Blades of Glory

McKeen's correspondent Randy Gorman recently had the chance to conduct interviews with Curtis Hamilton, Charles Inglis and Josh Nicholls of the Saskatoon Blades. Ranked No. 56, No. 68 and No. 128 respectively among North American skaters by Central Scouting for the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, the Blades' trio talks about their game, minor hockey roots, being watched by scouts, goals for the season and their biggest influences to date.

Q&A with Curtis Hamilton

McKeen's: Where did you play your minor hockey before coming into the WHL with the Saskatoon Blades?

Hamilton: I played my minor hockey in the Kelowna minor hockey system working my way up through novice to midget.

McKeen's: Being the son of Bruce Hamilton, who is the owner and GM of the Kelowna Rockets, has that brought any added pressure to succeed in hockey?

Hamilton: There was a bit of pressure when I was 16, but I think I've matured and paved my own path over the last year. Obviously, he's done a good job over there with the Kelowna Rockets building a dynasty and turning out good players year after year and having continued winning success, but I'm doing my own thing here in Saskatoon.

McKeen's: You have been injured most of the first half, are you almost ready to return?

Hamilton: I'm hoping to be back in early January - a couple of games ahead of the top prospects game and hopefully I can get a new start here in the second half.

McKeen's: You are ranked among the top players in the WHL, do you look at or worry much about where scouts and scouting services rank you?

Hamilton: You just have to go out and play your game. There are scouting services and individual NHL scouts that will have you in different places. What it really comes down to is working and playing hard and the rest will fall into place.

McKeen's: Having been drafted by the Saskatoon Blades and not the Kelowna Rockets has seemed to work out pretty good for you?

Hamilton: Yes, come draft day I wasn't sure where I was going to go and I thought it might be possible my dad was going to pick me, but that wasn't the case. We had a talk prior to the bantam draft and he thought the pressure on myself would be less if I went anyplace but Kelowna to play. It would have been nice to play in Kelowna because the fans are so great, but going to Saskatoon was great because my parents grew up in the area. I must also say this, Saskatoon is a first class organization.

McKeen's: What do you consider the strongest part of your game?

Hamilton: I've always been a goal scorer and have concentrated on offense. Here in Saskatoon, coach Lorne Molleken stresses defense, so you have to learn that part of the game and work your way up on the team to get powerplay and penalty kill minutes.

McKeen's: Being injured, how hard is it to watch your teammates play game in and game out, and just how difficult is the rehab and just getting ready to come back and contribute to the team?

Hamilton: It is definitely tough to go through, I mean not being able to help the guys and battle night after night. But with the same aspect, when I guy goes down we have enough talent in the room to more than fill any role for any player that has to jump into the lineup and step up.

McKeen's: Did you set any team or individual goals this season?

Hamilton: As far as the team goes, we want to win the Memorial Cup this season and I think we have the team to do it whether we add anyone else through trades. Personally, no, I have not set any personal goals, other than the draft and that's a ways down the road, I'm more concerned with our teams' performance down the stretch.

McKeen's: What do you consider your strengths, and also some things you want to work on?

Hamilton: I like to play a two-way game, and I think my defensive game has come a long way. I want to be one of the guys the coach throws out there with a one-goal lead and a couple of minutes left and to be able to shutdown the other teams top line and close out games. Things I need to work on, I would say my skating, and also my offensive numbers aren't where I think they should, and a lot of that has to do with me being injured, but I think that will come once I get back in the lineup.

McKeen's: I've noticed you are quite good positionally when you don't have the puck.

Hamilton: I think I have good vision out there, whether finding open guys, or seams to feed teammates the puck or to read plays defensively on the transition game.

McKeen's: Who has had the greatest influence on you growing up?

Hamilton: My father has always been there, and obviously growing up in Kelowna, I've had lots of opportunity to get the feel for the game. Coach Lorne Molleken here with the Blades also has done a great job of teaching me aspects of the game.

McKeen's: One final question, what do you like to do in the off-season?

Hamilton: In the off-season I'm in Kelowna most of the time and I like to go to the beaches, I'm not a great golfer but I'm learning.

Q&A with Charles Inglis

McKeen's: You play for a team that is considered a front runner in the WHL and has had some great success this season. It must be great to be part of a winning team?

Inglis: We are a hard-working team and we battle hard each game and we find ways to win.

McKeen's: Where did you play your minor hockey before being drafted by the Blades in the bantam draft?

Inglis: I played minor hockey in the Winnipeg area, first with the Winnipeg Sharks out of the North Kildonan and East St. Paul systems for my bantam years. We came second, twice at the provincial championships.

McKeen's: One of your biggest assets is your skating ability, is that a fair assessment?

Inglis: I work a lot on my skating for increased speed, especially for first-step quickness and foot-speed to go along with conditioning with running to complement that. When I'm on the ice, I like to cut to the middle on opposition defensemen and utilize my speed to create scoring opportunities and that's definitely an advantage out there.

McKeen's: Tell me about your transition game, and using your speed to shut opposing forwards down?

Inglis: Coach Lorne Molleken has found faith in me to go out there in special team situations. On the PK, I like to get in the shooting lanes and block shots and force turnovers. I like to force the d-man at the points and work back within the box. On five-on-five situations, I like to hang back and shutdown three-on-two situations by backchecking and tying up the opposing forward.

McKeen's: Play away from the puck is important. Is there a lot of focus on this in practice?

Inglis: It comes with trust and chemistry in who you're playing with, and my linemates seem to know where to go for me to get them the puck and it's worked out well so far this season. I like to find soft spots and be on the body more physically.

McKeen's: With this being your draft year, there are many scouts watching you. Does that add pressure on you, or do you just go out and play the game?

