Lack of size stigma only obstacle in path of Tigers captain
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| Tigers captain Cole Sanford gets set for a faceoff. |
MEDICINE HAT - Cole Sanford chuckled at the notion that it
might take an old Medicine Hat Tigers link to get a break at the professional
level.
The Vernon, B.C., product and current Tigers captain knows
the fact that he stands 5-foot-9 and weighs 165 pounds is the biggest obstacle he
faces when it comes to trying to get an NHL entry-level contract offer. Playing
in Medicine Hat, the thought does get booted around that maybe Vancouver
Canucks head coach Willie Desjardins might take an interest in Sanford and
create a chance for the skilled right-winger, who is small in stature.
Desjardins was with the Tigers as head coach from 2002 to
2010 and also held the general manager’s role for the last five of those
campaigns. He had a string of success utilizing smaller, skilled players, so
naturally one would think there would be fit for Sanford.
“Obviously, connections are nice,” said Sanford, who did
attend Edmonton Oilers training camp in September. “If that happened,
obviously, that would be exciting for me.
“I am sure whatever came up or if there is any kind of
opportunity, I’d be excited. It doesn’t matter where it is.”
For his part, Sanford has already done more than enough to
earn an NHL deal. After potting two goals and nine assists in 53 games as a
17-year-old rookie in 2012-13, Sanford had a break-out year as a sophomore
netting 33 goals, 40 assists and a plus-47 rating in the plus-minus department.
As an established star last season, he became one of the few
players in recent WHL campaigns to crack the 50-goal barrier recording 50
goals, 45 assists and a plus-24 rating. Sanford missed some time this season
with a shoulder injury, but he has still recorded 17 goals and 15 assists in 30
games on a Tigers team that has seen its lineup shuffle due to a number of key
injuries.
Those challenges have contributed to the fact the Tigers,
who have made the playoffs for 13 straight seasons, sit an uncharacteristic 10th
overall in the WHL’s Eastern Conference with a 12-20-3-1 mark.
Sanford is hopeful a professional shot will come.
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| Tigers captain Cole Sanford gets set to wire a shot on goal. |
“It is my goal,” said Sanford. “Right now I have basically
half a year to find something and find an opportunity up there.
“Obviously, that is everyone’s goal is to move on. We will
see what happens.”
As far as Sanford’s time in Medicine Hat goes, Tigers head
coach and general manager Shaun Clouston said the veteran forward’s value
cannot be overstated.
“He has had a great career here,” said Clouston, who is
second on the Tigers career regular season coaching wins list. “He has been a
player that other guys can look up to.
“He has gotten better, because he has committed to
improvement. He has found ways to elevate his game at important times. He has
been a great Tiger.”
Clouston added that the uphill battle for smaller players to
make the NHL seems to never go away, but he said Sanford keeps consistently
doing his best to turn heads.
“I think it is always a challenge,” said Clouston. “I think
any time that a player is not 6-feet tall there is a bit of a label.
“They have to fight through that. They have to prove
themselves more so than a lot of the other players. He is a guy that continues
to prove himself year in and year out.”
The veteran bench boss added that Sanford’s game is still
getting better.
“He is a guy that has really committed especially late in
games to doing the right thing, whether it is protecting the lead, finishing
checks and getting clears,” said Clouston, whose team won four of five games
heading into the WHL Christmas break. “He has been a real go to guy during this
stretch where we have had more success.”
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| Cole Sanford (#26) celebrates a Tigers goal with his teammates. |
Sanford has put together a standout WHL career playing with
a few different linemates as well. When he broke out offensively in 2013-14,
Sanford was the triggerman on a high octane unit that contained Curtis Valk at
centre and Trevor Cox at left wing. That trio formed one of the most exciting
lines the Tigers had ever seen.
Last season, Steven Owre stepped in at centre between
Sanford and Cox after Valk was lost to graduation. Due to injuries and trades
this season, Sanford has played with a variety of linemates.
“It is definitely a lot different than the last two years,
but I think it is good for me,” said Sanford. “It is good for me to play with
different guys and adjust to that.”
