News Photo James Tubb
Medicine Hat Tigers captain Bryce Pickford one of his two goals in a 7-1 win over the Prince Albert Raiders at Co-op Place on Dec. 3.
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb
Bryce Pickford set lofty expectations for himself and the Medicine Hat Tigers heading into the season.
One game from the halfway mark, the team and his own season have met those goals.
The Tigers sit first in the Central division and second in the Eastern conference with a 22-6-3-2 record. They’re three wins ahead of last year’s team in one fewer game, riding a 10-game win streak and 14-game point streak entering the holiday break.
“It’s pretty cool we’re beating our record from last year, because last year’s team was a pretty special team and to see we’ve came past that and then broke that from last year is pretty cool,” Pickford said. “But after this first half, it kind of gets washed away, and the second half is more important stuff, so we just have to be ready for that.”
The 19-year-old captain from Chauvin, Alta. has liked what he’s seen from the group, how they cheer for each other and how they’ve banded around one another, the resiliency they’ve shown in game and across the limited stretches without wins they’ve navigated.
“We’ve been pretty good at staying focused, no matter how many wins or losses we’re on, we just kind of flip the page and just focus on the day,” Pickford said. “Our team is really good at that.”
He doesn’t see the need to change anything come the second half of the year, just enjoy the holidays and then return on Dec. 27 against Lethbridge ready to continue what’s worked.
Pickford carries the same approach to his own game, running at a record-breaking pace. The Montreal Canadiens’ prospect leads all CHL defenceman and all WHL skaters in goals with 25, tied for third among CHL skaters. His 44 points leads the Tigers and is fourth in the WHL, first among defenceman. He leads the WHL in game winning goals with seven and is second in plus minus, three back of his defence partner Jonas Woo.
He’s on pace for 53 goals this season, a total that would break the WHL single-season defenceman goals record of 50, and more than pass the Tigers’ record of 32 set by Kris Russell in 2006-07. Head coach Willie Desjardins was Russell’s lone coach with the Tigers, seeing him at his peak in ’06-’07 where he tallied 32 en route to CHL and WHL player of the year honours, as well as a WHL championship.
Desjardins says the Tigers’ captain is a unique player, between his ability to score and also play physical.
“He’s similar to (Derek) Dorsett but he’s a defenceman, Wacey Hamilton is a guy who played a different position but had the same character like Pickford,” Desjardins said. “He’s got a great shot, so he’s a little different than other players.”
Pickford had set a goal of 50 at the start of the year after setting a modern CHL record for 13 goals in a single postseason. He likes the idea of breaking records but he’s focused on not getting too high on himself.
“I’m just trying not to get too carried away with my confidence, just trying to stay level headed,” Pickford said. “A lot of credit comes from these guys. They just give me an open net and it’s pretty hard to miss it. So hopefully I can keep that going and hopefully we can keep winning.”
Not getting caught up in his individual success, focusing a day at a time, is also how he’s approached thinking about his NHL team. Pickford says he’s just pushing for success and he hopes the Canadiens have liked what they’ve seen so far.
“I just try and block that out,” Pickford said. “I don’t want to be focusing on that too much, just trying to focus on our team winning and hopefully that will come.”
Sportsnet’s Eric Engels reported Tuesday that the Canadiens signed Pickford to a three-year, entry-level contract. The NHL team officially announced the signing Wednesday morning.
