NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
Medicine Hat Tigers forward Shaeffer Gordon-Carroll celebrates after scoring in the first period, part of a two-goal night in a 5-2 win Wednesday at Co-op Place over the Edmonton Oil Kings.
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb
Shaeffer Gordon-Carroll has returned and he’s already forging himself a new groove.
The 16-year-old (17 in November) Medicine Hat Tigers forward has made an early impact in his first two games, notching four goals and six points in two games, with two goals and an assist in a 5-2 win Wednesday at Co-op Place over the Edmonton Oil Kings.
“It’s always good to produce and score some goals,” Gordon-Carroll said ahead of the win. “It’s always good to see the puck go in the back of the net, but it’s also good to see everyone else do it, too.”
He missed the entirety of trainman camp, the preseason and the first four games of the Tigers’ season with an injury that lingered from the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, where he won gold alongside fellow Tabby Noah Davidson and the United States. The Salt Lake City, Utah product says his return took longer than expected because they wanted to make sure he could return fully healthy for the rest of the season.
Gordon-Carroll has showed no rust and he’s needed no adjustment to a larger role in his second season. From a fourth-line, sub 10-minute spot last season to early production and a spot on both special teams, his return has made an early impression.
“You look at the Memorial Cup last year when (Cayden) Lindstrom went down, he went in and played against London and it was unbelievable what he did in that game,” head coach Willie Desjardins said. “It doesn’t surprise me what he’s doing now.”
While not surprised, Desjardins has seen how the injection of Gordon-Carroll into the lineup has lit a new fire into the Tigers, who carry a four-game win streak into the weekend.
“He can make such a difference for our the lineup, we’re a different team when he came back,” head coach Willie Desjardins said. “All of a sudden, there’s more speed, we’re hard on the forecheck, so he’s been big for us and we have to hope he keeps playing like that.”
Hope won’t be needed in Gordon-Carroll’s mind. After capturing a WHL championship in his rookie season, he spent his summer, aside from winning gold, preparing himself for more responsibility.
“I trained all summer for this,” Gordon-Carroll said. “I’m glad the coaching staff has trusted me, and my teammates have trusted me. But I just have to keep doing what I can to win hockey games.”
He’ll look to help the Tigers this weekend as they take on the Calgary Hitmen tonight on the road before hosting the Portland Winterhawks.
“It’s two more big games, the first three-game week of the season, we have to keep bearing down,” Gordon-Carroll said. “Just take it one game at a time, we play Calgary on Friday so that’s the biggest game.”
Gordon-Carroll has long had a team-first focus, showcased last season when he accepted that limited role alongside Markus and Liam Ruck. The trio made an impact in short stints while the pro-level lines above wreaked havoc on opposing teams. Every answer and action is made with the both Tigers and that next win in mind.
Even while on the injury shelf to start the year, he was looking ahead to getting back on the ice and how he could gel with new teammates. It’s a familiar position for him, one he’s hoped to ease for those donning the orange and black for the first time.
“I’ve been there before, I know what it’s like to be in be a Tigers uniform for the first time as a rookie, so I just got to be there for them,” Gordon-Carroll said.
Like snow rolling down the mountainous slopes of Utah, Gordon-Carroll has continued to build on his past. Six goals and 25 points in his rookie year, a goal and two points in five Hlinka games and now four goals through a pair of games, he’s charging downhill with a long runway ahead.
Before the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, Gordon-Carroll adorned his sticks with two phrases, “Prove ’em wrong” and “Let it rip.”
He’s lived and worked by these sayings since he was a child, part of his reminder to play his game with confidence. Who is he trying to prove wrong? Anyone who dares doubt him.
“If somebody expects low from me, I’m going to prove them wrong and do my absolute best to prove that I am better than the competition,” Gordon-Carroll said.
As for “Let it rip,” he’s just started bringing life to that motto.
