Image Credit: Kamloops Blazers/Allen Douglas

By Adam Donnelly

KAMLOOPS BLAZERS HOCKEY CLUB

Blazers still believe but know they need results if they hope to secure a playoff spot

Jan 2, 2024 | 6:30 PM

KAMLOOPS — Two games past the halfway point in the Kamloops Blazers season, the team has a record of 9-22-3-2. Despite struggling to find wins this year, the team is only eight points out of a playoff spot. They still believe a post-season berth is a possibility for the club, but also know it’s going to take a whole bunch of wins to accomplish that goal.

With a win over Moose Jaw in the final game of their East division road trip and a victory over the Kelowna Rockets on December 27th, the Blazers won two games in a row for the third time this season. However, a pair of losses since, against Kelowna and Prince George, the club is in search of consistency, as they’ve passed the halfway point of their season.

“These next two games are really important for us to get moving in the right direction,” Associate Coach Don Hay tells CFJC Today. “The playoffs are still in sight, but we have to start putting something together.”

If the Blazers hope to make the WHL playoffs a year after hosting the Memorial Cup, they have a significant hill to climb to do so. Right now, the Blazers are in the basement of the WHL’s Western Conference, eight points behind the Spokane Chiefs, who hold the eighth and final playoff spot.

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“The message in the room was kind of, let’s start fresh here,” 20-year-old forward Dylan Sydor says. “We didn’t have the best record in the first half, but the second half, it’s almost a new season. We want to get every win we can, and with Edmonton coming up, they’re on a bit of a hot streak. We need this win.”

While the Oil Kings are the basement dwellers in the Eastern Conference, they have points in five straight games heading into Wednesday’s matchup with the Blazers, a game Kamloops needs to win.

“I think our whole group just realizes enough’s enough,” goaltender Dylan Ernst says. “If we want to make a playoff push we’re going to need to start winning games.”

With such a young squad, Ernst has found himself in more of a leadership role with this team, as the Blazers continue to battle for consistency.

“I’ve been more vocal this year than past years, for sure,” Ernst says. “I do it because I’ve seen how those younger guys can play, they’re all really skilled players, and it’s nice to see when they can bring it out in games. Sometimes you just need to give them that little extra push.”

16-year-old forward Andrew Thomson has eight goals and four assists in 35 games with the Blazers this year. He understands what needs to be done if the team hopes to have a chance at a playoff spot.

“Obviously, we’re going to need to put a lot of wins together to get to playoffs, and I think we’re very capable of doing that and having a good push in the second half,” Thomson says. “I think it’s all about trust in the second half.”

Of the 15 forwards listed on the Blazers’ roster, eight of those players are playing in their first or second full year of eligibility in the WHL. With 32 games remaining in the regular season, the coaching staff expects those players to step up and start contributing more to the success of the team.

“It can be a little bit of a grind at first,” Hay suggests. “Now they should be reenergized and ready to go. I really expect a big improvement from the younger players.”

With the WHL’s trade deadline looming on January 10th, those results will need to start showing up soon, or the Blazers could very well be sellers come deadline day.