Local Raiders relish experience

Justin Seward
Times Reporter

 

For four Strathmore and area 15-year-old midget hockey players, playing close to home for the high-caliber minor midget Rockyview Raiders has been truly a great experience in this young season.
“It’s pretty great playing on the Raiders, they’ve got a great coaching staff (and) a great group of guys. It’s pretty fun to get our own dressing room,” said Strathmore native Kaden Hanas.
He has really liked what the Alberta Minor Midget Hockey League (AMMHL) has to offer as far as competitiveness goes with each team, and helping the players with development to go to the next level.
“It’s really competitive, great hockey,” he said. “This is a stepping stone definitely and hopefully go on to play (with the UFA Bisons) next year.”
Hanas said his favorite moment so far this season is playing in the Prospects Cup, which took place this past weekend from Nov. 13-16 in Chestermere.
“It’s going good, we had a rough weekend last weekend, but it’s a fun time playing in the Prospects Cup (with) a lot of scouts here and a lot of teams,” Hanas. “It’s a good option because if you’re not good enough to play midget double- A, you can come here and develop then possibly get there or play major.”
Hanas currently has five goals and five assists in 12 games.
Langdon native and Raider forward Robert Butterwick thinks it’s a whole different caliber of players in this league.
“It’s a big step from bantam double-A last year, way faster, bigger people. (There is) lots of experiences with the fast teams,” said Butterwick.
He enjoys being on the bus trips and bonding with his teammates.
The most significant thing about playing in a high-end tournament such as the Prospects Cup is that it can be a learning experience for the players with scouts being in the stands.
“It’s a little nerve wracking, but I mean if you do your best, try you hardest, it’s all you can do,” he said.
Butterwick currently has four goals and two assists through 10 games.
Strathmore native Scott Desserre believes it’s something special to play in this league with other skilled 15-year-olds.
“I think it’s a special opportunity to compete against guys your own age, you can really develop and work hard to get midget triple-A or double-A,” said Desserre. “I think my play’s not too bad, the team has been doing pretty well, we’ve been struggling a bit lately but hopefully we can use this tournament to turn things around and get things rolling again when the league comes back.”
Desserre has two goals in 12 games.
Strathmore-raised Raiders goalie Nelson Schiller has seen his fair share of the crease so far this season and it has been a great experience for him so far.
“Playing for the Raiders has been great. It’s way more competitive, shots are harder,” said Schiller. “(The Prospects Cup) is fun, there’s a lot of scouts and we have a great group of guys. I hope to keep winning, win the Sutter Cup and get to the provincial final.”
Schiller currently has a 3-1-2 record with .888 save percentage.
Head coach Payden Grant is impressed with the impact that these players have made so far this season.
“I think they’re all good players and there is a reason why they’re all on this team,” said Grant. “Nelson has been good in net for us all year, I coached Scott and Kaden last year and they’ve come a long way this year and playing with way more confidence. Robert is an energy player, they’ve adjusted well and are up to the pace of the league.”
They bowed to the Calgary Rangers 4-3 in the quarterfinals of the Prospects Cup.
The Raiders currently sit in second in the AMMHL south division with a record of 8-2-2.