Keyvan Mokhtari realizes he鈥檚 getting an opportunity of a young lifetime and he plans on making the most of it.
The 17-year-old right-winger has settled onto the Victoria Grizzlies鈥� top line to start the year, saddling up beside centreman Brayden Gelsinger and left-winger Cole Pickup early in his sa国际传媒 Hockey League rookie season.
He was held pointless in the team鈥檚 opening 3-2 loss to Cowichan Valley in which Pickup had both goals and Gelsinger notched two assists.
鈥淚t鈥檚 pretty much give them the puck and try and get open. They make it easy to play,鈥� said the diminutive five-foot-eight, 150-pounder who last season skated with the Burnaby Winter Club Academy and played three games as an affiliate with the Trail Smoke Eaters, collecting an assist.
鈥淚t鈥檚 obviously nerve-racking being a first-year player, but I just try to work with my linemates. They鈥檙e great players, so I just work hard at getting them the puck and get into the open areas and, hopefully, I can score some goals.鈥�
The only child to father Kamran, of Persian descent, and Japanese mom Nami, Mokhtari had 19 goals and 17 assists with the prep school program last season and also tallied 10 goals and 10 assists in 38 games with the Vancouver Northwest Giants of the sa国际传媒 Major Midget League the year previous.
Mokhtari recorded a 95-point season (including 58 goals) in 2012-13 in Tier I bantam with North Shore.
鈥淗e鈥檚 a real skilled player and the big thing with him is he has a lot of confidence,鈥� said Grizzlies general manager and head coach Craig Didmon, whose team is in Nanaimo on Friday and Port Alberni on Saturday. 鈥淲e have a young team and when you look at Gelsinger and Pickup, we need some speed there and some skill and someone who believes he can put the puck in the net now.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 the thing I find with Keyvan, he really thinks he can be an impact player now in this league and all the power to him. He鈥檚 getting a great opportunity and I thought he played a great game the other day and I hope that continues.鈥�
Mokhtari skates extremely well, so speed is a non-factor as he makes the jump to the BCHL.
鈥淗is skill set is excellent and for a small guy, he hits heavy and hard and he reminds me of the Fitzgeralds [triplets Gerry, Leo and Myles] a little bit or even Garry Nunn, who has been out skating with us,鈥� Didmon said of the former Grizzly who is here preparing for his ECHL season.
鈥淗e has lots of attributes,鈥� Didmon added of the rookie. 鈥淗e鈥檚 got to learn the game a little bit, but he鈥檚 full of enthusiasm and right now he鈥檚 a great addition.鈥�
Mokhtari says the biggest change is the speed of the game, but it doesn鈥檛 come as a complete surprise to him.
鈥淚 got to play a couple of games with Trail so I had a bit of a head鈥檚 up to what it would be like,鈥� said the Vancouver native. 鈥淚 felt a little more prepared coming in. The first couple of exhibition games were still a bit of a learning process, but I鈥檓 starting to get comfortable now.鈥�
Playing on the No. 1 unit is an early bonus for him.
鈥淚 just came in ready to work and wherever I fell in the lineup, I was going to be positive about it,鈥� he said. 鈥淎s a first-year, I wasn鈥檛 expecting to be where I am right now, but that鈥檚 how it fell into place. Hopefully, I keep up the good work and stay up there. There鈥檚 no slack now. It doesn鈥檛 get any easier because I鈥檓 up there. Hopefully, I stay up there, but I鈥檓 ready to play any position and any role.鈥�
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