HUMBOLDT — The Humboldt Broncos blue line could be described as young and fun this season.
Humboldt and Weyburn are the only Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League teams without a 20-year defenceman on their rosters. Six Broncos blue liners started this season as 18 or younger. The youthful group has helped Humboldt to a 22-20-7-1 record – seventh in the SJHL, as of Sunday. Captain Graysen Cameron, a Broncos forward, praised the group for its speed and puck movement.
“We’re a really young group, but have a lot of energy and are really starting to gel together as of late,” said 18-year-old D-man Jackson Bohan of Cranbrook, B.C.
Head coach Scott Barney believes in his blue line. He emphasized the team possesses eight good defencemen.
“We feel we have one of the best D-cores in the league as a whole... We feel we have some guys who can jump in the rush and make some plays,” Barney said. “We also have some guys who can really defend well. We feel we have a good balance that way.”
The depth and quality of the Broncos defencemen means that when everyone is healthy Barney and his staff have to choose at least one player to sit out each game.
“It’s always a good thing when players make a difficult decision for the coaching staff [as far as] who to put in the lineup and who is out,” Barney said. “It’s been tough decisions for us on many nights, but we’ve talked to all the players and it’s basically who’s going that night will go again the next night. If they’re not going, unfortunately they are out... I think that almost everybody has come out on certain occasions.”
He said sitting out can be, at times, positive for players as they “might see what you can do as a player or bring to the team that we are missing.” The young defencemen are also learning as they contribute this season.
“We’re a younger team. Obviously, we’ll go though some ups and downs, but I think on a nightly basis we compete well with any team in the league. I really like the make up of this D-core this year and going into next season,” said Barney, who noted all eight players are eligible to return.
Nineteen-year-old Doug Scott, who is from North Vancouver, said the rookies make him think back two seasons to when he was breaking into junior hockey. It makes him wonder where they will be a couple years from now.
“I would say playing with this young group of D-men is fun because we all have lots of skill and creativity here,” Scott said. “We all push each other to be better day in and day out so there’s a little inner rivalry there, but that’s what you need to get better. All of us are pretty good buddies on the team so we are hoping for the best for us and what our futures may hold.”
Barney said that adding Scott in late November has been huge for the Broncos D-core.
“His ability to defend and his ability to jump in at certain times,” the coach said. “He has been a great leader back there. Him and Noah Barlage [a 16-year-old from Humboldt] have been a mainstay pairing back there and have played well. Obviously, we have the leadership of [Kade] Olsen back there as well.”
Bringing valuable Junior A experience to the team are Scott; Olsen, a second-year Bronco from Saskatoon who turned 19 in January; and 19-year-old Calgary product Spencer McHardy, who is often paired with Nicksha Eric, an 18-year-old rookie from Fort McMurray. Seventeen-year-old Chase Lacombe also has valuable experience. Moose Jaw’s Lacombe played for Humboldt last season before starting this campaign with the Western Hockey League’s Swift Current Broncos.
“It’s great having a veteran presence around,” Bohan said. “They know the league a little bit better and are a bit more experienced in some situations, which helps out us younger guys for future situations or seasons.”
Bohan led the Humboldt defencemen, and was 13th in the league, with 23 points, as of Sunday. Fellow 18-year-old Cody Hough, who hails from Maple Ridge, B.C., was 18th in SJHL blue line scoring with 21. With 14 points, Olsen, who is known for his shutdown defence, has already topped the five he posted as a rookie. Scott has posted 14 points in 20 games since joining the team.
