NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
Beckett Langkow plays the puck in the Medicine Hat Tigers 4-3 win over the Lethbridge Hurricanes on Saturday. The 18-year-old looks to be the number two option for the Tigers in net this season.
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb
It’s his first full pre-season and Beckett Langkow is already eyeing the Tigers starting role.
Medicine Hat’s number one goalie, Garin Bjorklund, is currently at NHL camp with the Washington Capitals, which leaves Langkow as the most experienced net minder in camp and gives him the chance to show the Tigers how he can perform in the starter’s role.
“Like any time you come to a team, you’re looking to be the guy,” he said. “While he’s gone here I’m just trying to do everything I can in practice and in the time I get in pre-season games to show I can be the guy here and I can play in this league as a starter.”
The 18-year-old appeared in five games for Medicine Hat during last year’s shortened season. He won four of those starts with a .903 save percentage and a 3.35 goals against average. This pre-season he split duties in both of the Tigers’ games against Lethbridge and is carrying a 2.99 GAA and a .906 SAV into Medicine Hat’s home-and-home with Swift Current this weekend.
For Langkow, getting to experience a full training camp has been welcomed because the team wasn’t thrust into games like they were last year.
“It’s a lot easier coming back as a second-year guy and it’s been fun to have a regular training camp with a lot more guys here, a lot more younger guys, and we were able to have those scrimmages before we got to pre-season,” he said. “Then getting to play pre-season was also really helpful for all of us. So it’s been fun so far.”
With Bjorklund likely coming back to the Tigers at the start of the season and rookie net minder James Venne still in camp, there are a lot of options in net for head coach Willie Desjardins. Langkow says the three goalies are friends and work together both on and off the ice.
“It definitely helps in practice, we all compete against each other,” Langkow said. “Even with sessions with (goalie coach Matt Wong) it’s good to have guys out there you’re friends with and can talk to all of the time if you need anything.”
When Bjorklund returns from camp and becomes the Tigers number one net minder, Langkow says it won’t change his approach to every game and practice.
“Back in midget I was kind of the guy there, I was still hungry, I still wanted to stop everything in practice. So not much changes with my mindset whether I’m playing games or I’m not.”
The Vegreville product says his short stint with the team last year is something he enjoyed and he wants to grow and build off those experiences this year.
“It was good to get a taste of things and get experience in the league and for sure I think it’s going to help me into this year,” he said. “I want to have bigger role this year and play more games,” he said. “Just getting used to the speed of play, it’s such a big jump from midget and the more games you get under your belt the more comfortable you feel out there.”
