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Gobbles · 12-14-2018, 03:50 PM

Author: Gobbles
Word count:706
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It was a tough lesson for Kalvins Zvejnieks, a S46 SHL and S45 SMJHL prospect, after he signed on with the Vancouver Whalers for the end of S44 and the playoffs. The Whalers, coming off of a Four-Star Cup their previous season, entered the playoffs with the third-best record in the SMJHL, and made it past the upstart Anchorage Armada in 7 games, before losing to the St. Louis Scarecrows, again a 7 game series.

“I definitely learned a lot about where I need to take my game if I want to succeed in the SMJHL, and eventually the SHL”, Zvejnieks was quoted in an exit interview with the media. When asked specifically about what he has learned and what he hopes to improve on, Zvejnieks was quite open about his experiences and expectations.

“The culture of being an SMJHL player, being on a team and in the locker room, is really important. I was fortunate enough to have Vancouver give me this shot, and they really showed me a welcoming locker room and atmosphere, and how to be a good person as well as a good player”. Speaking on his skills on the ice, he continued, “After I am drafted, think I’ll really benefit from a training camp before the start of the new season. Playing against much better competition than I’m used to is a welcome challenge, and something that needs to push me forward. I performed okay defensively in my role, but that it something I want to dominate at. I need to get faster, even better at protecting the puck. I also need to work on the offensive side of my game as well - I need to be worthy of a coach’s trust if I want to play a suitable chunk of minutes in a game going forward, including being able to expand my game to 200 feet, not just my own end of the rink.”

In a total of 15 games with the Whalers, 1 regular season game and 14 playoff games, Zvejnieks started on the left wing, but by the beginning of the second round had moved over to his natural position at center on the 4th line. He collected no points over these games, but only ended with a -2 for +/-, one minor penalty for 2 PIM, 3 hits and 7 shots. He took 26 faceoffs, mostly when he was moved to center, and Zvejnieks fought for a 46.15% win rate on those, 12/26 on the dot. Averaging just over 6 minutes per game on ice time, the Latvian pivot understood what role he needed to play. “The other players had been using those systems for the whole season, weeks, months, before I got there. I needed to be there to give them a rest when they needed it, to take some minutes off of the top lines so they could do what they do best. Vancouver had arguably the most offensively lethal top 6 in the SMJHL this year, so I knew I wouldn’t bump anyone out of a spot right off the bat.”

When asked about the upcoming draft, Zvejnieks pauses a moment before answering. “Obviously, my time in Vancouver was very important to me this season. But going into the draft, I know I have to enter the league through the proper channels now that I am eligible. I will play for any team that finds me worthy to draft, and I want to win - with whoever I’m with, and whatever team I’m on.” The opportunity to demonstrate his reliability and commitment to improvement likely improved his stock a little in this upcoming SMJHL draft, however there have been many talented young players committing to SMJHL eligibility, and this draft looks to be one of the largest and best in a while. Zvejnieks has his competition, but as demonstrated in his brief SMJHL tryout - he wouldn’t have it any other way.

King · 12-14-2018, 04:10 PM

Good stuff man.

Just a heads up, remove the colour tag so people can see it on dark mode. Smile

***luke*** · 12-14-2018, 04:15 PM

kit · 12-15-2018, 12:09 AM

If I could read this I’m sure it’d be a great article Cheers

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