‘Every time I am involved in it, I take something away from it’ – Kelowna Rockets HC Kris Mallette

The tournament is not for the faint of heart over three, intense and short weeks. Team Canada had one practice, before it appeared in a few tune-up games before playing for real.

“Our selection camp was difficult,” he added. “We wanted to see the competitiveness among our group, so the practices we did have were tough. We put the guys through the ringer and then we played two red and white games against each other and then you make cuts. So, the first (only) practice we had as a team, you could see a sense of relief with the group.”

Beating Czechia 2-1 in the final was impressive, as was the ability to allow just four goals against when the games really counted.

“I think it took some players a little getting used to with different responsibilities than what they have with their club teams, but everyone bought in and you win and there are no questions asked.”

The WHL was well represented on this year’s team. RocketFAN asked Mallette if one player surprised him, or stood out during the high-level competition featuring players born in 2007.

“You get to play against Cole Reschny (Victoria Royals) and Cameron Schmidt (Vancouver Giants) quite a bit within our own division, but I thought Reschny really, I know he is a special player, but as the tournament went on, he was really reliable. We started him on the wing and then put him at centre. I thought he was really good.

“The guys out of the Eastern Conference I am not super familiar with, Reese Hamilton (Calgary Hitmen), Peyton Kettles (Swift Current Broncos) and Ben Kindel (Calgary Hitmen), those guys are going to be fun to watch as we continue this journey,” Mallette said with a chuckle in his voice. “Jackson Smith out of Tri City is a solid player. It was fun to see them in a different environment. This is a very exciting age group.”

While the players leave the experience better for it, so do every member of the coaching staff, Mallette included.

“Every time I am involved with it, I take something from it,” he admitted. “Whether it was dealing with the pressure in those high intense moments, for me it was about my delivery to the players. How am I communicating with my staff? Is it clear? Just that is beneficial moving forward. You don’t typically coach 20 elite players on a team, you are lucky to have half a dozen of these players on your team. Having role players buy in and accept things separates the good from the great. Our bottom six [forwards] were a real big part of our success.”

After three straight summers on the bench of Canada’s enter at the Hlinka-Gretzy Cup, is being a member of the coaching staff for the world junior hockey championships at Christmas a distinct possibility in the not-so-distant future?

“That is out of my hands. That is out of my control,” he added. “I was happy to be part of the program for the last three years in this competition, and if that comes to fruition that would be great.

“That is the goal, but right now everything switches. It is back to getting excited and geared up for the [Kelowna] Rockets.”

by Regan Bartel

‘Every time I am involved in it, I take something away from it’ – Kelowna Rockets HC Kris Mallette

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