Williams ready and raring to go
By Ryan McCracken on August 25, 2017.
rmccracken@medicinehatnews.com @MHNMcCracken Josh Williams doesn’t want to wait any longer. The 16-year-old Langley product has been counting the days ever since hearing his name called at fifth overall in the 2016 WHL bantam draft, and the one he’s been waiting for has finally arrived. “I’m excited to get things going and I’m happy to be here,” said Williams, who will hit the ice for training camp today at the Canalta Centre in the hopes of securing a full time place on the roster in his first year of eligibility. “I’m going into this camp with a lot of confidence and I’m hoping I’ll be able to crack the roster this year.” Williams got his first taste of the Western Hockey League last season with four appearances as an affiliate player. The 6-foot-1-, 178-pound forward recorded his first career goal in a 6-3 loss to the Moose Jaw Warriors, and says the experience left him with all the insight he needed to improve his game in the off-season. “It was definitely good to get my feet wet in the league, see how fast the league is. So I prepared this summer, tried to get to that speed and hopefully I can have a good year,” said Williams, who logged 18 goals and 37 assists in 27 Canadian Sport School Hockey League games with Yale Hockey Academy last season. “It’s definitely a stronger, bigger league than midgets, so I had to get bigger and stronger this summer.” Tigers forward James Hamblin — a fellow first-round bantam draft pick who cracked the roster as a 16-year-old in the 2015-16 season — added he doesn’t think it will take long for Williams to start making an impact with the team, something he feels they’re going to need this season. “He’s a good player, he’s a big player and I think he’s going to have a huge impact on our team. I think we’re going to need him,” said Hamblin. “With the losses of guys like (Steven) Owre and (Chad) Butcher it’s definitely going to be a transition for us. We’re going to need some guys to step up and score some goals lower down the lineup.” Williams added he’s been soaking up all the advice he can from Medicine Hat’s group of veteran players, particularly the ones who made it onto the team as 16-year-olds, like Hamblin, Ryan Chyzowski, Mason Shaw and David Quenneville. “The vets have been great, giving me little pointers on how to crack the lineup and how to play in this league,” said Williams. “I’m just excited to get things going here.” 11
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