ESTEVAN — Rylan Williams has wasted no time in making a memorable first impression on the Eagle Sky Estevan Bruins.
The 20-year-old forward, acquired in the offseason from the Battlefords North Stars, sits first in the SJHL scoring race, as of Oct. 6, with five goals and eight assists for 13 points in eight games. He was also named the SJHL’s top Saskatchewan player for Sept. 19-28, and was selected as the league’s top forward from Sept. 29-Oct. 5.
And he scored the game-winning goal in the Bruins’ most recent game, a 3-2 overtime victory over the La Ronge Ice Wolves on Oct. 5.
Williams said he’s not surprised how well he has started his final season of junior hockey, although he added he’s not worried about points.
“I’ve put a lot of work in this summer, and the guys have helped me out a lot since I’ve been here with training and stuff, and every day at practice, getting better,” Williams said in an interview with SaskToday. “Everybody’s pushing me to be better, and I’m doing the same thing with them.”
Williams was dealt to the Bruins in an offseason blockbuster, along with goaltender Dylan Adams and defencemen Alex Scheck and Logan Goodwin, in exchange for the SJHL rights to forward Kent Moors, who was leading the Bruins in scoring last season until he left to play in the B.C. Hockey League, and a player development fee. Goodwin left the Bruins earlier this month to return home to B.C., but the Bruins continue to get big contributions from the other three.
Williams admits it was a shock to be dealt, since he had spent two seasons with the Stars and didn’t hear anything about a potential trade until it happened. He was glad to have familiar faces join him in Estevan.
“I talked to them lots after the trade happened, and whether they were going to come or not, but everybody did, so it definitely helped with the transition having a couple of familiar faces,” said Williams.
He also found instant chemistry with centre Ewan Rennie, who sits second in league scoring with three goals and eight assists in eight games.
“We had a couple of practices together at camp, and then [we skated together] at the first game. He’s just a great player with a good [hockey] IQ on him. He knows where I’m going to be and I know where he’s going to be.”
They are always talking off the ice, Williams said, which helps with chemistry.
Williams said he has had a “great” adjustment to Estevan. Everybody wants to win and get better. And he wants a deep playoff run in his final season of junior hockey.
Bruins’ head coach and general manager Drew Kocur said Williams has done some great things since the start of training camp.
“We’re expecting big things from him, not only in the summer when we made the trade, but as the season got going and the games are going to get tougher with harder matchups,” said Kocur. “He seems to rise to the occasion and he’s done a great job thus far.”
His leadership has been even better than expected, said Kocur. Williams is wearing an “A” on his jersey as an alternate captain. And the coach has been impressed with Williams’ competitiveness and work ethic, both in games and in practices.
The Bruins picked up three of a possible six points in a northern road trip, their first of the season. It didn’t start well in a 3-1 loss to the Nipawin Hawks on Oct. 3. Nipawin scored twice in the opening two minutes of the game, and had a 3-0 lead for most of the contest. Cash Olson scored the Bruins’ lone goal with 62 seconds to play in the third.
Bruins’ goaltender Brady Carr allowed goals on both shots he faced, and was replaced by Dylan Adams, who gave up one goal on 26 shots.
Estevan then lost 4-3 in overtime to La Ronge the following night. Noah Asmundson scored twice, including the marker with 2:13 to play in regulation that sent the game to overtime. Rennie had the other goal.
William Knox had the overtime winner for La Ronge.
Adams stopped 40 of the 44 shots he faced.
Williams had the winner 34 seconds into overtime in the second game against the Ice Wolves. Asmundson and Daniel Tverdovsky also scored; Tverdovsky’s goal was his first in the SJHL.
Nathan Kam, who recently joined the Bruins from the Kelowna Rockets of the Western Hockey League, stopped 37 shots to get his first SJHL win.
The Bruins’ next game will be Oct. 11 against at home against the two-time defending SJHL champions, the Melfort Mustangs, starting at 7 p.m. at Affinity Place.
