Wave of the future: Tigers camp concludes with all-prospects intrasquad game

By Ryan McCracken on August 27, 2018.

rmccracken@medicinehatnews.com @MHNMcCracken

All eyes were fixed on the future during Sunday’s Medicine Hat Tigers intra-squad game at the Canalta Centre.

With all of Medicine Hat’s returning players watching the game from a box upstairs, the spotlight shifted squarely onto the shoulders of the team’s next wave of talent. And it didn’t disappoint.

“I think they all looked good,” said Tigers assistant coach Joe Frazer. “We like to get the prospects in those games and see what they’re all about against their peers. It was another great game. Our scouts have done a great job so far in identifying talent and I think that was evident today.”

Jalen Price led Team Orange to a 7-1 victory over Team White with a hat trick and two assists, but the 17-year-old Delta product was quick to pass the credit onto his linemates Jayden Davis and Caleb Willms.

“It was a great game. My linemates were really helping me out there. There were a lot of skilled guys so it was kind of tough to score goals but I got in the right places and ended up scoring three,” said Price, adding he seemed to build some quick chemistry with Davis. “We sat together in the dressing room, that helped too. We just went in the right places at the right time and ended up putting in some goals.”

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Davis, who finished the game with three assists, added he was surprised to see how quickly chemistry came to him and Price, as they only just met this weekend.

“I didn’t really expect it because we had never played with each other before and had just met each other but things started clicking in the room right away,” said Davis, a third round pick from the 2018 bantam draft. “The last couple games I didn’t do too well, so all I wanted to do was just get back to my game. I did that and it really paid off.”

While Team White only managed to find the board once in the intra-squad game, Jaxon Steele ensured it was highlight reel calibre. The 18-year-old Calgary product walked through Orange’s defence before firing the puck into the roof of the night — earning a few hoots and hollers from the returning players watching from above.

“I thought I played pretty good,” said Steele. “I probably should have buried a couple more but that’s how things go sometimes. I’m pretty happy with how I played today and I think that goal was a good cherry on the cake.”

Steele played in 17 games with the Tigers last season, a number he hopes to build on with the team this year. When the young centre parted ways with the Tigers and joined up with the Alberta Junior Hockey League’s Calgary Canucks, Steele says he was left with a few pointers on where to improve.

“A lot of the feedback I got was that I need to get stronger and faster so I really focused on that,” he said. “I did a lot of power skating in the off-season and worked out six days a week. I think my strength went up a lot and I think it showed on the fitness testing. I’m happy with where I’m at now and I just need to keep improving.”

That improvement has already started turning heads, as Frazer says he was impressed by Steele’s imposing presence in Sunday’s intra-squad game.

“With the puck, he’s outstanding,” said Frazer. “He’s got great skill. His biggest thing, and he knew it, was just working on his skating. That comes from a lot of time in the weight room. He came back bigger, at 186 I think, so he gained about 10-15 pounds and it shows out there.”

The Tigers were able to return the majority of their forwards from last season, creating an uphill climb for full-time hopefuls like Steele, but Frazer says he’s excited to see what that level competition will bring out of the team’s prospective forwards as they push toward pre-season.

“I think everybody knows that. They look at the roster and there’s not too many vacancies,” he said. “It’s going to be good competition over the next three or four weeks here in camp, and a lot of young guys looked good this weekend. Monday we’re going to scrimmage, Wednesday we’re going to scrimmage, then it’ll be great to see guys against other competition in Lethbridge Friday and Saturday.”

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