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The first entry from Edmonton Oil Kings forward Curtis Lazar came to us back in September. If you missed it you can find it HERE. Chapter 2 included his experiences in the early part of the 2012-13 WHL season and the Subway Super Series. Part 2 is available HERE.
Offering his thoughts on the last couple of months including the CHL Top Prospects Game, The Pipeline Show is pleased to be able to bring you the third chapter in the 2013 Draft Blog by Curtis Lazar of the Edmonton Oil Kings.
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| Photo: Andy Devlin |
Hello everyone, Curtis Lazar here…
A lot has happened recently regarding the Oil Kings as well as
myself.
As a team we hit our groove in the month of December which made
leaving for Christmas break that much more enjoyable. I was fortunate enough to
have a week at home in Vernon BC where I spent the majority of my time off with
what is most important to me, being my family. I had the chance to get out and
watch my siblings play some of their
hockey which was a blast. It is amazing to see the progress my sister and two
brothers have made this year and it makes me proud to see how much fun they
have playing the game I also enjoy. Before I knew it I was back in Edmonton
anxious and excited to start the second half and make a strong push towards the
end of the season and into the playoffs.
December was the month I had a new mindset; I’d let a lot of the
stuff I couldn't control influence my game at the start of the season and I
felt like it was time to wipe the slate clean and get back to playing ‘Curtis
Lazar Hockey’ which involves an ever-lasting smile on my face.
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| Photo: Andy Devlin |
We played some solid hockey for the first part of December and
returning from the break we all were ready to continue our success into 2013.
The first practice after the break was a little different; we were missing
quite a few players for a good cause. Griffin Reinhart, David Musil and Edgars
Kulda all got the nod to represent their countries in the World Junior
Championship and Dysin Mayo along with coach Steve Hamilton and trainer Brian
Cheeseman were off to Quebec for the World U17 Hockey challenge.
This led to great
opportunities for players such as Aaron Irving and Ben Carroll to get into some
WHL action. Goalie coach Dustin Schwartz and coach Sean Brown got some time
behind the bench filling in for coach Hamilton and Brian Cheeseman's fiancé
Adrienne Dorn took to the trainer’s room for the team. All in all, we came
together closer as a team and picked up some valuable points during this time.
The trade deadline came before we knew it and it was an emotional
time for the team. We had to say good-bye to Klarc Wilson who moved onto the
Prince George Cougars. Klarc was a great team guy and I really enjoyed getting
to know him over the last year and a half. He will be greatly missed in a Oil
Kings jersey.
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| Photo: Andy Devlin |
At this time we also swung a deal with Vancouver bringing in Trevor
Cheek who fits into our team perfectly. With the addition of Cheek and getting
Martin Gernat back from injury, it looks like we have a very deep hockey team
which has always been our strength.
Along came January and I was really looking forward to participating
in the CHL Top Prospects game in Halifax, NS mid month. I was feeling really
good when I landed in Halifax mainly because I had a special game versus
Medicine Hat the night before. We earned a 3-0 win and I was able to collect
all the goals, it was one of those nights where I was on my game and nothing
was going to stop me.
Back to the prospects game.. Halifax was the exact place where I
played in the Canada Winter Games for Team BC and we captured the gold medal.
Just walking into the Metro centre sent chills down my spine as all the
memories I had came rushing back to me.
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| Photo: Dave Chan |
I was placed on Team Orr who was coached by Mike McPhee and Doug
MacLean. One of the goalies for Team Cherry was Tristan Jarry, my goalie here
in Edmonton (above) - I wanted nothing more than to put one past him in the game.
Before we played we had a series of fitness testing which was rather
unique for myself. There was one on-ice test that I will never forget. It was a
reaction test with a green flashing light meaning go left while a red flashing
light meant go right, pretty straight forward correct…. not if you’re colour
blind which is exactly what I am! I could not tell the flashing lights apart
because I am red-green colour blind, this was quite humorous for not only
myself but my staff and teammates as well. With a couple adjustments I managed
to get through the test.
It was game time and we were all nervous to get that first shift in.
The pace was fast and the crowd was loud and oh was it ever fun. I was on a
line with great players in Sean Monahan and Kirby Rychel who both play in the
OHL. We had a 1-0 lead after the first and we never looked back.
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| Photo: Dave Chan |
Come the second period, I noticed that my line wasn't generating
much offensively and I really wanted to leave an impression on people and show
them that I am a multi-dimensional player.
I got tied up in front and some
pushing and shoving occurred before I asked Darnell Nurse, my friend and
teammate during the Ivan Hlinka tournament, to dance and he gladly accepted. I
gave up a lot of size during this tilt but I feel I held my own quite well, I
got strung out for a bit but countered with a flurry of my own punches. When we
both got to the box we looked at each other and shared a smile and a laugh.
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| Photo: Dave Chan |
The game ended in a 3-0 win for us and my roommate Laurent Dauphin
got player of the game for us while Tristan Jarry stole the show in his half of
the game and picked up player of the game for team Cherry.
Curtis
Lazar is a center with the Edmonton Oil Kings of the WHL. He is listed
by the team at 6'0 and 198 lbs. The B.C. native is universally
considered a 1st round prospect for the 2013 NHL Draft. ISS ranked him 11th overall in January while NHL Central Scouting has him 26th in North America. He currently has scored 24 goals and 38 points through 52
games of the WHL season.
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