NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
Tigers Lukas Svejkovsky scans his options with the puck in the first period of the Tigers loss to Swift Current in their home opener on Saturday. Svejkovsky had two goals in the loss, his first game back from NHL training camp.
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com
It’s been quite the start of the hockey year for Lukas Svejkovsky.
He missed the Tigers preseason only because he was too busy attending NHL camp with the Pittsburgh Penguins. They drafted him 108th overall in the 2020 draft. The 20-year-old says the big-league experience was “unreal.”
“It was fun, just learning so much there from the guys that were there,” he said. “I think being an older guy here and being a leader, obviously we have a younger team this year so there’s things that I took out of those two weeks there that I want to help the young guys out with and just be as big of a leader as I can be here.”
There wasn’t one specific guy at Pittsburgh camp who took him under their wing, Svejkovsky says they were all great and instilled in him lessons of being prepared.
“I got to talk to a lot of guys and I just think for me it’s the way they prepare,” Svejkovsky said. “They’re going out for a morning skate and guys are stretching for at least 30-45 minutes before and it’s just repetitive, they do it every day, every time before they get on the ice. I started doing it there and I feel a lot better so I took it in being here and it’s definitely helped my game a lot.”
Svejkovsky says his speed and footwork is something he worked on this past summer and it’s something that showed in his strong offensive performance on Saturday.
“I feel a lot faster, a lot quicker, a lot more powerful. It’s a long season obviously, so I need to keep working at that and I know I can get better at that.
An increase in speed since last season is something head coach and general manager Willie Desjardins has noticed from Svejkovsky since returning from Penguins training camp.
“It has improved, he’s really quick,” Desjardins said. “He’s worked at his game, he’s gotten a lot stronger, he’s never been afraid to go in the hard areas. But just his overall quickness is good and it says a lot for him and he’s going to create some opportunities.”
The forward provided the only offence for Medicine Hat over the entire weekend, with two goals in Saturday’s loss to the Broncos. He did not dress in the season opener on Friday, when Medicine Hat was shutout 2-0 in Swift Current. The Tigers are rotating four 20-year-old over-agers in and out of the lineup.
Svejkovsky, Daniel Baker, Eric Van Impe and Corson Hopwo are all over-agers and have forced the hand of the Tigers in their first two games. Van Impe sat out Saturday’s game in order for Svejkovsky to get in after sitting Friday.
Desjardins says the team will address the overage situation sometime over the next week and will figure out the leadership group once the 20-year-olds are sorted out.
