Trevor Crawley

A season of change for the Ice

Just past the midway mark of the season and the Kootenay Ice are sitting in second place in the Central Division and are inside the playoff picture.

Not bad for a club that has undergone monumental change over the last year.

The team has a record of 18-21-3 so far this season and have taken advantage of a relatively weak Central Division to hold onto their second-place spot.

For now.

Much of the team’s success can be attributed to Ice head coach James Patrick, who has had to navigate the first few months of the season by dealing with an ever-evolving roster.

“We’ve had a lot of changes,” said Patrick, in a recent interview after the Christmas break. “The one thing I like — I like the balance of four lines. I really feel, for the most part, our four lines can play against any team’s line.”

Patrick was lured out of the NHL where he had been an assistant coach for 11 years after the Ice were sold to Matt Cockell and Greg Fettes in the spring.

Cockell assumed GM duties and immediately went to work, revamping both the hockey operations department and the team’s roster, making nine trades before the 2017/18 season began.

For hockey ops, former head coach Luke Pierce was let go, while assistant Gordon Burnett was retained. Cranbrook product Jon Klemm, an NHL alum who won two Stanley Cups with the Colorado Avalanche, was also brought onto the coaching bench, as was Roman Vopat, another NHL alum with local connections.

Specialists in mental skills, strength and conditioning and other aspects of player development were also brought on board.

The early returns have been promising.

Despite a roster that has only one player drafted into the NHL in Brett Davis, the team relies on playing defensively sound in all three zones while generating offence by committee.

And as mentioned, the roster has undergone significant change, even stretching into the WHL campaign, as an additional nine transactions were made, the hardest being the decision to ship former captain Cale Fleury to the Regina Pats for two younger players and draft picks.

Vince Loschiavo, another Ice forward who was drafted into the club and played in Cranbrook for three seasons, was also traded to Moose Jaw for Jakin Smallwood and a conditional draft pick.

Despite the changes, Patrick said he’s noticed that some of his players have taken big strides.

“The first month of the season, Sebastian Streu couldn’t get into the lineup, [but] he’s been pretty good for us,” Patrick said. “He’s a fast guy who can use his speed, create turnovers. He can play with Peyton Krebs because Peyton has such great speed.

“I think Keenan Taphorn has just been a workhorse. He does so many little things. He doesn’t have the touch to score when he gets the opportunity, but he gets scoring chances every game and he’s good defensively and he blocks shots.

“From the start of the year to now, I think players have gotten better. Sam Huston has gotten better, Our young D, you’re hoping for more development, but it’s a hard position to play.”

The veterans have had to shoulder a lot of responsibility.

Patrick has repeatedly called captain Colton Kroeker his best two-way player, who is knotted with Krebs for the team lead in points at 35. Alec Baer, another overage vet, leads the team in goals with 17, while Colton Veloso sits in second place in goal production with 14.

The defence has changed with the departure of Fleury, however, Jonathan Smart, who came back in that trade, has joined a corps that includes three rookies and Martin Bodak, a Slovakian defenceman who came over in the CHL Import Draft and recently captained his national team at the World Juniors.

Goaltending has stabilized after a rocky start that saw a carousel between Bailey Brkin, Duncan McGovern and Kurtis Chapman. That was resolved in November when Chapman was reassigned to the AJHL in November.

Without a doubt, the biggest success story from the roster has been the emergence of Peyton Krebs, the former first overall selection from the 2016 WHL Bantam Draft.

Krebs, a 16-year-old, currently leads the WHL in rookie scoring with nine goals and 26 assists for 35 points and is tied for the team lead.

Krebs’ 26 assists is a testament to his ability to set up prime scoring opportunities, which he generates using his speed and his on-ice hockey smarts.

“I know he’s got skill and desire and he’s got drive,” said Patrick. “He wants to be the best. He competes hard but he works even harder. He works hard every practice. He pushes himself in skating drills. Every skating drill we have done this year, he wants to win and that makes the other guys skate fast to stay with him, and that’s been his leadership that he’s brought to the team.”

Krebs arrived in training camp last year, skating circles around everyone as a 15-year-old.

This year, in the first year of his WHL eligibility, he has taken advantage of the opportunity to make a name for himself early, culminating with an invite to the World U17 Hockey Challenge. There, he earned a silver medal with Canada’s Team Red, tayling one goal and five assists in five games.

“As long as I stick to my game plan and listen to what James has to say, I’ll be successful,” said Krebs. “So far I’ve tried my best to do that and get better every day and it’s been great.”

He’s played much of the season as the third line centre, but has also taken a few reps as on the wing, after he played much of his World U17 tournament in that spot.

For his part, Patrick isn’t surprised at how quickly Krebs has established himself as an offensive threat in the WHL.

“He’s been able to play a certain way all growing up, now you get to this level and it doesn’t work, but the good players find a way and they learn and they adapt, which is what he’s been able to do,” Patrick said.

“I know early, there were times where he would come on 10 rushes in a game and 10 times he would try to beat a D one-on-one with an outside-inside move. He still does it, but we show him video and tell him to just take it wide; beat the guy wide because with your speed, you can do that.

“He’s found other ways, he drives the net when that’s there. He turns up and finds the late man, he can make plays, so I think he’s gotten better just because of his hard work and playing at this level.”

NOTES: The WHL trade deadline hits in two days and the Ice haven’t been idle, shipping goaltender Bailey Brkin to the Spokane Chiefs for an eighth round draft pick, while also landing Seattle Thunderbirds netminder Matt Berlin, parting ways with a fifth round draft pick. Brkin, an 18-year-old goaltender acquired at the beginning of the season, appeared in 23 games for the Ice with a 7-12-2-0 record. Berlin, a 19-year-old stopper, has played in 24 games for the T-Birds this season, posting a 12-7-2-1 record.