Falcons head west for captain
Kyle West was called into general manager/coach Frank Girhiny’s office before practice this week and emerged a few minutes later as the captain of the St. Catharines Falcons.
West admitted he was taken aback when given the news.
“It was a bit of a surprise, ya,” West said.
West, a 20-year-old Burlington resident, was a natural choice, according to Girhiny.
“When we were looking at a captain, we had to look around and it was unanimous when talking to the other coaches,” said Girhiny, who is in his seventh season with the Falcons. “We have Kenny Bradford and my brother Rick (Girhiny), who were both former captains for many years, and they said he has all the qualities we want as a Falcon captain.”
West said Girhiny has been in his ear to be a leader since training camp opened.
“I know he’s been harping on me to be a leader out there, but I didn’t know if that meant actually having a letter or just being an older guy and kind of showing the young guys the way.”
Girhiny loves what West brings to the table.
“First and foremost, he’s a 20-year-old and a veteran in the league,” Girhiny said. “He comes with a good pedigree — his father played lots of hockey in Europe — so he has a good understanding of the game. When he came here last year from Brantford, he showed how he prepares himself, how he is in the dressing room, how he is with his peers, the trainers, and how he plays on the ice, which is always hard, and he chips in offensively because of that.”
West is not an overly vocal player, which is fine with Girhiny.
“I pretty much let him be who he is, but he sets the tone. I think how he approaches each practice, how he approaches each game and how he gets ready, he’s going to lead by that. He’s not a rah-rah kind of guy, although, he does play with a little bit of an edge.”
West feels the best way to lead is by example.
“I find it’s not always the most vocal guys, it’s the guys who lead by example and do the right things every day,” he said. “(Tyler) MacArthur was an awesome captain last year. He didn’t say a whole ton in the room, but every night he was a beast. I’m just going to try my best to follow in his footsteps.
“You want to set a good example, especially for the younger guys. That’s the most important thing. A lot of people can say and talk about what we should do, but you have to be the guy to actually go out there and show them.”
West, who played 45 games for the Guelph Storm in 2015, joined the Falcons at the trade deadline last season and immediately showed both a strong work ethic and ability to put the puck in the net.
He really shone in the playoffs where he collected four goals and nine points in 11 games.
West, who has never worn a captain’s C or assistant’s A, said his time with the Falcons last season was invaluable.
“You know what to expect coming in. You know the guys and the coaches and what they expect from you. It’s a huge benefit having that experience from last year.”
Girhiny expects West to be a sounding board between the coaching staff and the players.
“There’s no doubt he has our trust as coaches. He’s perfect from that perspective,” Girhiny said. “If he has to talk to us about circumstances, we’re listening with our ears open.
“We have a real good dialogue already and this will just continue that.”
West, whose father Mark West played several seasons of pro in Europe, was born in Sweden and also lived Switzerland, Italy and England. The family moved back to Canada when he was six and settled in Burlington. He is in his second year at the University of Guelph where he is majoring in criminal justice and public policy.
West would love nothing more than to end his final career of junior with a title.
“I want to have some good team success here. I want to make it past last year where we left off in the playoffs. This is my last year, I really want to win a Suthy (Sutherland Cup).”
The Falcons open the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League regular season Friday at home to the Niagara Falls Canucks.
The club features 10 players back from last year’s squad which lost in the final to the Caledonia Corvairs — West, Andrew Sommerville, Dakota Miskolczi, Tanner Brown, Jaleel Adams, Jack Venneri, Noah Perlic, Tanner Main, Carson Eden and goaltender Dylan Lamarche.
Notable newcomers include forward Xavier Drummond, who split time last season between Newmarket and Midland Junior C, promising defenceman Dawson McKinney from Binbrook, as well as rearguard Brennan Butler, who showed well at camp with the Niagara IceDogs.
“We’re finalized (roster) but we’ll see how everything works out,” Girhiny said.
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