PDA

View Full Version : Work ethic a Royal must



CdnSailor
09-22-2011, 07:48 AM
You would be hard-pressed to find any Western Hockey League pre-season preview that gives the Victoria Royals anything more than cursory regard when it comes to the heavyweight favourites section for

2011-12.

“We’re not the most skilled team,” admitted Royals forward Kevin Sundher, who skated Wednesday in practice after returning unsigned from the NHL training camp of the Buffalo Sabres.

“But we’ve got a lunch-bucket attitude. I’ve been under Marc [GM and head coach Marc Habscheid] a couple of years now [when the franchise was located in the Fraser Valley as the Chilliwack Bruins] and the culture he has created is one where everybody works hard.”

The results will have to flow from that.

Another aspect of this Royals team is its youth, with three 16-year-olds and six 17-year-olds. Nine players in those age categories is considered high by WHL standards. Those young players will be complemented by five 18-year-olds, eight 19-year-olds and three 20-year-olds.

Here is a look at how the Royals stack up, from the crease out:

GOAL: Habscheid has yet to decide between 20-year-old Braden Gamble, 19-year-old Keith Hamilton or 17-year-old Jared Rathjen. When asked who will start Friday in the opener at Vancouver, Habscheid deadpanned: “Gump Worsley.”

He got serious enough to say he considers goaltending the most important position in hockey: “We’ve got three guys and it’s up to them to battle their way through this and decide matters themselves.”

The coach has to be feeling at least a bit of comfort with his balanced array of choices with two veterans and a promising younger creaseman.

DEFENCE: You can’t emphasize enough how important 20-year-old Hayden Rintoul and 19-year-olds Zach Habscheid, the coach’s son, and Tyler Stahl, an unsigned sixth-round draft pick of the Carolina Hurricanes, will be to this otherwise green group.

“There is more asked of defencemen than forwards,” said Habscheid.

“We will be young back there. That’s why we’ve kept the numbers high [nine blue-liners currently on the roster] so we can keep evaluating.”

Man-child 16-year-old Keegan Kanzig begins what could be an impactful career with the Royals. But he’s raw. It comes down to the veteran trio.

“Tyler, Zach and Hayden will have to be the calming influences,” said Habscheid.

Look for a mobile group — including 18-year-old Jesse Pauls — better at progressing the puck up ice than punishing opposing forwards coming the other way.

“We have a few more puck movers than physical defencemen, which means our physical D-men are going to have to be especially physical,” said Habscheid.

FORWARDS: Victoria fans never knew Ryan Howse or Roman Horak. But they sure could end up missing them. How do you replace the combined 161 points lost with those two former Bruins moving up to start their pro careers in the AHL?

The returning Sundher, the other member of last season’s Bruins big three with 76 points, will be relied on heavily to pile up the points for the Royals. He’s fast and good. The rest of the offence will have to come by committee with

19-goal man Jamie Crooks, 20-year-old returning import Robin Soudek and last season’s breakout 16-year-olds Brandon Magee and Steven Hodges expected to contribute. Other returning forwards Tim Traber, Brendan Persley (out with mono) and Mike Forsyth will also have to do their bits.

A trio of American recruits, Logan Nelson, Taylor Crunk and Austin Carroll, have shown moxie and will be in the mix among a group of forwards who will need to win as many battles in the corners as in front of the crease in order to be successful.

INTANGIBLES: There’s not a lot of star power here. But the will and attitude seems to be in place because Habscheid accepts nothing less from his players. He has known WHL coaching success in the past with Kelowna and Kamloops and that experience, craftiness and insight may be the Royals’ greatest intangible.



Read more: http://www.timescolonist.com/sports/Work+ethic+Royal+must/5439208/story.html#ixzz1YgmUqEmF

pontcanna
09-22-2011, 09:05 PM
The Royals are doing a lot of smart things. They're obeying one of the first rules of business: Under-promise and over-deliver. They've essentially inoculated the fans against expecting a top-drawer team this season. Mid-table .500-ish mediocrity will be quite acceptable to the fan base. Anything better will be viewed as a triumph.

CdnSailor
09-22-2011, 10:41 PM
The Royals are doing a lot of smart things. They're obeying one of the first rules of business: Under-promise and over-deliver. They've essentially inoculated the fans against expecting a top-drawer team this season. Mid-table .500-ish mediocrity will be quite acceptable to the fan base. Anything better will be viewed as a triumph.
You have high expectations :D

pontcanna
09-22-2011, 11:08 PM
OK, anything above .333 :)

the Royal Flush
09-22-2011, 11:28 PM
I am just happy we have a team.