SC BRONCOS
The Swift Current Broncos played a total of 37 games to end 2017 with a record of 26-9-2 and 54 points. This places them in 2nd place in the Eastern Division, behind the Moose Jaw Warriors, who have 63 points. The Broncos are 7-3-0 in their last ten games and some of the players have had a good run so far this year.
Glenn Gawdin, who was recently signed by the Calgary Flames, is still near the top of the leader boards, earning a phenomenal 72 points in 37 games so far this season. He has 32 goals, 40 assists, and tops the stats with 13 power play goals.
Beck Malenstyn, a Washington Capitals draft pick, has been a force since leaving the injured list and joining his new team. In the three games he’s played with the Broncos, he already has four points and I see a lot more points in the near future coming from him.
Matteo Gennaro has been an impact player since being traded to Swift Current from the Calgary Hitmen. In 12 games with his new team, he’s garnered 19 points, which includes seven goals and 12 assists. The Winnipeg Jets drafted Gennaro in the 7th round in 2015 and he has the potential to be an exceptional player if the Jets decide to add him to the roster.
After a slow start in Swift Current, Max Patterson, the 6-foot-5 forward found his skating legs and has contributed abundantly in the last 10 games. Patterson notched a mere three points in his first ten games of the 2017-2018 season. But he’s earned three goals and five assists in the last 10.
While hosting the Saskatoon Blades in their last game of 2017, Swift Current had the edge throughout most of the game, until the final period, when the Blades controlled the pace and Swift Current was on the defensive. Even though Saskatoon opened the scoring, the Broncos led the way through the first 40 minutes with goals by Colby Sissions and Max Patterson. Beck Malenstyn buried another goal for the home team in the final period, but the third period breakdown by the Broncos led to a win by Saskatoon in overtime. Swift Current earned a point in overtime, but they really needed a full two points to catch up to Moose Jaw. The Broncos will be in Saskatoon on January 1st hping to find redemption on Blades ice in the second of this home-and-home series.
With the return of Aleksi Heponiemi, Artyom Minulin, and Tyler Steenbergen after the new year, I’m sure the Swift Current Broncos will get back to leading the stats again.
WORLD JUNIORS
On December 27th, Team Canada and Tyler Steenbergen took on Team Slovakia in a 6-0 win. That was the last time we saw points out of Steenbergen. Since then, he’s had limited ice time, including the December 29th outdoor game against Team USA. Without the ice time, Steenbergen isn’t able to produce much, but he’s doing his best in the role he’s been given. He’s a spare forward for Team Canada, which means they’ve thrown him into the lineup wherever he may be needed. He may not be gaining much in points, but he’s made good plays and capitalized as much as possible when he’s on the ice. December 30th, Team Canada was matched up against Team Denmark in a 8-0 blowout. Steenbergen, although limited in time on ice, made a good hit against one of his opponents. He’s making the best of a less-than-ideal situation. To me, that’s a successful run and I hope he takes away some good memories from his time on Team Canada.
Artyom Minulin has been depended on to defend the blue line for Team Russia. Minulin has played on both the penalty kill and the power play. His +/- rating is usually on the positive side and he’s getting a few shots on net in spite of not earning any points yet in the tournament. Of course, being a defenseman, he’s probably less likely to get goals, but he’s done a fine job making an impact for Team Russia so far this tournament.
Aleksi Heponiemi seems to have found the most success with his international team. On December 27th, Team Finland took on Team Denmark and earned a 4-1 win over the Danish group. Heponiemi notched 3 shots on net and +1 rating. December 30th was another good game for Heponiemi as he buried a goal alongside a +1 rating and 2 penalty minutes. The only game that was questionable for the 5-foot-10 forward was against Team USA. Heponiemi saw his first negative rating in the 5-4 loss.
And now that preliminaries are over, the finals have been set. Tuesday, January 2nd will see all three of the SC Broncos players matched up in tough-to-win games. Steenbergen and Team Canada take on Team Switzerland, Heponiemi and Team Finland will be up against Team Czech Republic, and Minulin and Team Russia will play against Team USA.
