By Jason Gilder, for BCHL communications
With a pair of his teammates playing at a international tournament, Prince George Spruce Kings forward Ben Poisson has seen his workload increase.
Fellow Spruce Kings Ethan De Jong and team captain Kyle Johnson were selected as members of Team Canada West for the 2017 World Junior A Challenge taking place in Truro, N.S. With De Jong and Johnson temporarily away from the team, Poisson said their absence as team leaders has been the toughest part, but he and the rest of the group have risen to the occasion.
“For me especially, I need to be more of a leader and lead by example when they are gone,” Poisson said. “In terms of on-ice roles, everyone has stepped up and everyone’s done something to contribute to the team to help our success.”
The Vancouver native added that the two vacancies in the lineup have given chances to some other players to step up and show off their skill-set. In their first game without De Jong and Johnson, Poisson said their absence was felt early, especially with the team captain not in the lineup.
“He would lead a lot of our stuff and keep our team in order,” Poisson said. “So our first game without him was a little all over the place, but we started figuring it out pretty quickly.”
In his third season, the 6-foot-1 forward is posting the best numbers of his BCHL career, as he has notched 33 points in 34 games and a team-high 14 goals. Poisson’s seven power-play goals are the second-best in the BCHL.
The veteran forward attributes his uptick in production to an overall increase of his roles on the ice compared to last season. However, Poisson also acknowledged that the teammates surrounding him have factored into his overall improvement.
“The guys I have been playing with this year have been helping me a lot, and I think we have been clicking really well,” Poisson said.
As his responsibilities have grown this season, Poisson said one of the biggest differences between this years and last is learning to play when he is a more tired. The Spruce Kings forward realized fairly early into the campaign about the importance of pacing himself and staying mentally strong.
“What’s key is staying mentally in it for the whole game now,” Poisson said. “You got to make safer plays and take less risks as you’re out there quite a bit more then you’re used to.”
After finishing fourth in the Mainland Division with 56 points a year ago, the Spruce Kings have gotten off to a strong start 34 games in. Prince George sits second in the division with 44 points, just one point behind the Langley Rivermen for the division lead.
Poisson attributes their improvements to the team’s overall depth, as he said the Spruce Kings have been able to roll out four solid forward lines, a trio of reliable defence pairings, and two trustworthy netminders.
“It’s awesome, especially when you’re out there playing your heart out and then you know the next line going out there is going to do the same thing,” Poisson said.
The 18-year-old believes Prince George is one of the strongest teams in the BCHL and feels they can compete with any other team in the league if they continue playing they way they are currently.
“Everyone is buying into the system we put in and everyone knows what we have to do to win.”
