With graduating Jesper Vikman signing this week with the Las Vegas Golden Knights of the NHL, the Vancouver Giants will likely turn to Matthew Hutchison of Nanaimo as their goaltender of the future in the Western Hockey League. He could turn out to be a Victoria Royals’ nightmare over the next three to four seasons in the cross-strait rivalry which has the Royals annually facing the Giants more than any other team.
Before that, however, Hutchison has a bit of unfinished business from this season as the six-foot-two rookie looks to backstop the Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League-champion Oceanside Generals at the 2023 sa国际传媒 Fred Cyclone Taylor Cup Junior B championship, beginning tonight at 7 p.m. when the Generals meet the host Revelstoke Grizzlies. The Generals play the Pacific Junior Hockey League-champion Delta Ice Hawks on Friday and the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League champion-Kimberley Dynamiters on Saturday, both at 1 p.m. The gold- and bronze-medal games are Sunday.
Goaltending fatigue becomes an issue in a four-games-in-four-days tournament, so tandem depth is important in the crease. Oceanside has that with Hutchison and veteran Ashton Sadauskas, who split the regular season and playoff games equally, and will split the Cyclone Taylor Cup to assure Oceanside freshness in the crease for each game.
“I believe Matthew Hutchison will make it as a WHL goaltender. He takes his craft seriously and has a lot of confidence as a 16-year-old,” said Generals head coach Dan Lemmon.
“He’s big and dynamic and has a professional outlook to the bigger picture.”
The North Island Silvertips product looks to follow in the crease tracks of recent notable Island goaltenders Dylan Garand of Langford, a New York Rangers prospect and world junior champion with sa国际传媒, and Dylan Ferguson of Lantzville, who recently made his NHL debut as a call-up to the Ottawa Senators. Hutchison was taken 50th overall in the third round of the 2021 WHL prospects draft by the Giants and has already played five games in the WHL with Vancouver and also five in the sa国际传媒 Hockey League with the Cowichan Valley Capitals.
In front of Hutchison and Sadauskas, Oceanside features forward Carter Johnson, this year’s winner of the VIJHL Jamie Benn MVP Trophy, named after the Dallas Stars captain, Olympic gold medallist and VIJHL alumnus.
“Carter sees time and space and has such a high hockey IQ,” said Lemmon.
Brendan Carlson of Oceanside was the winner of the Clayton Stoner Trophy, named after the former NHL blue-liner from Port McNeill, and awarded to the top defenceman in the VIJHL.
“If the award didn’t go to Brendan, who is an outstanding offensive defenceman, it would have gone to [fellow Generals-defenceman] Brady Van Herk,” said Lemmon, pointing out Oceanside’s blue-line talent.
“We have depth throughout the lineup. We are capable of flair but also fore-checking hard and finishing checks.”
It all combined to make the Generals the winningest team in Junior B in the province at a franchise-record 41-3-4 and the runaway winners of the VIJHL regular-season Andy Hebenton Trophy, named after the former NHL Ironman record holder with the New York Rangers and Victoria pro-hockey great.
Oceanside went 12-3 through the playoffs and added the Brent Patterson Trophy last week as VIJHL playoff champions with a 5-4 double-overtime victory against the Saanich Predators to win the best-of-seven league final 4-2. That avenged Oceanside’s six-game loss in the final last year to the Peninsula Panthers and gave the Generals their fourth league championship but first since 2009.
Oceanside is looking to become the seventh Island team to hoist the Cyclone Taylor Cup, following the Comox Totems in 1967, Victoria Cubs in 1971, Saanich Braves in 1976, Victoria Cougars in 2007, Peninsula Panthers in 2011 and Campbell River Storm in 2015.
“I was surprised to hear there weren’t more Island teams to have won it,” said Lemmon, a former BCHL defenceman with Cowichan Valley.
“I think we have a chance to do something really special. We’re not just happy with our two banners this season. We want all three.”
