Medicine Hat Tigers captain James Hamblin leads his team back to the bench after scoring the opening goal on Feb. 2, 2019 at the Canalta Centre. On Monday, Hamblin was named Tigers MVP for this past shortened season.--NEWS FILE PHOTO
James Hamblin swears he had no advance warning that he’d be chosen as MVP of the Medicine Hat Tigers.
It would’ve been more of a surprise if the team’s captain and leading scorer wasn’t the last name announced in a prolonged online awards event which spanned 13 days.
“We didn’t get a heads-up on any of the awards, we were waiting on Twitter as well,” said Hamblin from his home in Edmonton on Monday, a day after the team made the MVP decision official. “It’s really cool. It’s obviously a huge honour, I don’t think I get here by myself. Obviously linemates and teammates are a huge help, so a huge shout-out to them for all their help.
“But it is a huge honour and it’s exciting to hear your name called.”
Already the recipient of five other team awards, plus named a WHL all-star, Hamblin was a shoo-in for the last one. With 36 goals and 56 assists in his fifth and final season of major-junior – all spent in the Gas City – the 20-year-old finished third in league scoring.
He hopes to have plenty more hockey ahead of him as well. But with the global pandemic having cut that last season short, and no knowing when pro hockey leagues will be able to resume, the best he’s been able to do in the past month is stay fit and work with a power skating company giving webinars to younger players.
“Right now I’m just in a lot of contract negotiations with teams where I’m going to end up with next year, what deal I’m going to end up with,” he said. “We’ll see – school’s always an option, having a scholarship (from) the WHL is awesome.
“It’s been very interesting. It’s obviously a very weird time, the talks have been prolonged because of this weird time. But there have been good talks, it’s just about trying to finalize something.”
Hamblin’s awards included most goals, leading scorer, the three stars award, leadership award, hardest working co-winner and MVP.
Cole Clayton and Parker Gavlas were named co-winners of the Cliff Bast Memorial Best Defenceman Award Saturday.
Most of the excitement of a traditional awards banquet was impossible, but teammates were still messaging each other congratulations as the announcements were made on social media. It certainly doesn’t replicate the real thing.
“I think just not being able to go to the rink and hang out with people; you’re around your family and stuff but you don’t get to have that place where you get to relax and hang out with the guys,” Hamblin said when asked, outside of actually playing hockey, what he’s missed the most. “Not getting to have that final farewell, it’s tough.”
