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L0RD F4RQUAAD · 12-23-2018, 07:37 PM

(DOUBLE MEDIA WEEK)

With expectations low but hopes high, Barnacle exited Thursday’s draft in a surprisingly comfortable spot.

Barnacle spent the first nine seasons of his career as a perennial all-star in the EASHL system. However, the gritty power forward faced several pressure points of drama on and off the ice over the past several months, leading to the surprising decision to transfer leagues and prove himself all over again.

The early returns thus far? They are not earthshattering, but one would assume that Barnacle is content.

Barnacle ended the prospect showcase regular season with a respectable 31 points in 36 games, clocking in at a hair shy of one point per twenty minutes. Having so far made a career as a modern day Dino Ciccarelli around the blue paint, Barnacle continued to show his nose for the net by producing sixteen goals, good for second on the Vipers. That offensive production also appears to not have been a tradeoff for solid defensive play, as the former EASHL star concluded the regular season at +5.

Perhaps more importantly, Barnacle’s play continued to trend upward as the showcase rolled on, hopefully providing some evidence that his transition to a new league with a different style of play could be smoother than initially anticipated. Barnacle clumped a sizable portion of his points in the back half of the showcase. That trajectory continued into the playoffs, in which the scorer produced a team high six points in three games before the Vipers were dismissed by the Lions.

“The pace of play, as expected, was a challenge to get used to at first,” said Barnacle. “Obviously coming from a league with a larger emphasis on physical play in favor of speed, I knew there would be an adjustment period given my style of play. But I think I did a good job of playing to the strengths of my linemates early on. I knew the rest would eventually work itself out.”

Still, with the sample size low and the future production anything but guaranteed, it was anybody’s guess when and where the hulking presence would land until Vancouver took an early/mid-round stab at him in round five.

“I was honestly a bit surprised Vancouver took me as early as the fifth round,” stated Barnacle. “I guess I didn’t have real expectations for where I thought I would go and didn’t think about it much. My goal was and still is simply to prove that I’d be a steal whether I was taken first or last overall.

“But nothing is proven yet and I’m excited to get after it.”

Vancouver welcomes a large class of promising rookies in one of and perhaps the deepest draft in SMJHL history. As training camp gets underway, Barnacle is expected to start the season as a bottom six forward who is expected to be a source of important depth scoring for the Whalers. It is tough to see the forward taking minutes away from proven veterans in the special teams department, though it will be interesting to see if and how the team experiments with him on the power play as the season goes on.

“Really, I couldn’t tell you where I slot in now. It doesn’t really matter. I’ve been getting along with the guys great and we have a lot of talent on the team, both with rooks and vets. Really is up to the coach at the end of the day, and wherever I am, I’m going to put my head down and do what it takes to string wins together.”

For now, Barnacle appears to be saying and doing all the right things heading into his rookie season in the SMJHL. If that continues, Barnacle should be a treat to watch in the coming years.

(627 words)

***luke*** · 12-23-2018, 07:40 PM

Off · 12-23-2018, 07:41 PM

Whale love

DeletedAtUserRequest · 12-23-2018, 07:52 PM

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***Inf1d3l*** · 12-23-2018, 08:07 PM

Love it, good article my man!

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