OLDS — The Olds Grizzlys have the potential this season to compete for the Alberta Junior Hockey League’s Viterra South Division title after years of languishing in the division's basement, assistant coach Peter de Graaf says.
He gave that assessment during an interview with the Albertan.
The Grizzlys finished the exhibition season with a 2-3-0-0 record, good for four points in five games, which put them in sixth place in the eight-team South Division.
“We’re just looking to make a big step forward. We feel this is a year to move up in the top half of the league and compete for the South Division title. We feel we have the pieces to do that this year,” he said.
He said when fans arrive for the team’s regular season home opener against the Blackfalds Bulldogs on Sept. 16, they’ll see a bigger, faster and more experienced Grizzlys squad.
The assistant coach figures experience will be key to an improved team. He noted that year, they started the season with four 20-year-olds and ended it with just two.
“Last year, we were one of the least experienced teams in the league as far as games played at the junior A level.
“And this year, it’s almost a flip-flop. I think we have eight 20-year-olds competing for six spots and when we decide on the final six, they’re going to be six very good players who will lead our team,” de Graaf said.
However, not all the players that have impressed the coaching staff are experienced or big.
He singled out 19-year-old defenceman Jacob Rude as one of their more intriguing players. And he’s only 5-foot-5 and weighs just 136 pounds.
The assistant coach described Rude, a product of Anoka, Minn., as “a very small, but fast and skilled puck-handling defenceman who’s looked good.”
Another player that has impressed the coaching staff is 17-year-old Jadon Iyogun, a product of the Calgary North Stars U18 AAA program, who stands 6’1 and weighs 181 pounds.
“He’s really stepped up,” de Graaf said. "We saw him as a raw talent last year, but he’s refined his game and we think he has a really bright future and a high ceiling.”
In net, veteran Merek Andres has continued to look good.
“(He) has been excellent so far, and we don’t see any reason why that won’t continue,” de Graaf said.
“Now we’re just trying to decide on who the other goaltender will be and we have three to choose from right now, so it’ll be a difficult decision to make.”
The Grizzlys began their camp with about 60 players and by late last week, had whittled that figure down to about 30.
