Hobson anchors bold line
They are easily the Spokane Chiefs’ most consistent line as of late: Adam Hobson, Drayson Bowman, and Michael Grabner.
Yet they started the season in the shadow of a first line with returning veterans Chad Klassen, Jeff Lynch, and Derek Ryan. That’s changed.
“I would say there are two first lines,” Hobson said. “It’s basically been like that the whole year: If one line’s not working one night, the other line can step up. It’s been nice.”
The Hobson line has three of the Chiefs’ top seven scorers. They are also some of the best National Hockey League prospects on the team, though Hobson is the only drafted player.
Hobson was a seventh-round pick of the Chicago Blackhawks in last summer’s NHL entry draft. He went to rookie camp and stayed for a good portion of the main camp. Since returning to Spokane, he has assumed a position of leadership.
He has a team-high 16 goals this season – 15 of those in his last 31 games. He has also been wearing the “A” as an assistant captain while leader Jeff Lynch has been out with injury and Klassen has taken his place.
“It’s nice to get appreciated for hard work, but you can’t just take it and do nothing with it,” Hobson said. “You have to step up and do your job every night. So it’s been nice to have things start really falling my way.”
Grabner, a second-year player from Austria, has been rated as the Western Hockey League’s ninth-best skating prospect by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau. He has overcome a slow start to also put together a scoring tear, with 12 goals in his last 25 games.
In addition to the line’s speed, Grabner cites the group’s work ethic as a key ingredient. A natural scorer, he has tried to add an edge to his game this year.
“We started working hard to try and cycle the puck in the corner,” said Grabner. “I think if we keep doing this – keeping the puck low and working the D-men – it’s going to work for us.”
Bowman, 16, is the team’s star of the future and has impressed NHL scouts who’ve come to see him in his rookie season. He was the team’s No. 1 pick in the 2004 Bantam Draft and isn’t draft-eligible for another year.
“It’s been great,” said Bowman, the team’s leading rookie scorer with 17 points. “It seems like we’re really clicking lately and things are starting to happen out there. It’s a lot of fun.”
The line works well together, has both quickness and toughness, and uses those qualities to generate more than its share of quality chances. All three players have accurate shots.
“All of us have really good speed, and our chemistry is starting to come together,” said Hobson. “We’re starting to know where (each other is) and are making some good passes, some good plays, and getting a lot of good shots off.”
Back on the ice
Spokane returns to play after a tough final week of December.
The Chiefs visit Kootenay tonight, then host Moose Jaw and Seattle on Saturday and Sunday, respectively. Spokane (16-19-2, 34 points) is in a three-way tie for third in the U.S. Division with Tri-City and Seattle.
As they officially enter the second half of the season, coach Bill Peters is looking for one thing from his team.
“As we’ve said along, we need to be a more consistent team,” said Peters. “We’ve made some progress, but then have taken some steps back. We’re starting to get some guys back from injuries, so that helps.”
Injured captain Jeff Lynch (knee) practiced this week and wants to play this weekend.
Defenseman David Schultz (ribs) should be back. J.P. Szaskiewicz is out at least a week with a shoulder injury sustained at Prince George on Dec. 27.
Matt McCue (cheekbone) remains out indefinitely.
Spokane acquires Erickson
The Chiefs acquired 20-year-old forward Brad Erickson from Prince Albert in exchange for a sixth-round Bantam selection in 2007.
Erickson, a native of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, is in his third season in the WHL.
He has played 146 career games, totaling 19 goals, 31 assists and 90 penalty minutes.
In 17 playoff games last season, he scored five goals and nine points in seventeen games, also adding nine penalty minutes.