NEUGSIE’S AROUND THE SJHL

By: Jamie Neugebauer
Voice of the ND Hounds

Before I wrote this week’s column, I took a look at what would have been the SJHL schedule for Tuesday night. It would have been a fun and full evening. Yorkton and their soon-to-depart WHL stars in Estevan, against a similarly glittering and talented Bruins roster. It would’ve been must-see TV. The classic North Stars-Klippers rivalry would have gone down in Kindersley’s West Central Events Centre, as both coaches Brayden Klimosko and Ken Plaquin, respectively, would have had far more information about how good their teams are, had more time to establish an identity, and therefore the game itself would likely have been an absolute war on ice. Finally, Melfort in La Ronge: two solid rosters with two coaches who like very different brands of hockey; the stingy, structured Mustangs, against the free-wheeling, electric Ice Wolves. At the same time, neither team is one to shy away from the rough stuff.

It would’ve been fun.

But anyways, I digress. Let’s remember to keep perspective, hope for the best, and plan for the worst. Remember that when you’re anxious or stressed, the picture you see of your world is rarely the clear one; so take a second, rub your eyes, have a glass of cold water, and then look at something beautiful. Preaching to myself here.

Back to the series I started last week, where I plan to highlight one player from each of the 12 teams in the league who impressed me before the pause. Here is the final six! Find the first six here: https://rodpedersen.com/neugsies-around-the-sjhl-41/.

6. Vaughn Watterodt, F, Yorkton Terriers: Before I start on Watterodt, let me say I never got sick of talking about Steven Norum last year as one of the underrated guys in the league…but last time we saw him he was centring what should be Yorkton’s No. 1 line whenever we resume, and had four goals in six games; so there’s not much of a secret there anymore. Watterodt blew me away, especially when I saw him live. A 16-year-old (yes, an ’04 birth year), and a sixth rounder of the Kamloops Blazers, he can win faceoffs, can fly, hits, has a nose for the net, and for you of the old school, was completely unfazed by going after a pretty big Notre Dame 20-year-old by the name of Max Messier with some fisticuffs (to be fair to Max, Watterodt didn’t give him much of a choice in the matter, kind of just jumped at him, but all the same…). Watterodt was a good player on a not-great Battlefords U18 team last year, so perhaps that caused him to further fly under the radar entering the campaign. That being said, I didn’t get much surprise back from Hehr when I brought the kid up. Either he’ll be in the WHL, or he’ll be a fan favourite in Yorkton as long as he’s there. Keep an eye out for him!

5. Michael Makarenko, F, Nipawin Hawks: I am going against my own rules to a degree, because I (and many) knew Makarenko was going to be a top player in the league this year. That all being said, I just felt the need to tip my cap to a kid whose consistency of effort, of ‘playing the game the right way’, with all the attention to detail, urgency, and grit that his coach Doug Johnson wants in a player, is so impressive to me. He’s played with guys like Jake Tremblay, and Jordan Simoneau and therefore never been ‘THE’ star on the Hawks; but he’s been a factor in every Nipawin game I’ve seen. Despite being a hard-nosed player, he’s also taken only 53 penalty minutes in 120 SJHL games – I love a kid who can figure out how to be disciplined, and play hard at the same time. I also love a kid who’s improving: he had 17 points in his first year in the league, 42 last year, and he’s a point-per-gamer so far this. Lots of his goals are from the blue paint, and he’s a beast net-front on the power play. Not sure if you can tell, but I could talk Makarenko for a long time…

4. Luke Nkwama, F, Melville Millionaires: A little bit like Makarenko because Nkwama too was an all-star last year, but he just keeps getting better. Speaking with one of his teammates recently about him, the player said he was the heart-and-soul of that room, and while his great speed is no secret, a big shot and an excellent ability to protect the puck and make plays haven’t gone as noticed in a struggling Melville offence the last couple of seasons. He was solid on an excellent Prince Albert Mintos U18 team in 2017-18, his only season of AAA in minor hockey, and also like Makarenko, is consistently getting more productive year-on-year, with 17 points as a rookie, and 22 goals and 38 points last campaign. I loved him in midget, I’ve loved him every year he’s been in the league, and it’s time he gets some love from anyone paying attention. Also great to see a local kid stick and make an impact with his hometown club!

3. Holden Knights, F, La Ronge Ice Wolves: Here’s a stat you don’t see every day: in 28 SJHL games between 2017 and this year, Knights has 13 goals and 0 assists. You read that right, no typo…0 assists. Hah! Each season he was a call-up, for Melfort in 17-18, and his Ice Wolves in 18-19, he scored a goal, last year he put in seven in 17 games, and so far this campaign he has five in four. The assists thing is bizarre, but what I’ll say about the ’01 from Warman is this: he is a stone-cold shooter. He’s got a strong frame, and quick hands, and he doesn’t hesitate to use his bullet of a shot. Knights takes it hard to the blue paint, and is totally unafraid of abuse upon arrival. They say goals are the most expensive stat in hockey…by that token, Knights must be making his coach Killer Kaminski a happy man. Could have picked a brace of Wolves, I should mention, as many punched above their expectations to start the season.

2. Austin King-Cunningham, D, Estevan Bruins: AKC recently came on Rory McGouren and my show ‘SJ at Noon’ and said he could not care less what media and fans outside of Estevan think of him, or whether we’re unfair to him, so kudos to him for that! That being said, he’s been outstanding this year. He’s still being physical, but he’s keeping it in the rules, and playing a more aggressive game offensively. Austin has always had a big shot, but after four games, he already has tied his career high in goals. Clearly, the Bruins play a couple inches taller when their big captain is in the squad, so he’s taken to heart the need to stay out of the box and in the line-up after all sorts of suspensions over his long career. As I’ve said a couple times already, I love to see a kid get better in any area, and it looks like he’s figured it out in a bunch of them. As someone who covers the league, he is one of the kids I am really hoping the league comes back for, to see how far that development goes over a full-ish schedule. Either way, kudos to AKC!

1. Jarrett Penner, F, Humboldt Broncos: Full disclosure, I know Jarrett well, and am a huge fan of him and his family as people first. Before you start yelling at the screen that I picked him because he’s a former Hound, watch the games! He’s been awesome! Also, it’s my column and I’ll do what I want. I spoke and wrote in various formats that the big 20-year-old winger from Saskatoon would fit perfectly in all sorts of ways in Humboldt when they first got him from West Kelowna in the BCHL, and boy has he gone above and beyond that. He’s looking fast, and he’s looking physical, and when I want to know if Pens is on his game, I don’t look at points, I look at whether he’s winning board battles, and taking pucks away from scrums. Well, he’s done that so far, and it earned him a quick boost to the Top 6 forwards for Scott Barney’s crew at the time of the break. Now, I expect the Broncos’ boss to move guys around with all that depth up front, but when (if?) push comes to shove late in the year, into the playoffs, I expect Penner will be a very, very important piece if Humboldt is going to make a run. A goal (the game-winner at the EPA vs. Notre Dame, by the way), and six assists through six contests so far on the year for him, and playing with some of the guys Humboldt can put with him, I expect that total to keep going up.

(Follow Jamie on Twitter at @Neugsie)