Flora blossoms in playoffs
Jaden Flora has fit in like a glove with the Fort Erie Meteors.
The 16-year-old St. Catharines native (he turns 17 next month), joined the Meteors for the playoffs once his season with the Niagara North Stars U18 AAA team was done and quickly became a key contributor.
Flora, who scored a goal in his only game with the Mets last season as a AP (associated player) call up, said he has felt at home in Fort Erie right from the beginning.
“They’re a very welcoming group so it was easy for me to transition because I play with a lot of confidence,” he said. “When I’m playing with confidence, I’m at my best and they made me feel confident.
“The transition was pretty easy and smoothly done. I’m trying to do what I can, whatever the coaches ask of me, but to get these extra goals and contributions is huge obviously.”
Flora made his season debut for the Meteors in Game 4 of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League, Golden Horseshoe Conference quarter-finals versus the Port Colborne Sailors where he scored a pair of goals to help the Mets complete the four-game sweep.
Flora was in the stands to start the next series versus the St. Catharines Falcons but the Meteors lost Game 1 and Fort Erie general/manager coach Nik Passero put Flora back in the lineup where he has stayed since.
“It doesn’t really surprise me,” Passero said of Flora’s success. “He’s good friends with Liam (Beamish) which helps and he was practising with us a little bit this year, played a game for us last year. The guys knew who he was. He should have been a guy that was with us all year but rules dictated otherwise. Brody Kritsch did a great job with him. He’s very well coached and has come in and done everything we’ve asked.”
Flora has seven goals and 12 points in 15 playoff games playing against some of the top Junior B players in the province.
“This is huge, playing with older competition,” he said. “I’m one of the youngest guys out there. It’s only going to make me better and push me to my limits. A lot of great benefits I’m receiving from this. It’s been great.”
He has also been able to skate again with good buddy Liam Beamish.
“Liam is one of my closest friends. We played together a lot growing up and all of last season. Just being able to play with him again is pretty special to me. We have a pretty great bond so it’s fun each shift with him,” Flora said.
Flora set up the game winning overtime goal by Blake Hall Saturday night as the Meteors edged the St Marys Lincolns 2-1 before another packed house at the Leisureplex.
“For me, I love pressure and how big the crowds are and how loud the crowd gets,” he said. “I don’t think about it too much, I just focus on my game. Coming to the rink each day is such a joy. I’m going to remember this for a long time.”
Flora was recently selected in the first round of the Ontario Hockey League U18 draft by the Niagara IceDogs.
“They were talking to my agent and coaches and I hoping to go there. Being a local boy watching them growing up, it’s pretty special to me and my family for sure,” Flora said.
A top notch student at Saint Francis Catholic Secondary School, Flora plans to participate in the IceDogs camps and skates over the summer but isn’t sure what his next move will be.
“Taking it day by day and see what happens,” he said. “I haven’t really been in contact with them directly about playing for them next season.”
Passero feels Flora has the ability to play at the next level.
“I think he can do both (OHL, NCAA). He has a knack for the net. Something we really like about his game is he really drives the play, he pushes the puck to the middle of the ice. He goes to where a lot of guys don’t want to go, that’s why he scores goals. He’s got a unique skill set that not everyone has and it’s tough to teach what he does.
“He’s got a lot of upside in his game.”
Flora may not be the most explosive skater, but makes up for it in other ways.
“You need a little bit of everything,” Passero said. “He’s got high hockey IQ and it makes up for his foot speed. He’s working on his foot speed and it’s gotten much better and that’s something I think will come with maturity.”
The Meteors host the Listowel Cyclones Wednesday at 7 p.m. as the Sutherland Cup round-robin series continues. The Meteors, Cyclone and Lincolns are all 1-1. Fort Erie travel to St. Marys Friday for their final game of the round-robin. The top two teams advance to a best-of-seven final.
The Mets dropped a 6-1 decision at Listowel last week.
“I know for a fact that our team will be better and have a better effort,” Passero said. “ I don’t expect what happened in the first game there to ever happen again. We did have to make a few changes and some X’s and O’s and we’ll be ready to go.”
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