Inglis: I just try to play to my strengths out there, and lately I've been blessed with success in putting the puck in the net. That being said, I want to more physical as I've mentioned, and get on the body more while forechecking to create more turnovers and open up more space for myself and my linemates.

McKeen's: Who has had the biggest impact on your hockey career to date?

Inglis: My dad James Inglis has taught me everything I know, he was the one responsible for getting me on skates since I was three years old. He would also get me up at 6:00 am when I was younger and we would go to the public skate at the University of Manitoba to work on my skating and skills became better through drills. He set up a cage in our backyard so I could work on my shot. I would usually shoot 500 pucks a day.

McKeen's: There is no doubt you have worked hard in improving the things you needed to in the run up to this year's draft?

Inglis: It's going to be a big day (NHL draft) I'm looking forward to it. I now would just like to concentrate on the teams' continued success, as I believe scouts like to draft kids that are part of a winning tradition and that have a positive outlook. I want to do everything to help contribute to our teams' continued winning ways in the second half of the season and on into the playoffs.

McKeen's: To follow up on that point the Saskatoon Blades are having a great year. Why is the team doing so well this season?

Inglis: The coaching and scouting staff have done such a great job of putting together this team with good chemistry and players' that have heart. We base our team around great character, hard work, heart, and believing we can be the best. You notice we don't have a Jordan Eberle or Kyle Beach on our team. We have a bunch of guys who work the puck hard down low and we have scoring by committee.

McKeen's: The team likes to cycle the puck and set up either down low or behind the net?

Inglis: Yeah, we like the cycle along the wall and work the opposite teams' d-man and then try making good plays off the wall to find open guys to get away quick shots.

McKeen's: How important is it to have a good forecheck and getting into the offensive zone first before your opponents can?

Inglis: On the forecheck, you want to get the puck first and set up a play before opposing defensemen play the body on you. I'll use that to my advantage to get in there quick to make a move on the defense, which creates pressure and forces the defense to react and it opens up more ice for me to make a play.

McKeen's: Do you have any set team and individual goals and are you satisfied with your point production?

Inglis: We want not only to get to the Memorial Cup, but also want to win it. As far as set goals from me, I would just like to work hard and increase my draft status and have a strong second half. As for points, I would have liked to have more, but I was sidelined earlier in the season with a bout of mono, so that zapped a lot of strength, but I'm on a bit of a hot streak and I just want to keep it up.

McKeen's: What do you like to do in the off-season away from the game?

Inglis: I'm a big golfer. I like to relax and I work at a golf course in the off-season, so lots of free golf. Also, my dad and I are into classic and new cars so we like to go cruising and also to check out car shows and stuff like that.

Q&A with Josh Nicholls

McKeen's: Where did you play your minor hockey before coming into the WHL with the Saskatoon Blades?

Nicholls: Well, it all started off in the Surrey minor hockey system, after my atom season I went over and played for the Burnaby Winter Club until reaching bantam. Then I played with the South Delta Hawks before being drafted by Saskatoon.

McKeen's: What is it like playing in Saskatoon with a top team. It must be a little exciting?

Nicholls: For sure, coming in here with my first year and having the success we had and being part of it has been great. There are a lot of expectations and I think we can meet those expectations.

McKeen's: Have you thought about all the scouts that are watching you here in your draft year, and do you feel any added pressure?

Nicholls: Well, obviously it's in the back of my mind, but I just have to go out and play my game and all the rest of that stuff will work itself out.

McKeen's: Do you have any set goals for the team and yourself?

Nicholls: Obviously, I want the team to do as well as we can. For myself, I would like to continue to learn and improve and accept any role that coach Lorne Molleken wants me to fill.

McKeen's: Did you do anything in the off-season to help prepare you for this year?

Nicholls: I took the step of working out with some top players like Milan Lucic of the Boston Bruins and Colten Teubert of the Regina Pats who have shown me a little bit of what it takes to succeed at the next level, as far as off-ice training goes. It's definitely opened my eyes watching them and training with those guys at what I have to do to reach the next level.

McKeen's: You've been working at all facets of your game. Your play without the puck and doing the little things like picking up your opponent in transition is part of good defense, would that be a fair assessment?

Nicholls: That would be a fair assessment. I think this year I've worked very hard on my defensive game. I'm not worried about the points. I just want to be a solid player.

McKeen's: You are gritty and work hard with your linemates and form a good cohesive unit. Also, you are very adept at cycling the puck along the wall, is that something you work at in practice?

Nicholls: Yeah, I think the chemistry with my teammates starts off the ice, we have a great group of guys and we work hard in practice on a lot of offensive zone drills. We seem to know where each of us is going to be. I like to cycle the puck along the wall and look for open linemates.

McKeen's: The team has some regulars out of the lineup, but others have come into the lineup and stepped up and filled important roles?

Nicholls: Most of us had to step up, but we still have a lot of work remaining.

McKeen's: Every player has strengths and things they would like to work on, what would you categorize as your strengths and things you want to work on?

Nicholls: Well my strength in my game is skating and hockey sense. Things that I want to improve on is my core strength, so for example, I want to continue to bulk up and add muscle weight in the gym for the stretch drive here in the second half and the playoff run. Mainly because I recognize it's going to be a huge grind and you have to be ready for that.

McKeen's: Who had the biggest influence on your hockey career to date?

Nicholls: There has been numerous coaches over the years, but I would have to say my parents. They are very supportive and pump my tires so to speak, but they can also be critical and they let me know it if I'm getting off my game.

McKeen's: One final question, what do you like to do in the off-season?

Nicholls: I definitely enjoy the weather and going to the local beaches around the Lower Mainland of Vancouver, and hanging out with friends that come back home that play on different teams.