Sanford said he is a player that has a tendency to shoot
more than pass in the offensive zone. With that said, he had a couple of nice
assists in his club’s 5-4 overtime home ice loss on Sunday to the Lethbridge
Hurricanes. The best helper came on the Tigers third goal, when Sanford slipped
a feed that had eyes across the face the Lethbridge goal to Mark Rassell, who
capitalized on the chance.
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| Tigers captain Cole Sanford follows through on a shot on goal. |
Since joining the team, Sanford said he has been fortunate
to play on lines that contained smart playmakers, who had great vision, which
has resulted in him being the finisher around the goal. During his time in
Medicine Hat, Sanford has made a number of good memories, which included helping
the club advance to the WHL’s Eastern Conference championship series in 2014.
He also had the chance to play in the Tigers first home
rink, The Arena, and the team’s new home, the Canalta Centre, which opened this
season. No matter what happens on the professional front, the Tigers will
always have a place in Sanford’s heart.
“I’ve come a long ways with this team starting off as a
17-year-old and not playing too much and kind of earning my ice there as an
18-year-old and then getting the opportunity to play,” said Sanford. “Obviously,
last season was a career year for myself. Everyone here has helped me lots.
“When I was 15 looking at this organization, I was real
excited to see all the videos and the rich history here. To be a part of that
now with the new rink and obviously the old rink it is pretty cool.”
Canalta Centre looks sweet
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| A look over Tigers goalie Nick Schneider into the Canalta Centre. |
On first impressions, I think the Medicine Hat Tigers time
in the Canalta Centre is going to be alright.
When the moment came for the storied WHL franchise to play
in a new home rink, there was a bit of a fear that something might be lost due
to the fact the team was no longer playing in The Arena, which was the only
home rink the franchise had known until the current campaign got underway.
The nostalgia and the lively boards are two things The Arena
will always have. The Tigers and their fans shared countless memorable
experiences in that old rink including Brennan Bosch’s double overtime goal
that won the seventh and deciding game of the 2007 WHL championship series.
That building rocked in the post-season as sellout crowds of 4,006 packed the
place in its final seating configuration.
With those memories in mind, it was cool to see the Tigers
playing in a modern home facility that seats 6,016 spectators in the Canalta
Centre. There are no bad sightlines, and even though the building is bigger,
you don’t feel far from the action.
The view from the “Bob Ridley Broadcast Centre” press box
and the box seating have to the envy of the league. You think the view from
those areas would be far, but when you are in them you feel on top of the
action.
When the Tigers fell 5-4 in overtime to the visiting
Lethbridge Hurricanes on Sunday, you could still sense a good atmosphere as
5,032 spectators filled most of the seats. The rival Hurricanes also brought a
healthy contingent of a few hundred supporters, whose cheering helped engage
the host side’s fans.
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| Tigers centre Chad Butcher gets set up in the offensive zone. |
The game was widely entertaining, and you could set the
highlight video to the old Tom Cochrane song, “Big League.” Basically, that
night was the Western Hockey League at its best.
There was also a familiarity factor to the place, even
though it is new. The majority of the game day staff from The Arena came over
to the Canalta Centre, and all the Tigers ardent supporters came too. Anyone
that was at the old facility would recognize most of the people at the new
facility on a game night.
There are still obvious signs that the move in isn’t
complete. The Tigers are suiting up in what is supposed to be the visitors’
dressing room due to the fact the home one isn’t finished. The Tabbies still
don’t have a merchandise store set up and none of the team’s banners are
hanging in the rafters.
All of those items will be looked after over time. There is
only so much that can be done, when you undertake a major move, which also
included issues with getting a framework down for a lease.
There is also a bit of a sense that everyone is still
getting used to the new building, but you do have a gut feeling the Canalta
Centre will be the place to be during a long Tigers playoff run. The Tigers new
home is sweet, and it will be interesting to see what a game experience will be
like when the club has a full off-season to prepare for the Canalta Centre’s
sophomore campaign without worrying about a move.
Still, the Hat’s new rink even right now is a place you have
to see.
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