NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
Medicine Hat Tigers forward/defencemen Kurtis Smythe works on his stick handling during warmups ahead of their 5-1 win against the Brandon Wheat Kings on Oct. 22 at Co-op Place.
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb
When Kurtis Smythe was acquired by Medicine Hat on Oct. 19, one of the reasons Tigers traded for him was because he could play both forward and defence. That versatility is being put to the test.
The 20-year-old played his first eight games in the orange and black as a forward before being shifted to defence in the Tigers 5-1 win Saturday in Moose Jaw against the Warriors. Defenceman Bogdans Hodass was injured during his first shift of the game and did not return.
Smythe said it was an easy transition to make going from forward to defence in the game.
“It’s not too bad, I’ve played defence my whole life but I’ve been playing forward for the first eight games I’ve been here and I’ve enjoyed it,” Smythe said. “Going back on the blue line is nice because I feel more comfortable. I can go anywhere the team needs me to be and where the coaches want me to be.”
Associate coach Joe Frazer says Smythe did exactly what they needed him to do against the Warriors.
“It’s never easy coming in midway through the game and I thought he did great, we matched Pars (Rhett Parsons), so they were getting some heavy matchups and I thought he did great,” Frazer said. “He’s a really good skater, a great stick defensively and he moves the puck up quick and that’s what we want. We want to be a quick transition team and he fit that mold perfectly,”
Hodass was not in the Tigers’ lineup Wednesday when they hosted the Brandon Wheat Kings at Co-op Place. Frazer says the Latvian defender is hopeful for their games Friday in Saskatoon against the Blades and Saturday in Prince Albert against the Raiders.
Timelines were accelerated a bit for Smythe playing defence, as he was expected to take over Hodass’s role on adefensive pairing during Team Latvia’s World Juniors run in December. He says he’s looking forward to showcasing his versatility whenever needed. He also enjoyed playing alongside Parsons in Moose Jaw.
“Rhett’s a big guy and he’s a strong guy, very physical,” Smythe said. “That’s the way I like to play when I’m on defence, too, is physical. Boxing out hard and playing against the top guys. I think we’ll be good together.”
In nine games with the Tigers the 20-year-old has three assists, he had one helper in six games with the Winterhawks before the trade.
“Being that 20-year-old veteran guy who has been in the league for four years, that’s really important,” Frazer said. “They (Smythe and Parsons_ played some big minutes Saturday and we expect them to do the same against a really good Brandon team.”
Just a few days shy of a month since he was traded to Medicine Hat, the Cloverdale, B.C. product says he’s enjoyed being a Tiger.
“Everyone’s super nice, friendly and welcoming, I couldn’t ask for a better place to come,” Smythe said. “When you get traded, you leave somewhere you’ve been for a while and it can be a little scary. But everyone here has been awesome.”
Medicine Hat’s win in Moose Jaw snapped a seven-game losing streak heading into their weekend on the road. Smythe says if they stick to their game plan they can start putting together some more wins.
“All year we’ve been sticking to the game plan the way our coaches want us to play, but it just hasn’t panned out in some of the games,” Smythe said. “If we just keep sticking to that, buying in and keep winning, I mean we got a point Friday and two on Saturday. If we keep playing that way, we’re going to do well.
Coming from the Winterhawks program that has not missed the playoffs since the 2008-09 season, Smythe was surrounded by success in his 121 games with Portland. He says there are a lot of different things that lead to a winning hockey team but tagged buy-in and compete as two of the must-haves for success.
“The biggest thing is everyone buying in and not just showing up to the rink and putting in the least amount of effort. It’s doing extra stuff, watching game film and doing everything you can. Each guy has to do something to get better every single day,” Smythe said.
“The other biggest thing, too, is having to compete. You have to have some guys on your team who are high-end competers, who bring the group together and make it fun to win. Because when it’s fun to win, you don’t want us to stop winning. You get that fire in your stomach and it kind of spreads throughout the whole organization.”
