Justin Michaelian, Sage Englund and Bret Parker have all caught the eye of general manager and head coach Craig Didmon as the Grizzlies prepare for the 2016-17 sa国际传媒 Hockey League season.
鈥淢ichaelian and Englund are two 1997-born forwards who have come and made an impression right away, giving us the possibility that they can walk in and be top-six players,鈥� said Didmon. 鈥淐ertainly the skill-set is there, it鈥檚 going to be how they handle exhibition games, especially as those games ramp up and get closer to what a BCHL game is really like.
鈥淭hey鈥檝e come in, they have good size, good speed, they鈥檝e shown good physicality and they鈥檝e been putting the puck in the net,鈥� added Didmon. 鈥淐oming in, we were hopeful that they would have a good start to camp and they certainly have.鈥�
Didmon is looking for offence up front and the trio could be options.
鈥淭hey can add some offence. Englund is a nice playmaker who can move the puck as well on his backhand as his forehand. Michaelian is a big body who can shoot the puck and find those small spaces,鈥� said Didmon.
Michaelian hails from Michigan and Englund from Arizona. Parker is from the Boston area.
鈥淧arker has also shown that he can be a fast player in this league. For a smaller player he鈥檚 been quite physical, and he鈥檚 been shooting the puck,鈥� Didmon said of the five-foot-nine, 165-pounder.
Unlike the other two, who Didmon recruited, Parker took the risk to come north and west, attending a Grizzlies鈥� camp in Whistler where he caught the organization鈥檚 eye.
鈥淓nglund is a natural centreman. Michaelian is a right-hander who likes the right side and Parker is left-handed and likes the wing,鈥� explained Didmon. 鈥淭hey make a pretty good line. Whether they stick together, I don鈥檛 know, but leading into exhibition, I鈥檓 curious to see what they can get done.鈥�
The Grizzlies were back at it on Friday night at Juan de Fuca Arena where they faced the Cowichan Valley Capitals for a second straight evening, and Michaelian and Englund were front and centre. Michaelian had two goals and two assists, while Englund added a goal and two assists to lead the Grizzlies to a 9-2 victory.
Victoria will head to Port Alberni tonight to face the Bulldogs before ending the preseason with a pair against the Nanaimo Clippers next Friday up Island and a week from tonight in Sooke.
鈥淎s each game goes, the competition gets tougher,鈥� said Didmon.
