By / Lorne Starko
It’s a fact of life for Red Deer Rebels fans.
The team is young just like last year and there isn’t a lot of experience like many other teams in the Western Hockey League.
The Rebels are young in goal with 18 year-old Darcy Kuemper and 16 year-old Cam Gorchynski.
Kuemper began the season as the backup to starter Morgan Clark, but that changed as his performance improved and he stole the number one spot. Clark was later traded to the Swift Current Broncos.
Kuemper was the man and Gorchynski was summoned to the Rebels from his Chilliwack Midget team.
Even though there haven’t been many wins for the Rebels this season, goaltender coach Andy Nowicki likes what he sees in the two young netminders.
“They are two hard working young men,” says Nowicki. “It’s a goalie’s job to give his team a chance to win and most nights, Kuemper has certainly done that. In the last month or so, we’ve been challenged to come up with wins, but prior to that, Darcy’s numbers were certainly extremely competitive in the league. We have a lot of faith in Darcy. We have two quality goaltenders and we can be competitive with anyone with these two boys.”
Nowicki loves Kuemper’s size, 6-4 and 193 pounds, and says it’s advantageous in the kind of game that is played in the Western Hockey League. Nowicki says Kuemper is solid technically and competes hard night in and night out. The longtime goaltender coach says Kuemper is a quality young man with a very high character.
Nowicki says it’s important to point out that, just after Christmas, Kuemper was among the top eight goaltenders in the WHL. He’s not there now, but Nowicki says there’s no reason why Kuemper can’t be there again.
Kuemper has recorded three shutouts so far and Nowicki says that’s big for the team. He says it shows Kuemper has a strong future in the league.
“We saw him in the Mac’s tournament a year ago playing for Saskatoon and in the two games I saw, he had everything but the kitchen sink thrown at him,” Nowicki recalls. “He did a very admirable job. He’s been strong for us. What he and any goaltender seeks is consistency and to be a number one goalie in this league, you have to provide a strong, consistent performance every night. While he’s not there yet, he’s certainly made great strides.”
Nowicki says goaltending is about positional play, being in the right place to make some simple saves and also having the mental toughness to not beat yourself. He says it’s important to reload and refocus after you give up a goal. Nowicki continually stresses that to both goalies in practice.
As for Gorchynski, who has lost both his starts so far, Nowicki says he has a future with the Rebels. His size (6-2, 167 pounds) and strong positional play are his strong points.
“Veteran goaltenders are at a premium but you have an opportunity to make your own, so to speak,” says Nowicki. “When you look at our organization, I reflect on the days of Cam Ward coming in here as a 16 year-old and doing a terrific job and growing each season. There’s absolutely no question why Darcy and Cam can’t follow that kind of path.”
REBEL YELLS
19 year-old forward Tomas Polak has left the team and returned home to the Czech Republic.
He was upset at being a healthy scratch for much of the last month after returning to the lineup following an injury. Polak never really produced as a scorer although there were flashes of talent. That made his future with the team very uncertain. |
