Medicine Hat Tigers defenceman Cole Clayton celebrates with forward Oren Shtrom after defeating the Lethbridge Hurricanes in overtime on Sunday, March 28 at Co-op Place. -- NEWS PHOTO RYAN MCCRACKEN
ktaniguchi@medicinehatnews.com@@kellentaniguchi
Cole Clayton continuously grew his game throughout his five years with the Medicine Hat Tigers, and coming into his final season this year he set a specific goal.
“I’m just hoping to get a pro contract for next year,” said Clayton. “We’ll see what happens in the next couple of weeks, but that’s my ultimate goal and that’s the goal I set coming into this season and I think I’ve set myself up to hopefully get that opportunity.”
In 22 games this season, Clayton has already set a career-high with nine goals. He’s also tallied 30 points which ties his career best point total from last season and he will have an opportunity to top that in his final Western Hockey League game on Thursday against the Edmonton Oil Kings at Co-op Place.
“It’s crazy, it’s been a fun year and I’ve definitely had my best year,” he said. “I think I came into this season knowing it was my last year and I wanted to leave it all out there, and I think I’ve been able to do that. But I definitely wouldn’t be able to do that without the help of my teammates and my coaches. They’ve been putting me in good positions to get points and produce and I’ve been able to capitalize on them.”
Looking back at his time in the Hat, Clayton says he will always remember the fans and how loud they were during home games, the Highway 3 rivalry games against Lethbridge and how close the team was every year.
“We’ve had lots of good guys coming from all over Canada, all over western Canada, but when we get to Medicine Hat we’re all one big family and we’ve built a culture here that wants to win and we’re a really close group,” said Clayton.
He says being a Tiger has also grown him into the leader and person he is today.
“To come here as a young guy at 17, not really knowing what to expect, but once you get that first year under your belt you come back bigger and stronger and since then my growth has come like crazy,” he said.
Clayton has been wearing the ‘A’ on his jersey for the last one and a half seasons. He says he’s taken his role seriously and has even been more vocal in the room when needed this season. He adds he also likes to lead by example.
“I think I’ve been able to do that with the young guys with working hard in the gym, being a pro in practice and being prepared for every game,” he said.
Clayton says he believes the current leadership group is leaving the team in good shape, and the Tabbies will be competitive for years.
“We’re building something really good here in Medicine Hat,” said Clayton. “We always say leave your jersey in a better place than when you got it and I think with what our 20-year-olds and older guys have been able to do this year, we’ve definitely done that. We’ve shown the younger guys on our team what it takes to win and I think Medicine Hat is going to be the place to play for years in the WHL.”
