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WHL Red Deer Rebels

Rebels Newcomer Borysiuk Already Showing Plenty of Promise

February 27, 2018 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Red Deer Rebels News Release


After suiting up with the major bantam team in Lloydminster during the 2015-16 hockey season, Jordan Borysiuk took his skills to Kelowna.

The move was strictly for personal reasons, the recently turned (Jan. 26) 16-year-old said Tuesday, and who could argue with the results?

"I went there for my (WHL bantam) draft year, tried to get as much exposure as I could," he said of his decision to attend the Pursuit of Excellence Academy and suit up with the bantam prep team in '16-17.

His hopes of being exposed to WHL scouts on a more regular basis were realized, thanks to the fact he was part of a championship team and five of his teammates were selected in the first round of last year's draft.

Borysiuk didn't go that high, but he didn't last past the third round where the Rebels nabbed him with the 63rd overall pick.

The Mannville product returned to Lloydminster last fall and skated with the midget AAA Bobcats, leading the team in scoring as a 15-year-old with 16 goals and 28 points in 25 games.

The Bobcats failed to quality for the AMHL playoffs, though, and Borysiuk was summoned to the Rebels for the remainder of this season. He appeared in his first two WHL games last weekend.

"It was a great opportunity for me. It was really good to experience it and get the nerves out," he said.

Borysiuk was a 42-point player (27g,15a) in 35 games with the Lloydminster major bantam squad in '15-16, but felt his production fell off slightly the following season at POE.

"In my second year of bantam I wasn't put in too much of a scoring role, but in my first year of bantam I was and I kind of built off that in my first year of midget this season," said the five-foot-10, 164-pound forward, who nonetheless scored 16 goals and collected 40 points in 30 regular-season games with POE and added another seven points (4-3) in five playoff outings.

His decision to return to Alberta for the 2017-18 campaign was based on the chance to play one final season near his hometown (Mannville is 81 km west of Lloydminster).

"I was thinking this season would hopefully be my last year at home so I wanted to be there as much as I could. Playing in Lloyd was a good idea," said Borysiuk.

Clearly, he didn't miss a beat during his first year at the midget AAA level.

"I had a good season, I was put in a lot of good situations," he said. "But the lack of team success we had was disappointing.

"Overall, I got a lot better as the season went on and I'm happy with that part."

Now that he's graduated to the major junior ranks, Borysiuk realizes he has to focus on more than his offensive game.

"I should be able to bring a two-way game to this team," he said. "That's what I need to work on right now and that's what I'll need to be successful as a young player in this league.

"Right now I have to focus on taking care of my own end and the scoring and stuff will come later."

Based on what he's seen of the youngster to date, including his first two WHL games, Rebels GM/head coach Brent Sutter is confident that Borysiuk will be a major player with the club.

"He's come in and shown that he's such a good skater," said the Rebels boss. "He's strong on his feet and he's smart. And he has really good hands.

"If he continues to develop he's going to be a really good player at this level."

Notable: Forward Ethan Rowland joined the Rebels Tuesday following the completion of his midget AAA season. Red Deer's first-round pick in the 2017 bantam draft was with the Calgary Northstars and will stay with the Rebels for the rest of the season. He won't play tonight versus the visiting Calgary Hitmen. Forward Zak Smith, who played six games with the Rebels this winter, may also be brought in at some point, depending on the playoff success of his junior A team in Neepawa, Man.

Scouting Report

Rebels vs. Calgary Hitmen, 7 p.m. Wednesday, Centrium

Calgary fell 6-4 to the visiting Swift Current Broncos Tuesday and sits 11th in the Eastern Conference and fifth in the Central Division with a record of 19-34-5-2. The Hitmen are 4-5-0-1 in their last 10 games . . . Calgary LW Jakob Stukel has contributed a team high 51 points this season, including 31 goals. C Jake Kryski is next in line with 14 goals and 47 points, followed by C Mark Kastelic (15-21-36) and D Vladislav Yeryomenko (13-23-36 in 52 games). LW Luke Coleman (14-21-35) and LW Riley Stotts (14-20-34) have each surpassed the 30-point mark. Stotts, formerly with Swift Current, has 31 points (12-19) in 36 games with the Hitmen . . . Nick Schneider is 28th among WHL goaltenders with a .372 goals-against average. His save percentage is .884 . . . . Stukel was selected by Vancouver in the sixth round of the 2016 NHL entry draft. Schneider signed a free-agent entry level deal with the Calgary Flames in September of 2015.

Injuries: Calgary - G Nick Sanders (lower body, 1-2 weeks), D Jackson van de Leest (lower body, 2-3 weeks). Red Deer - None.

Special teams: Calgary - Power play 17.9 per cent, 19th overall; penalty kill 78.1 per cent, 10th. Red Deer - Power play 17.5 per cent, 20th overall; penalty kill 77.8, 14th.

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