By / Scott Fisher
The Calgary Hitmen blueline was expected to go through a learning process.
Last year’s captain Karl Alzner played upwards of 30 minutes a night most games.
Now that Alzner has turned pro, suddenly there’s a lot more playing time up for grabs.
It was just a question of who was going to step forward and claim it.
Atlanta Thrashers prospect Paul Postma has grabbed his fair share of minutes. And three other veterans have also enjoyed the boost in icetime.
“You don’t really realize it until you get out there, but Karl played a lot of minutes,” Postma said. “Those minutes are there to fill up.
“So myself, Michael Stone, (Keith) Seabrook and Planter (Alex Plante), we’ll definitely be throwing some big minutes.
“I’m definitely looking forward to playing a bigger role on the team.”
Plante wasn’t even expected to be a part of the Hitmen after making a trade demand before training camp.
But after attending camp with the Edmonton Oilers, the Brandon, Man., product had a change of heart.
His return, and solid play, helped the Hitmen to a 7-3-0-0 record to start the season.
Not many experts predicted a .700 winning percentage for the Hitmen, who lost a number of key players to the pro ranks over the summer.
“Yeah, especially after the first couple of games,” Postma said of his team, which were 2-2-0-0 through the opening four games.
“We were missing a few key guys (at NHL camps) but other guys have stepped up.
“We won our first six at home. Hopefully, we can keep that going and have some success on the road.”
The home winning streak finally came to an end with a 3-1 loss to the Saskatoon Blades on Oct. 12.
The biggest key to Calgary’s success has been its penalty killing, which has been nothing short of spectacular.
Opponents converted just two of 48 powerplay opportunities against the Hitmen through the first 10 games.
Their 95.8 per cent success rate was easily the best in the league.
“We can rely on it,” Postma said. “We’re going to make sure we work hard and shut down the other team’s powerplay.
“There are a lot of teams that thrive on the powerplay. If we can shut them down, we should have a pretty good chance
of winning.”
HIT PARADE
Hitmen GM Kelly Kisio needed to make a move.
With five overagers still on the roster a few days before the league deadline to get down to a maximum of three 20-year-olds, Kisio sent winger Ian Duval to the Moose Jaw Warriors.
Calgary received the rights to forward Derek Grant, 18, who is playing with the BCHL’s Langley Chiefs, and a third-round bantam pick.
Duval played 125 regular-season games with the Hitmen, scoring 40 goals and adding 43 assists.
— Scott Fisher covers the WHL for the Calgary Sun. |
