NEWS PHOTO RYAN MCCRACKEN Medicine Hat Tigers forward Brett Kemp carries the puck in the offensive zone during a Western Hockey League game against the Saskatoon Blades on Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2019 at the Canalta Centre.
rmccracken@medicinehatnews.com@MHNMcCracken
Brett Kemp is on another level right now.
The 19-year-old Medicine Hat Tigers forward has collected eight points over his past four games while sending a message around the Western Hockey League to beware his breakneck speed.
“I think I’ve put a lot of work into it,” Kemp said of his speed, adding it was a main focus in his off-season. “I went back and took a couple areas of my game that I wanted to get better. Obviously speed is a big part of my game and I want to increase that. You can always get faster and stronger, and I think I definitely did that.”
Opposing defencemen definitely aren’t questioning the assertion, as Kemp has provided several examples to support his case as one of the WHL’s fastest skaters. Tigers assistant coach Joe Frazer says the work Kemp put in over the summer is evident every time he takes his first stride with the puck on his stick.
“You can see it,” said Frazer. “When you watch him when he winds it up and gets full speed. Especially on the power play, on that breakout. He’s done a real good job getting to the middle of the ice and beating some guys.”
On top of his gains in the gym, Kemp was able to skate along some of the NHL’s top prospective talent after earning an invitation to development camp with the New York Rangers. The 6-foot-1, 173-pound forward picked up three points over four games in Traverse City, which seemed to set him up for the season to come.
“Obviously the NHL is a different speed, it’s a faster speed. I definitely adjusted to that and brought it back here,” said Kemp, who sits at two goals and 10 assists in 11 games this season. “Honestly I think I kind of got off to a slow start but now I’m definitely picking it up.”
Kemp has benefited from and is getting the best out of linemates Ryan Chyzowski and Cole Sillinger during his recent tear. The trio has combined for 27 points over the past six games, and Chyzowski says Kemp’s speed and eye for playmaking have been a catalyst in that success.
“His speed is huge. He’s a fast player and he sees the ice really well,” said Chyzowski. “He’s unreal out there. You’ve just got to be ready all the time because there’s never really a time where he can’t find you out there. I think it catches the other team a little bit when he does find those lanes.”
Both of Kemp’s linemates got exciting news Wednesday, as Chyzowski was selected to compete for Team WHL in the Canada Russia Series and Sillinger was named to Canada’s 66-man roster for the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge. What’s more, the Tigers earned a spot in the Canadian Hockey League’s weekly top 10 rankings, sitting at No. 7 as they embark on a nine-game road trip. Needless to say, the 8-2-1-0 Tigers won’t be catching any teams by surprise.
“We’re not going to catch anyone off-guard anymore,” said Frazer. “We might have snuck up on a few teams to start the year but I think now teams will take notice and no one is going to take us lightly so we’ve got to make sure we’re bringing our A-game every night.”
The Tigers open their road trip Sunday in Calgary against the Hitmen at 2 p.m.
