Pacheco looking to find his rhythm

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Pacheco could feel like the unforgotten forward.

While the same age as both Cristall and Price, the Edmonton product is trying to get noticed with six goals in 42 games this season.

Head Coach Kris Mallette has shown great faith in the second-year forward, putting him earlier this season on the power play to build his confidence.

It resulted in two goals in the 17-year-old’s opening four games, both coming with the extra man.

“There are a lot of really, really good players that don’t come into their own in this league until 18, 19, 20”, Mallette pointed out. “Marcus is on a path that might be a little slower than a few players, but I think he has a bright future. He is very coachable. I see it in practice every day, the skill, the strength, the shot. Watch out, I honestly think it is going to click one of these days.”

Mallette believes the speedy forward is a late bloomer.

“The road is not always straight”, Mallette continued in terms of a player’s development. “If he [Pacheco] has adversity and a couple of corners he has to go through, so be it. He is a driven young man who aspires, much like everybody in that room.”

Pacheco will play in his 100th career game tonight against the Vancouver Giants.

“He is a player that has had a lot of opportunity with ice time and line-mates,” Mallette told RocketFAN. “If we can get him contributing, utilizing his speed, he has a great shot, it’s just getting it into those areas where it’s difficult. He has to get there in order to have success, as the perimeter shots for me are not going to go in as the goalies are too good, or shots are blocked. He has to take the puck to the greasy areas.”

Pacheco best game of the season came way back on November 18th, when he had a season-high five shots on net, resulting in a career-high four points with two goals and two assists.

“That was a good game for me for sure”, Pacheco told RocketFAN after practice Thursday. “It is hard [scoring]. This league is very élite and that is a skill and a talent you have to build up.

“You have to want to score in this league, and if you don’t work hard, it isn’t going to come.”

Pacheco is one of six-2005 born forwards on the team, joining Cristall, Trae Johnson, Will Munro, Ethan Neutens, and Grady Lenton.

“While we have three players on that list [NHL Central Scouting rankings], that means a lot of scouts are in the stands watching our team play”, Mallette says with optimism. “It is an opportunity for some other players to get noticed and I think there is the ability within our room to have some guys that could open some eyes of NHL teams.”

Short staffed, players like Pacheco will be leaned upon heavily this weekend as the team closes out January with two games against a rival that leads them by 9 points in the Western Conference standings.