The Calgary are leaning on their veterans as they prepare to open their first-round playoff series against the Saskatoon Blades on Friday night.
For many of the Hitmen, it will be their first taste of the playoffs in two years. That’s where a player like defenceman Kalem Parker can be so valuable at this time of year.
Last year, Parker went on a long playoff run with the eventual WHL champions, the Moose Jaw Warriors. Parker says at this time of year, you need to be level-headed.
“You’ve got to live in the moment,” said the 20-year-old defender.
“I think a lot of it is just riding the wave. If you win a game, you can’t get too high because you’re playing the next day no matter what against the same team and they’re going to be hungry.
“Then at the same time when you lose a game, you can’t get too low. Obviously, you’re playing the next night or in a couple of days, so you’ve got to be ready to bounce back and win the next game.”
A lot of the Hitmen have already reached out to Parker for some advice, including captain Carson Wetsch.
“We’ve already talked to him a couple of times,” said the 18-year-old forward.
“With that playoff experience he has a lot to say, so we’re just picking his brain as much as we can and it’s going to be huge for the playoff series and the deep run.”
“We’ve also got Lukas Hansen in there and he has 30-something playoff games too, so we’re picking his brain also.”
Hauser day-to-day
Another player with a lot of playoff experience is goaltender Daniel Hauser. He went to the WHL final with the Winnipeg Ice in 2022-23.
But head coach Paul McFarland says the 21 year old may not be ready to start the series against the Blades.
“It’s day-to-day with him right now. Obviously if he can go, he’ll be our starter,” said McFarland.
“If he can’t, then we have Anders Miller, who is more than capable for us to play in net. For us, we have confidence in both of our goalies. They’ve had outstanding years for us.”
The Hitmen know it’s not going to be an easy series against the Blades. Veteran defenceman Sawyer Mynio says the Hitmen just have to worry about themselves.
“We just have to play our game,” said the 19-year-old defender.
“We know what they’re like over there; we’ve played them a few times this year. If we just stick to our game plan, it should go well.
The first two games will be played in Calgary on Friday night and Sunday afternoon. Games three and four shift to Saskatoon on Tuesday and Wednesday.
If necessary, they’ll play game 5 in Calgary on April 4, game six in Saskatoon on April 6 and game seven back in Calgary on April 8.
