Three Virden Oil Capitals have gone from being opponents last season to skating on the same line this winter.
Josh Belcher, Hunter Cloutier and Jack Einarson are all 17-year-old rookies with the Manitoba Junior Hockey League team. Last season they competed against each other on AAA midget squads.
“It's been a lot different playing with them after last year,” said Gimili’s Einarson, who noted the players attend Virden Collegiate Institute together. “We all knew each other going into the season, but we all have got a lot closer with each other as the year goes on and it's been a lot of fun.”
Even though they each had midget eligibility remaining all three are contributing – often as linemates – for the Oil Caps.
Last week the Oil Capitals saw their five-game winning streak snapped. They fell on the road to Selkirk, 6-3, and Steinbach, 6-1, on back-to-back nights during the week. On the weekend, the squad hammered Selkirk, 7-1, at the Tundra Oil & Gas Place. With a 34-17-2-0 record, the Oil Capitals sat third in the MJHL, as of Monday. They were one point behind second-place Portage.
This weekend Virden hosts a pair of games. Winkler visits on Friday with Selkirk playing on Saturday night.
On Tuesday, after the Empire-Advance deadline, the Oil Capitals played at Waywayseecappo.
Cloutier had accumulated six goals and 12 points in 34 games, as of Monday. In 41 games, Einarson had 11 points. Rapid City’s Josh Belcher had four points, with three goals, in 44 contests.
“They’ve developed this year,” Virden head coach Troy Leslie said of the trio. “Obviously, we are really excited about what they bring right now and what they will bring down the road.”
Last winter Cloutier played for his hometown Winnipeg Wild. Belcher was with the Yellowhead Chiefs, while Einarson suited up for the Interlake Lightning. Moving up from the Manitoba AAA Midget Hockey League has required some adjustments.
“The biggest change I’ve noticed coming from AAA midget to Junior A is probably the speed and there is more high-end skill throughout the league,” Belcher said.
The trio has enjoyed its time with the Oil Caps and being in the community. For example, Cloutier said:
“The best part of playing for Virden is my billets - Karen and Jack (Forster). They make me feel like part of the family and I feel so at home with them.”
2015 Draft
The Oil Capitals’ 2015 MJHL Draft class is definitely impressive. Seven members of that class have seen the ice for the team this season as 17-year-olds and have contributed to a squad fighting for the top spot in the league. By comparison, the league-leading Steinbach Pistons have only two 2000-born players on the roster.
In 2015, Virden auto-protected hometown forward Tanner Andrew and Oak Lake goalie Riley Wallace. Andrew played 15 games for the Oil Caps early this season. He now serves as an affiliated player while starring for the AAA midget Southwest Cougars. Fellow Cougar Wallace played during the MJHL exhibition season and, while he has not gotten on the ice he has been a backup as an AP.
The Oil Caps started the draft off by picking Garrett Sambrook and Marco Creta in the first and second rounds, respectively. Both defencemen have played in the Western Hockey League and are now in Virden. Justin Lee was tabbed in the second round. The rookie D-man has stood out and recently committed to play at the University of Denver.
Cloutier, Belcher, and Einarson went in rounds three, four, and five. Fifth-round pick Nick Hatley was swapped for Hayden Pierce to Dauphin last year, where he has played as an AP this winter. Sixth-rounder Owen Blocker is playing for the WHL’s Lethbridge Hurricanes.
Steelers 6, Oil Caps 3
The host Steelers scored three times in each of the first two periods en route to a 6-1, Feb. 6 victory. Kyle Salaway was the lone Oil Cap to solve Selkirk goalie Zachary Bennett, who made 37 saves. Dalton Dosch had 11 saves on 16 shots for Virden. Riley McVeigh, who stopped all but one of the 21 shots he saw, relieved him.
Pistons 6, Oil Caps 1
On Feb. 7, plexiglass shattered by a shot delayed the start of the game by about a half-hour in Steinbach. The teams battled early, but three Steinbach goals in a 3,1-second span in the final two minutes of the period put the host Pistons on top 3-0.
“Up until that point, I thought that we played well in the first period and had outplayed them,” Leslie said.
Jeran Knorr had Virden’s goal – the only one scored by either team in the second period. Steinbach scored three times in the third to post a 6-1 victory. McVeigh made 36 saves, while Pistons goalie Matthew Thiessen had 31.
Oil Caps 7, Steelers 1
Virden started strong at home in front of 721 fans. The Oil Caps took a 4-0 first period lead.
“I thought we were ready to play that night and had a good first period. It was one of those nights where we were pretty good and were able to roll lines,” said Leslie, who emphasized the contributions of all the players that night.
Neither team scored in the second session, but Virden outscored the visitors 3-1 in the third on Feb. 10 en route to a 7-1 win.
Thirteen Oil Caps had at least a point. The team was two-for-four on the power play. Knorr had two goals. Einarson and Ben Dalke each had a goal and three points. Also scoring for Virden were Dylan Thiesen, Belcher, and Rylee Zimmer. Graeme Hore and Kirklan Lycar each had two assists.
McVeigh stopped all but one of the 21 shots he faced. Selkirk’s lone goal came on a power play. Hayden Dola started for Selkirk and made 15 saves on 19 shots. He was relieved by Zachary Bennett who had 28 saves on 31 shots.
