As the Kelowna Rockets try to up their game during the second half of the Western Hockey League season in the ultra competitive B.C. Division, they enter the fray knowing their current scoring leader is highly motivated.
Kole Lind, 18, has provided consistent scoring punch all season long. The current campaign is his NHL draft year, reason enough for the Shaunavon, Saskatchewan native to elevate his game.
“He’s done a pretty good job so far,” said Rockets head coach Jason Smith when asked about Lind’s commitment this season. “He’s met with representatives and scouts from lots of teams. We’ve talked to him about just staying focused and making sure he’s putting in the work to give himself the best opportunity to play well.”
And Lind has certainly played well. Very well, indeed.
Through 41 games so far, he has scored 20 goals and added 29 assists, to go along with a plus-15 rating. Lind has already surpassed his rookie-year production, a solid season where he collected 41 points while appearing in 70 of 72 regular season games.
“Kole shoots the puck really well,” Smith continued. “He gets himself into position in the offensive zone where he can receive the puck and shoot it. And he skates well enough that he can create offence off the rushes.
“I think he’s scored goals in a lot of different ways this year and a lot of it is by hard work and understanding how to use his skill set.”
NHL Central Scouting has given Lind a “B” rating, projecting the 6’1, 176-pounder as a second or third round selection. If he continues to develop as a gritty and productive forward, his stock can certainly continue to rise.
“He’s played most of the year on the right wing,” Smith said. “I think that’s where he likes to be, where he can skate up and down the wall and where he can use his speed.
“On the power play, he’s set up on the off wing where he can one-time the puck and where he can attack the net with the puck on the inside of the rink.
“He’s grown his game and I think he’s taken more responsibility in playing a 200-foot game which has allowed him to get some penalty kill time and be relied upon as a responsible guy on our team.”
Lind is generally assigned to the wing with Dillon Dube (CGY) and import Tomas Soustal, a pair of WHL veterans that have just returned from playing at the 2017 World Junior Championship. With 30 games remaining and B.C. Division teams busy with roster juggling as the trade deadline approaches, Lind will continue to be viewed as a key contributor.
Lind, along with Rockets teammate Cal Foote, have been selected to attend the 2017 Top Prospects Game in Quebec City at the end of January.
The Rockets are preparing for a journey to Vancouver Island this week where they will play a doubleheader against the Victoria Royals.
DUBNetwork spoke with Lind at Prospera Place in Kelowna following an off-day skate, where he shared a few thoughts on his rural Saskatchewan roots and his junior hockey career.
That interview is available right here:
