By / Scott Fisher
At some point, you have to wonder.
Is motivation going to become a problem for the Calgary Hitmen?
The No. 1-ranked team in the country is all but guaranteed a playoff spot, and could be in position to clinch the Central Division title in early February.
But the Hitmen have been running away with everything in the WHL’s Eastern Conference for over a month.
And they insist winning never gets old.
Even with two of their top three scorers out of action.
Centre Brett Sonne missed a month with Team Canada’s World Junior squad and linemate Kyle Bortis suffered a knee injury early in the New Year.
No problem, said team co-captain Carson McMillan.
“We know that every team is going to bring their best game,” said the Minnesota Wild prospect.
“We have a lot of major guys out of the lineup, but we have younger guys who are playing bigger minutes than they’re used to.
“They’ve been awesome for us and we just need to keep doing what we’re doing.”
And what they’ve been doing is winning — day after day after day.
The Hitmen, who added league-leading goal scorer Joel Broda at the trade deadline, entered the third week of January with a spectacular 38-6-1-1 record.
The only record more impressive? A stunning 23-1-0 mark on home ice.
Winger Brandon Kozun could be excused for feeling like a fish out of water with his two linemates — Sonne and Bortis — out of the lineup. Instead, he saw it as a new challenge.
“I think I saw action with almost every guy on our team tonight,” Kozun said after a one-goal, one-assist performance in a 6-0 whitewash of the visiting Medicine Hat Tigers in early January.
“Part of being a good player is being able to elevate the game of the players you play with, no matter who they are. You have to be able to play with anyone and still be able to contribute.
“That’s a big key for me, to be able to play with those guys, and still play my game and be able to put up points.”
Kozun is used to facing challenges head-on. The 5-8, 156-pounder was passed over in last summer’s NHL draft because of his size, or lack thereof.
But, at some point, someone’s going to realize his talent is indisputable.
The Calgary product grabbed a share of the WHL scoring lead with his two-point outing against the Tigers.
McMillan (21) and Kozun (28) have already achieved career highs for goals, but the good news doesn’t end there.
Starting goaltender Martin Jones pieced together a franchise record home shutout streak of 242 minutes thanks to back-to-back-to-back shutouts over Moose Jaw, Kootenay and Medicine Hat.
His 1.92 goals-against average was the tops in the WHL as of Jan. 13, and his five shutouts also were at the top of the list.
But Jones insists it’s a simple task to keep his head out of the clouds.
“Our coaching staff does a great job motivating us every game,” said the Los Angeles Kings prospect, who also leads the league in the all-important category with 27 wins.
“It’s easy because we want to be the best every night and we want to go out and win every game.
“So when you get in a little groove like this, it’s easy to stay motivated.”
The Hitmen had a monumental battle of the titans when the Western Division front-running Vancouver Giants visited the ’Dome this past Friday, Jan. 16.
Calgary Hitmen remain #1
in CHL Mosaik MasterCard
Top 10 Rankings – Week 17
Toronto, Ontario – The Canadian Hockey League today announced the CHL Mosaik MasterCard Top 10 Rankings for this week. The weekly rankings of the Canadian Hockey League’s Top 10 are selected by a panel of National Hockey League scouts.
CHL Mosaik MasterCard Top-10 Rankings – Week 17
Rank Team (Record) Last Week
1. Calgary Hitmen (38-6-1-1) 1
2. Windsor Spitfires (36-5-0-1) 2
3. Shawinigan Cataractes (36-9-1-0) 5
4. Vancouver Giants (35-3-0-3) 4
5. London Knights (32-8-0-1) 6
6. Drummondville Voltigeurs (34-6-0-3) 7
7. Moncton Wildcats (32-6-2-3) 3
8. Quebec Remparts (33-8-0-3) 8
9. Tri-City Americans (30-11-0-2) 10
10. Belleville Bulls (27-13-2-2) 9 |