NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
Medicine Hat Tigers forward Ethan Neutens makes a pass off the wall in the first period of an 8-1 win over the Red Deer Rebels on Jan. 10 at Co-op Place.
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb
Ethan Neutens isn’t afraid to do what others won’t on the ice.
The Medicine Hat Tigers forward is nearing 30 games in the orange and black since being acquired from the Kelowna Rockets on Nov. 14.
The 19-year-old Cochrane product has found himself at home in Medicine Hat, enjoying playing on a shutdown line alongside a cast of Kadon McCann, Misha Volotovskii and Carter Cunningham.
“I really liked what we’ve done, we can add a little more to the offensive game, but that’s not our focus as a line,’ Neutens said. “Our focus is to play important minutes and just wear opponents down. We just make them not want to play against us. They don’t want to play as hard as us and we’re all over them all game.”
In 28 games with the Tigers, entering play Wednesday, the 6-foot-3.5 forward has three goals and five points. He picked up a goal and an assist in 12 games with the Rockets before the trade. Neutens takes pride in the unheralded role – he isn’t going to make the WHL’s Top-10 plays of the week – but he cares more about ensuring whomever he faces, doesn’t get the chance to make those plays either.
“I’ve been on teams where that line, that role, nobody wants to do that. Nobody wants to do the hard work. Everybody wants to be finesse and be a skill player. It’s just not what championship teams are made of,” Neutens said. “You have guys who know what their role is and what they have to do to help the team win. Not everybody can be a skill guy, relying on finesse and talent. There’s got to be, and I’m not saying we’re not skilled at all, but they’re definitely not top-line skills.”
During the Tigers’ 10-game win streak leading into Wednesday’s action against the Everett Silvertips, he tallied a pair of goals and a pair of assists. He says stretches of points, or the opposite, have the same effect on him. It’s a mindset he’s worked on to ensure whatever kind of night he is having, it comes with the same effort.
“I try not to get too high emotionally and that stops you from getting too low emotionally, just focusing on being balanced,” Neutens said. “I’ve had some nice goals, some good games, but it’s all about being consistent. So you’re not too focused or thinking about that.”
His on- and off-ice work ethic quickly caught the eye of associate coach Joe Frazer. He says the physicality Neutens brings and his approach give the Tigers’ lineup a new look.
“He’s a big body, can skate, he’s one of our most powerful skaters,” Frazer said. “He’s really adding an element. He’s averaging over five hits a game in the last month and that’s that whole line. It’s a big line, they’re physical, it’s a little different look than what we’ve had in the past.
“We like speed and skill, but that line gives us a little grit and physicality. Which I think is has been huge because they’re opening up space for other lines and he’s been outstanding at that.”
Away from the rink, he’s enjoyed getting to know the group in the two months since being traded to Medicine Hat and getting reacquainted with fellow former Rocket Marcus Pacheco. He’s enjoyed Medicine Hat’s Earls and Chopped Leaf, not divulging his go-tos at the restaurants but says he mixes it up each time.
Since the Christmas break, and highlighted even more during the Tigers string of success since January, Neutens says they’ve started showcasing more and more what they bring on a nightly basis.
“The last few weeks, just kind of showing the league who we are as a team,” Neutens said.
“It’s being road warriors, focusing on details and just playing as hard as you can at all times.”
