss to the Kamloops Blazers with great interest. I wanted to see the veterans compete while evaluating the rookies who could be the future of the franchise.
When it comes to the veterans, my focus was on Max Graham, who should have a big season. Undrafted this summer, Graham should have a chip on his shoulder. He should be sour he wasn’t chosen by an NHL team. Why? He has the size – 6’3 and 180+ pounds – and has a heavy shot. Acquired in a trade with the Everett Silvertips in the Alex Swetlikoff deal, Graham should be a puck battle warrior. Eighty percent of the time, he should be in possession of it – if its a 50/50 battle. Physically mature, I think the 10 goals he scored a season ago was underwhelming and he can easily double that total with the tools he’s been given.
If you are 19-years-old, you need to bring it.
Traditionally, if this age group is an area of strength on your team, you are in good shape. If it’s an area of weakness, you are in a heap of trouble. These guys carry the mail most nights with the hope the supporting cast chips in once in a while.
The Rockets have seven players that are 19 or born in the year 2003. They include Turner McMillen, Colton Dach, Gabriel Szturc, Dylan Wightman, Noah Dorey, Elias Carmichael and Jackson DeSouza. If any one of those seven are even marginally better than a younger player, the chances of being dealt or released are very high. As a coach, why wouldn’t I dress a younger player, who I can mold and develop and work out the bad habits for several years over an older player that refuses to change his game and may not be good enough to earn one of three 20-year-old spots next season?
You win with older players, but that group needs to be teachable and buy-in is paramount.
For any first-year player, the pre-season is all about getting used to the pace. I want to see enthusiasm and willingness to compete. You can’t make a mistake with that ill-advised cross-ice pass that you could get away with at a lower level. These are valuable learning lessons that pre-season hockey provides.
With a game against the Victoria Royals on Tuesday followed by a weekend tune-up with a home-and-home series with the Vancouver Giants to close out the exhibition season, if you are a first year player or a four-year vet, letting down your guard may cost you a roster spot when the season officially begins September 24th.
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