CANMORE – With playoffs around the corner, the Canmore Eagles' rookie-heavy lineup is ready, excited and a bit nervous for round one.
What's not clear is where the AJHL's south division's two-to-sixth seedings fall into everything, which includes the Ealges, and the club's rookies weighed in on what they're expecting come March 4.
Based on AJHL standings as of Wednesday afternoon (Feb. 16), the hometown Junior A hockey club's potential first-round opponent will either be the Blackfalds Bulldogs, Okotoks Oilers, Camrose Kodiaks or Drumheller Dragons.
So far in the regular season, Canmore is 2-3 against Drumheller; 4-1-1 against Blackfalds; 2-3-1 against Okotoks; and 1-3-1 against Camrose.
"As long as we're physical and we play our game to a T pretty much then I think we got a good chance," said Eagles forward Riley Dekowny. "It's probably going to be meat and potatoes games. There aren't going to be a lot of high scoring games, so we're going to have to play hard and physical."
The 19-year-old winger's been a spark for the Eagles this season, giving the club a much-needed presence in front of the crease with a goal-scoring touch.
"I love playing in-your-face style hockey," said Dekowny. "I love hitting guys, I love chirping, I love getting in front of the net and stirring some stuff up, but I also score when I have the chance. I have a good shot, but yeah, stirring things in front of the net, going hard and playing greasy."
Three of the top five Eagles with the most points this season are rookies Isaac Suppin, Kyle Young, and Dekowny. The other two are Ethan Schaeffer and Drae Gardiner.
Of the 136 goals scored this season by the Eagles, 64 have come from rookies and reserves.
"I think because most of our rookies, or at least half of them, are here from last year because we didn't get a full season," said Young, 19, who's fourth on the team's leader board in points with 25. "We only played two games so our rookies are a little bit older and more experienced in terms of playing. We have had a lot of contribution from our rookies and it's good to see."
Due to the Eagles only playing two games in 2020-21, the team has stockpiled 12 rookies on its active roster with some carrying over the rookie status from last season.
Young said playoffs will be a good test for the inexperienced core, and expects a rougher and faster play.
"I feel like everyone who was there last year definitely took the time to get better and is ready to show it this year," Young said.
The Eagles have dealt with injuries, being hit hard throughout the 2021-22 campaign, which allowed its rookies to step up on the ice and in the crease.
"We have definitely shown resilience throughout the year being short staffed," said Eagles goalie Andreai Proctor-Ramirez. "But once we get [Captain Lane] Paddison back he'll bring a little bit of experience to the squad ... and kind of motivate all the other guys to get going and be on their high horse."
An aggressive goalie who likes to play the puck, the 20-year-old rookie goalie played a handful of AJHL games since 2017-18 before getting the nod as Canmore's No. 1 option in net this season, where he's gone 15-19-6 with a .901 save percentage.
However, Proctor-Ramirez said between him and Matthew Malin, the Eagles backup rookie goalie, they'll ride the hot glove come playoffs.
"It doesn't matter who we play, as long as we play our game," he said.
Two things are certain in the AJHL's south division until then: the Brooks Bandits, the No. 1 seed, has a bye to the second round, and either the Olds Grizzlys (20 points) or the more probable Calgary Canucks (30 points) will be the sacrificial lamb seventh seed in the opening round.
The Eagles have five games remaining in the regular season including at home Thursday (Feb. 17) against potential playoffs opponent the Dragons. Puck drop is 7 p.m.
