(RDP Athletics)

By rdnewsNOW Staff

Oct. 14 Home Opener

Red Deer Polytechnic Kings Hockey team adds depth in 2022/2023

Oct 13, 2022 | 10:27 AM

After an injury riddled season, Head Coach Trevor Keeper and the Red Deer Polytechnic Kings hockey program are said to be ready for the puck to drop on the 2022/2023 Alberta Colleges Athletic Association (ACAC).

Team officials say their goal is to improve on the third-place regular season finish last year. Even though last year’s team had 19 first-year players on their 26-man roster, Keeper seemed quite impressed how his young squad performed. They finished with a record of 8-4-2-2 in a shortened 16 game schedule, but the coach added, the Kings did fall short of where they wanted to be in the playoffs, with a 2-0 series loss to the Briercrest Clippers in the quarterfinals.

“We just did not have enough depth last year and then ran through a series of injuries in the second semester. But I am looking forward to this year with more depth at each position.”

This year, the Kings will feature a very similar lineup as last year with 16 student-athletes returning to compete in the upcoming season. Keeper says the Kings are not an older team by any means, but they have gone through that rebuild and now are back and reloaded.

The Red Deer squad will be led by Arik Weersink, a fifth-year goaltender, as well as forwards Chance Longjohn and Jacob Wozney, both fifth-year athletes who are in the Bachelor of Education program.

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Forwards Jacob Kendall and Erik Miller will also be returning to the Kings this year and are anticipated to lead the offense, yet again. Last year, Kendall had 21 points (9G, 12A) in 16 games played to lead the ACAC. Miller ranked third in the league with 18 points (5G, 13A) in the shortened season.

Keeper says there are quite a few current second-year athletes who played well last year for the Kings and have taken a step forward from the previous season which really solidifies the group. With depth on his mind during the off-season, Red Deer’s coaching staff brought in 10 recruits to make sure his team is ready for all scenarios.

Keeper feels the Kings have players that can step up and fill all of the roles.

“Parker Gavlas, who has played the past two seasons for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies and has some experience in the Western Hockey League (WHL), is skilled, physical and a leader on the ice. That kind of presence really helps with our defensive core.”

On top of Gavlas, Keeper brings in two first-year defenseman out of Yorkton of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL). He described Tyson Janzen as a good two-way defenseman who does everything well. Tanner Sklaruk is described as a smaller defenseman, but is very agile, quick and has a great hockey IQ. Sklaruk adds a different skillset but one, Keeper says, the Kings definitely need with their defense contributing to their offense.

As for expectations, the veteran coach explains, everyone will say they want to win the league from the beginning. But for Keeper, a realistic expectation is just trying to get better every week.

If the team finishes in the top two in the standings during the regular season, they will get a bye to the semi-finals.

“I think I looked back over the past 10 years and one of the two teams that got the bye and didn’t have to play in the quarterfinals ended up winning gold. You always get injuries in that first series, and it adds to the fatigue. Getting a pass to the semi-finals is a huge advantage and to do that we will have to finish in the top two this year.”

The Kings also have smaller goals in mind as they take a lot of pride in having their powerplay and penalty kill at the top of the league, which they have done for the past few years now.

The Red Deer squad will put their newly vamped roster to the test at 7pm on Friday, October 14. The Kings will host the University of Alberta Augustana Vikings for their home opener at the Gary W. Harris Canada Games Centre.

Tickets can be purchased online or in person at the Gary W. Harris Canada Games Centre.

For more information on Red Deer Polytechnic Athletics, including Kings Hockey, please visit rdpolytechathletics.ca.