Nov 09, 2015 | atom-ae | 1318 views
After 13 games and a Tournament in Pittsburgh.
Another update on the teams progress.
After 13 games and a tournament in Pittsburgh, it is safe to say that we have come a long way. To say that the coaches and I are proud of our players would be an understatement. The kids have played so hard and are starting to embrace the team approach of hard skating and solid defence.
Here is a brief individual assessment on each player.
Noah "Weapon" Coatsworth. Noah has been a rock. The last game he started against Belle River may have been the best I have seen him play in 2 years. Noah was well positioned and virtually eliminated most good scoring opportunities. Way to go weapon. On an aside, Noah may play the best air guitar goalie stick. Noah rocks hard to AC/DC.
Jackson Haley. Whatever Jackson is short in size he more than makes up in heart and effort. Not only has Jackson played extremely well for us, he is always trying to learn and is an absolute joy to coach. When his growth spurt begins, Matt says it is on the way, he will continue to be a dominant force...
Emma Cowley. Over the course of the season, Emma has proven herself to be one of the smoothest skating defenceman on the team. Emma has worked hard and takes direction well. Emma is also an absolute joy to coach. She comes to the rink everyday with a great attitude and a smile. A word of warning, do not ever have a stare down match with her, you will not win. Keep up the great work Emma!
Lane Cook. While Lane comes to the rink quiet and very relaxed, on ice he is a beast. Lane finally recognized what the coaches have been telling him all along, he has a rocket of a shot. In Pittsburgh, Lane decided to try that shot out and blasted a beauty of a goal against Mount Clements. Since that day, Lane has been a very reliable and tough defender. I am definitely looking forward to continued development as Lane continues to learn and try. Way to go Lane.
Jaret Drew. Jaret is a beast, in every sense of the word. He is a work horse, he has a good shot, he clears the net with joy and is very reliable. Jaret is easily a top tiered defenceman in the league. Look for Jaret to continue emerging as a force on the blue line as the season continues. Way to go Jaret.
Charlie "Tufffffffffy" Tufford. Charlie is beginning to become more confident and that is very evident in his play. Charlie has become a very reliable stay at home defender and has also developed a nice shot from the point. Charlie is also a hard worker and comes to the rink everyday ready to go. As Charlie continues to develop, look for him to begin rush attempts as he watches the ice open from the backend. Keep up the hard work Charlie.
Sawyer "Ritchio" Ritchie. Sawyer has also worked very hard, first as a forward and now as a defenceman. Sawyer has improved his skating 10 fold and continues to develop. Sawyer has an amazing shot which lends well to our blue line. Sawyer is also another big body and protects the goalie well. It really is a joy coaching Sawyer as he is a great kid and a hard worker. Keep up the hard work Sawyer.
JP "Jip" Lemak. JP, like Emma, is a very smooth skater. JP has become more and more confident with his role on the team and has worked very hard over the last few months to develop. JP, at times, thinks he is Bobby Orr and will rush the puck whenever he sees an opening on the ice. This is great for our offensive output. JP has also learned when and when not to rush and is quick to get back should the rush not be successful. Jip has a good shot from the point and is very aggressive on the blue line, both offensive and defensive. Way to go JIP.
Jacob "Waterbug" Kosik. Jacob has worked hard this year and is really embracing the idea of back checking. Waterbug, as we have learned over the last few weeks, has a great shot and has been a solid contributor to our offensive stats. Waterbug has a unique skating style that works well for him. He is fast and has learned quite a bit about positional hockey from both the winger and centre perspective. Jacob is a great kid with a big heart and is a treat to coach. Look for more great things from Waterbed as the season continues.
George Ansell. George has come a long way in his first year of travel. George, at times, shows flashes of speed and exceptional puck handling skills. As George continues to learn positioning and becomes more confident in his game, he will continue to emerge as a dominant forward. Keep up the great work George.
Kaleb "Goobie" Wilson. Goobie has magic hands and is a very smart hockey player. Kaleb's vision of the ice and play making ability makes him a dominant and skilled forward. As Kaleb continues to work hard on his skating, look for Goobie to put up even better offensive numbers. Way to go Goobie, keep up the good work!!
Max Reaume. Max has had an interesting year and made a huge breakthrough in Pittsburgh. Max stayed on his side of the ice against Vaughn!!! Max was so excited and told the entire team jus how proud he was of himself. Max had always been a player that was put onto weaker teams in house league and virtually had to do it all himself. This year, Max is being asked to virtually relearn the game and trust that his teammates will be where they should be. Over the last few games I have been very happy with the effort I have seen from Max. Max can score goals, no doubt. Max is now learning that by being in position, we can score even more and prevent the other teams from scoring. Keep up the great work Max. You are still a meat-head though! Lol.
Mitchell Loveday. Mitchell has worked hard this year to focus on carrying the puck more through the neutral zone and to focus on shooting the puck rather than flicking it. Mitchell has worked well with Aiden Venhuizen this year and they continue to develop chemistry. As Mitchell continues to become more confident while learning positional hockey, look for him to increase his offensive output. Keep up the good work Mitchell.
Austin Drew. Austin is a stud! Austin is a fast skater with unlimited offensive upside. He found immediate chemistry playing alongside Noah Wilson and continues to contribute more than his fare share of goals. Austin uses his body well to protect the puck and back checks with all out effort. Austin has been a great captain for this team and earned the respect of all of the coaches and his teammates. Awesome work Austin.
Noah "Nator" Wilson. Noah is an absolute beast on the ice. Noah has such exceptional endurance, unlike his father, and can skate with the best of them. Noah is fast and is a great playmaker. He plays very well with Austin and Sobey. As Noah continues to develop, look for him to carry the puck more through the neutral zone while also taking more shots. Noah is a student of the game and will continue to anchor the showtime line. Awesome work Nator.
Aiden "Sobey" Solway. Aides works hard, in all positions in hockey. Sobey started the season as a defenceman and provided excellent support and an offensive presence on the blue line. Over the last few weeks, Sobey has transitioned to a forward and has fit in nicely with Austin and Noah. Sobey has great hands and is developing a nice shot. Look for Sobey to continue to be a monster on the ice as he learns the winger position. Awesome work Sobey!
Aides "the Fluffy Hurricane" Venhuizen. Aides plays like a man possessed. To say anything less would be a huge understatement. Aiden is a strong offensive weapon and is a solid back checker. In key situations, Aiden is relied upon to provide solid defence and all out effort. Off of a draw, Aiden can take the puck and beat the defenders within a 2 second span. I cannot outline enough good qualities to accurately describe Aiden's game. Awesome work Fluffy. By the way, I did not choose this nickname, Aiden chose this himself.
Memphis Peatson and Williem "Luigi" Seguin. Both of our AP's have worked very hard to attend practices and have done a solid job learning our system. Both have seen some game action and gave a solid effort. We continue to enjoy having both Memphis and Luigi as part of our team. Keep up the great work boys.
Overall, as I have stated before, I am very proud of our team and feel very privileged to be coaching such great kids. We have already seen tremendous growth in our players and believe that they are all having fun.
That being said, I wish to thank all of the parents who have been absolutely amazing and have provided such great support to the coaching staff. It becomes quite easy to coach when we are supported so greatly.
Keep up the great work everyone,
Coach Anthony
PS. My apologies for any grammatical or spelling errors. Any errors can be blamed on coach Paul.