Watt at his best when he's being a pest

Watt at his best when he's being a pest

Rob Vanstone, The Leader-Post
Published: Monday, March 03, 2008

The Regina Pats needed a Watt to provide some electrification on Sunday.

Following an eye-glazer of a first period, a terrific individual play by J.D. Watt created the Pats' first goal against the Calgary Hitmen -- leaders of the WHL's Eastern Conference. Watt also assisted on what proved to be the game-winner as the Pats prevailed 3-1 before 5,298 onlookers at the Brandt Centre.

"He had a great goal,'' Pats defenceman Victor Bartley said, "and he's just getting better every game.''

An element of luck was involved in Watt's goal -- only his fifth in 24 games since being acquired from the Red Deer Rebels in January.

Watt picked up the puck behind the Calgary net and circled the offensive zone while going counterclockwise and evading everyone. Upon reaching the right faceoff circle -- almost 360 degrees from where he started -- Watt attempted to pass the puck, only to have it hit a skate and elude goaltender Dan Spence.

"It was one of those plays where if you turn the puck over in that situation, it doesn't look good on you and you're probably getting yelled at by the coach,'' the 20-year-old Watt said with a chuckle.

The manoeuvre did produce some yelling, but only from appreciative fans.

"It has been a while since I scored a goal so it was nice to get that one,'' Watt said. "It was a little bit lucky, but I'll take it.''

Watt also took his fair share of abuse from the Hitmen, while responding in kind. Such is life for a noted agitator.

"I'm not a skilled guy and I'm not going to make it in the pros as a scorer or a playmaker, so I've got to do something to get me there,'' said Watt, who looked very skilled while opening the scoring. "My strength in my game is being a pest -- a guy who players hate to play against. I take pride in that. Tonight was one of my better games.''

Bartley has seen the act before. Like Watt, Bartley joined the Pats via the trade route in January. Before this season, the two players frequently collided when Bartley toiled for the Kamloops Blazers and Watt rankled opponents on behalf of the Vancouver Giants.

"When he was skating around chirping at some of their players, I looked over at (defenceman Matt) Delahey and I said, 'Boy, am I glad I'm not against him. I'm glad he's on our team,' '' Bartley remarked. "He could be one of the best agitators in the league. He definitely gets guys off their game.

"It's annoying. He's always coming at you. Any time he comes at you, he's going to hit you, no matter what. He won't ever turn away from a check and I'm just absolutely thrilled to have him on our team, knowing what he can do. And he can put numbers up, too.''

Last season, for example, Watt registered 34 goals and 182 penalty minutes while helping Vancouver win the Memorial Cup. Watt's resume and on-ice antagonism were primary reasons why Pats general manager Brent Parker sought to acquire him from Red Deer. Watt feels that his play has been "up and down'' since arriving in Regina.

"I have felt pressure,'' he acknowledged. "Mr. Parker made it quite clear that he wants to take a run at a Memorial Cup and he took a chance on a guy like me and a guy like (defenceman Ryan) Bender. There were a lot of acquisitions. It's up to all of us to help this team win. A couple of rounds of playoffs isn't good enough. He wants to go the whole way and that means playing your game to the best of your ability. My game might not be to score, but I need to help out that way.''

Watt helped out -- and then some -- on Sunday night.

"I'm not going to be a skilled guy in the NHL,'' said Watt, a fourth-round draft choice of the Calgary Flames in 2005. "When you're 20 years old in the Western Hockey League and the Canadian Hockey League, you're expected to perform. I'm playing against kids who are actually two years younger than my sister, which seems really odd to me -- kids who I actually coached in summer hockey way back when. You're expected to perform. You should be able to make plays and produce offensively. It has been a tough year so far for me because I think I have put a lot of expectations on myself. Come playoff time, I hope I can pick that up.''

It appears that he has a head start.

© The Leader-Post (Regina) 2008