Strength in numbers

Tyson Feist 

Truth be told, I like this team. I probably like this team more now then when they opened the season over a month ago in Victoria against the Royals. To be host, my expectations were low. Not bottom of the division low, but I didn't see 8 wins in 12 games to start the season. I likely saw three fewer wins and two more losses in a best case scenario. Why? The team had lost it's best d-man with Kaedan Korczak turning pro. Goaltending was an issue. I was biting my tongue, but 'Captain Obvious' could clearly tell you it needed an upgrade. In trading away Alex Swetlikoff to Everett, the team essential lost two of it's top three scorers from the abbreviated season. At the end of the day, with the deal that sent Trevor Wong to Saskatoon, the top three point producers (Wong/Swetlikoff/David Kope) were erased from the roster. What's clearly evident is others have stepped up and have exceeded expectations. Here is a list of players, while small, who have caught my eye and have played above what I expected so far this season.

1) Tyson Feist. Did I see him as captain material? Honestly....no. Regarded as a very small piece of the puzzle in a trade with Regina in a quest to acquire toughness as the host team of the 2020 Memorial Cup, which was never played, the then 18 year showed he could scrap but his hockey IQ as a solid defender was below average. If the COVID-19 shutdown benefitted one player on the roster, it was Feist. He came back a completely different player in the abbreviated season. Feist started making smart plays with the puck. Occasionally he was scoring. It came out of nowhere. Fast forward to this season, his outgoing personality came through and the respect of his teammates shot up exponentially. After scoring just 5 goals in 122 career WHL games prior to this season, Feist has 5 goals in 12 games this season. How does that happen? Confidence is one. Coaching has to be a factor too. He is still prone to turning over the puck and at times is caught flat footed, but Tyson Feist is my biggest and most pleasant surprise so far in 2021-2022.

2) Tyson Feist just edges out Nolan Flamand as my biggest surprise so far this season. Flamand is a second round WHL bantam pick, so expectations should be high, but I often find smaller, younger forwards have a hard time flourishing at this level. Flamand has been great at the face-off circle and the trust he's garnered from head coach Kris Mallette is remarkable. If the game is on the line in an effort to defend a one goal lead, Flamand is on the ice. If down by a goal, it's most reliable players must be on the ice to tie the score, Flamand is likely jumping over the boards. While I thought the Saskatoon resident was good during the abbreviated season, I didn't see him as being this much of a difference maker this early in his WHL career. Points wise, Flamand has 10 points in 12 games and has points in 5 of his last 7 contests. Flamand leads the Rockets with 6 power play points.

3) Mark Liwiski. In essence, the 20 year-old is the post boy for this years team. Work your tail off, bring your work boots and play a greasy style of hockey. Liwiski likely plays to his strengths the best of any forward on the roster. A rugged forward who loves to hit and punish opponents, he essentially took two Cougar players out of action with thundering body checks in Friday's 5-2 win. 'Louie', as he is known to his teammates, can really skate. He is sneaky fast and has better hands then you'd think. His offensive totals would likely be significantly higher if he had a better ability to finish. He does create scoring chances and is a handful to play against. He reminds me of an annoying brother, who you grow up hating. He must be a terror to play against. Lucky he wears Kelowna Rockets colours. 

4) Jake Lee: Another 20 year-old that should be a difference maker, but often times overage players are playing at this level because they frankly aren't good enough to play pro and are just average in junior despite being the oldest on the ice. Lee has looked the part this season as a veteran. He has been guilty of turning over the puck as the last man back on the power play, which has resulted in a few shorthanded goals, but his deceptive wrist shot from the back end is becoming a real threat. He is shooting the puck more. With 29 shots in 12 games, he is getting pucks through to the net. In 2019-2020, over his opening 12 games, he had only 11 shots on goal. Lee's ability to avoid pressure with the puck is impressive. Either spinning away from checks or being shifty by finding a shooting lane, the former 1st round WHL bantam pick is third in team scoring with 11 points in 12 games and has five power play points as he tries to fill the void left by Kaedan Korczak. 

Ok, enough with the individual accolades. You win as a team. You lose as a team. Here are a few areas of success that I didn't see coming.

• The ability to fight back in the third period to win a game or prevent the opposition from doing the same. The third period has been the teams best. The numbers don't lie. The Rockets have surrendered only 7 - third period goals against. Put your money on the team rallying in the third rather than collapsing and allowing the opposition to fight back to steal a victory.
• The power play. Again, lots of ammunition was lost last season. I anticipated the power play firing blanks, but it has been the difference maker in most games. It is never lights out terrific, nor is it awful. The ability to come up clutch when it's needed most is why the team is in second place in the BC Division.
• Penalties. A lack of them. This has been a problem since Brad Ralph was the head coach. It continued with Jason Smith. It was bad with Adam Foote. The Rockets often unraveled with needless trips to the penalty box. This has been a massive change with Kris Mallette's crew the least penalized team in the WHL. What makes this area of the teams game so impressive is Mallette wants his team to play heavy, which means finishing checks and banging bodies. Learning how to do this, within the constraints of the rule book is often tough to teach, but playing clean, yet hard - in your face hockey - has been fun to watch. The Rockets average just 12.33 minutes in the box per game. 
• Shot volume. It's a metric I pay special attention too. It tells me your commitment level to playing strong- team defense. The Rockets have allowed, on average, the fourth fewest shots per game in the WHL. That's an impressive feat, considering the likes of Winnipeg, Kamloops and Everett are also among the top 4. The Rockets, as a group, don't give up many odd man rushes and both Tayln Boyko and Colby Knight must keep mentally engaged with a lack of rubber coming their way. As I mentioned on the broadcast last night, Boyko faced 20 shots in Friday's 5-2 win, the fewest shots he has faced since he broke into the WHL in 2018-2019. 
• Sorry, I lied when singling out players, or in this case coaches. I think Kris Mallette is a difference maker. I really do. I really believe the players like him and are willing to do what he says. I think his communication skills may be the best I've seen behind the Rockets bench since Dan Lambert. You hear it in his interviews with me. Honest answers. Insightful. Mallette is making some tough decisions with his group, often scratching a player for what I like to call 'indifferent play'. The line in the sand has been drawn early by Mallette, which is refreshing for someone who has less than 50 games as a head coach at the WHL level. 

The caveat. It is just 12 games. In sports, things constantly change. It's as easy to go into a free fall in the standings as it is to go on a heater. Right now, the 2021-2022 edition of the Kelowna Rockets are on a heater with points in 7 straight (6-0-0-1). It is all about playing to your strengths and not playing as individuals. The concept of 'strength in numbers' should resonate with this group. It is the true reason why five weeks into the season they are having this much success.