In his second time around the Manitoba Junior Hockey League, Virden Oil Capital Kolten Kanaski has opposing goaltenders seeing red.
As of Monday, the 18-year-old Kanaski was third on the team with 10 goals in 19 games. Tyler Kirkup and Jeran Knorr were just ahead of him with 11 goals each.
Kanaski was tapped as the MNP Player of the Month for October after accumulating six goals and two assists in eight games. Head coach Troy Leslie said that increased opportunity has helped Kanaski be successful so far this season.
“He has always been a really good scorer… He knows how to score goals. He understands where to be,” Leslie said.
“He has a good shot. If he gets a chance in the scoring area, chances are it’s going in.”
Last Friday Kanaski did not score against Neepawa, but he earned the Redfern Farm Service Hardest Working Player Award in helping the Oil Capitals win 5-0. On Sunday, Virden fell 5-2 on the road to the Winnipeg Blues.
The Oil Capitals are 13-6-0-0 on the season. As of Monday, they sat in fourth in the MJHL.
Next Game in Winkler
This week the Oil Capitals play in Winkler on Saturday. Earlier in the week, after the Empire-Advance deadline, they hosted OCN on Thursday.
As Leslie stated, Kanaski has long been a goal scorer. The Beausejour product had 30 goals in 44 games in his final season with the Eastman Selects midget AAA team.
Last season as a rookie, Kanaski had eight points – all goals – in 49 games with Virden. This season Kanaski has already surpassed that number with 18 point in 19 games.
“The biggest difference between this year and last would have to be my confidence on the ice and how I am used to the speed and pace of the games.”
What has made him successful this season?
“Getting pucks to the net more often and trying to get into those dirty areas in front of the net. Working hand in hand with my linemates also helps,” said Kanaski, who often skates with Knorr and Kirklan Lycar.
After attending Virden Collegiate Institute last season and finishing high school, Kanaski is now working for Diversified Oilfield Services. He is studying for the ACT, which is an important test for many athletes looking to pursue NCAA opportunities after junior hockey.
Whitecloud update
Former Virden Oil Capitals defenceman Zach Whitecloud helped Team Canada go 1-2 at the Karjala Cup in Switzerland and Finland. Team Canada beat Switzerland 3-2, and lost to Sweden 2-0 and Finland 4-3. Canada finished fourth at the event.
“We had lots of guys who played hard this tournament. There was no lack of effort,” Team Canada head coach Willie Desjardins said in a press release.
Canada used the event for evaluation ahead of the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. Whitecloud, who plays at Bemidji (Minn.) State University, was one of 25 players on the Karjala Cup team trying to earn a roster spot. NHL players will not be competing at the Olympics this time around.
Oil Caps 5, Natives 0
The Virden Oil Capitals dominated the Neepawa Natives, 5-0, at Tundra Oil & Gas Place on Nov. 10. Oil Capitals netminder Riley McVeigh stopped 23 shots to earn his first shutout of the season. Virden killed off six Neepawa power-play opportunities.
“I thought it was our best team effort of the year so far. It was just one of those games where everything went well,” said Leslie, who praised his team’s puck possession, decision making, how it was first to get to pucks, and how the D-core had its best game in terms of how they used and supported each other.
A pair of hometown products gave the Virden fans a lot to cheer about. Tanner Kirkup lit the lamp twice. Tristen Cross recorded a game-high three assists. In addition to Kirkup, Graeme Hore, Knorr, and Darren Gisti scored for Virden.
Neepawa goalie Evan Robert made 29 saves on 34 shots.
Seven hundred watched the Oil Caps win on First Responders Appreciation Night. The team also paid respects to the men and women who fought and died protecting our rights and freedoms.
Blues 5, Oil Caps 2
Virden led 2-1 after the first period in Winnipeg on Nov. 12. The Oil Caps only allowed 14 shots in the first two periods.
“I thought we were very good through two periods in terms of what we allowed them offensively,” Leslie said.
In the second, Virden was unable to score on a 5-on-3 power play.
Once one player left the penalty box, the Blues tied things up shorthanded. Winnipeg led 3-2 at the second intermission and went on to win 5-2.
Drayson Skulmoski and Cross had Virden’s goals. McVeigh made 29 saves on 34 shots.
Winnipeg goalie Jeremy Link turned away 36 of Virden’s 38 shots. Levi Cudmore and Dale Goodbrandson both scored twice for the Blues. Codey Behun had Winnipeg’s other goals.
Catching up with…
Sean Kuehn(2014-2016) is studying exercise science at the University of Texas at Austin. The Flower Mound, Texas product is also playing for his school’s American Collegiate Hockey Association club team.
“The thing I enjoyed most about playing for the Oil Capitals was the relationships I was able to build with my teammates, the coaching staff, billets, and members of the community,” the goalie said. “I had an awesome time in Virden and it's a period of my life I'll never forget.”
