Stoesz stoked for weekend at home
When the Spokane Chiefs hit the ice this weekend for a pair of home games, tonight against Everett and Saturday versus Tri-City, one player will be noticed during each of his shifts.
As is the case with every game, forward Myles Stoesz will draw the cheers of fans, the ire of opponents and the scrutiny of the officials.
All of the foregoing goes with the territory when you are the Western Hockey League leader in penalty minutes.
“I love it, actually, I feed off of that kind of stuff,” says Stoesz. “The refs, they’ve been pretty good to me. I’ve only been getting a few majors (for fighting), not too many minors. And the other teams, that’s what I want. I want them to be looking out for me and not focus on what they need to do. That’s better for the team.”
Stoesz’s team-first mentality and playing with more discipline has helped him to round out his game as of late, says his coach.
“I think, probably in the last two months, he’s made bigger strides than he made in probably the first year and a bit,” said Al Conroy. “It’s not to say his first year wasn’t a real improvement either. He’s a guy that’s willing and able to do just about anything to help a team win.”
The temptation to brand Stoesz as a “goon” would be a mistake. He can skate, he can check, he can shoot (heck he’s even tallied eight points this season). Oh, and he’s piled up 191 penalty minutes in 45 games, well ahead of his pace of last year.
But there is much more to this engaging 17-year-old from Steinbach, Manitoba, who stands 6-foot-2 and 187 pounds. He’s one of the most popular Chiefs among the hard-core group of fans, who love his all-out style and how he doesn’t back down from any foe.
This week, he took on a pair of Kamloops Blazers. On Tuesday, it was Matt Kassian, who stands at 6-6 and 225 pounds, one game after Stoesz tangled with Kassian’s teammate, Terrance Delaronde, in Saturday night’s game at the Arena.
In both instances, Stoesz more than held his own. The action Saturday came after Stoesz had endured endless taunting, slashing and roughing from the Blazers but skated away for two-plus periods. Then, after a couple of teammates were the victims of cheap shots, Stoesz stepped up and took out Delaronde.
The fact that Stoesz resisted acting in retaliation until his team was up 4-2 in the third period shows the maturation of this young player. He won the fight Saturday and reports from Tuesday’s game were indecisive. At Thursday’s practice, he was sporting only a fat lip.
The Chiefs coaching staff has been working with Stoesz all season to tame him. Stoesz has had to endure many after-practice one-on-one sessions with assistant coaches Kevin Sawyer and Rikard Gronborg, who have helped him to hone his conditioning, puck handling, footwork, and slapshot.
As Stoesz has worked harder, he has continued to show results on the ice. His plus-minus is currently even (at 0), up from his early season minus rating, and he has been getting more ice time in just his second WHL season.
“Hard work pays off in the end, and it’s definitely starting to show now,” said Stoesz.
In some ways, Stoesz is a hockey everyman. He has mussed hair, a devilish smile, a few scars, and not-so-perfect teeth. It is that charm that caused a Chiefs fan to pay several hundred dollars for one of his game-worn jerseys as part of a fundraiser last weekend.
“Get five more, Myles!” states one loyal fan on the WHL’s Network 54 chat room (referring to a five-minute penalty for fighting).
History indicates that he will.
“It’s always tough for me to resist stuff like that. I love getting right in the middle of things,” said Stoesz. “Sometimes you’ve gotta do what you’ve gotta do. But it’s best for the team to stay out of trouble, so that’s what I’ve got to do.”