You don’t get a second chance to make a great first impression in hockey and the newest Junior A Oiler did not disappoint.
Kolton Dixon made the most of his debut performance with the Okotoks Oilers last week in Calgary. The 17-year-old blueliner was a fight away from a Gordie Howe hat trick in his first game with Okotoks since being re-assigned by the Western Hockey League’s Victoria Royals on Nov. 11.
“Things started clicking early and I built up all the stuff from Victoria and brought it back with me and used it in this league of play,” Dixon said. “Everything went as well as I hoped it would and I was happy to get two points out of a big game.”
Dixon played in nine games with the Royals and two months into the season he had visions of sticking with the capital city team for the year.
Unfortunately, there’s no job security in Junior hockey.
“Each day you have those suspicions,” Dixon said. “You never know. You could get traded. You could get sent down.
“Towards the end right before we came to Alberta I was pretty sure I would be there until at least the trade deadline so it came as a big shock to me, my family and even my teammates.”
The Red Deer native found the unfortunate news at a morning skate during the Royals’ Alberta swing last week.
“They ended up keeping three 16-year-olds on defence and they have to have 40 games played,” Dixon said. “So they didn’t think I would get enough ice-time and wanted to develop me so they felt I should come down to Junior A here.”
Dixon said he is looking to rediscover his love for playing hockey with the green-and-gold of Okotoks after spending too many game nights sporting a suit and carrying a clipboard with the Royals.
“I played only nine games out of 20 and that means I took stats on the other nights,” he said. “It really made me realize that you take for granted when you’re playing. You miss the game.
“I’m really happy to come here to get a lot of playing time and hopefully develop myself better as a player.”
The Oilers are ecstatic to add a talented defenceman during a time when the Alberta Junior Hockey League team has been hit with a rash of injuries.
Key defencemen Jordan Swenson, Max Mowat and Tariq Hammond are currently on the mend and forward Scott Bolland has been called into spot duty on defence.
Okotoks head coach James Poole said he is glad to have Dixon back in the fold.
“He started in our main camp and went to Victoria and we kind of expected to get him back, but he had a great camp and did a lot of great things there,” Poole said. “With our injury situation it was a no-brainer for us that once he was looking for a place to play that we would bring him on.”
The Oilers’ bench boss said he expects the former Royal to add some bite to the defensive corps.
“We’re happy to have him,” Poole said. “He’s a big body. He’s a little bit different from what we have. He’s got more of a mean streak, a lot of potential and I think he’s pretty solid defensively.”
Amidst the Oilers’ plethora of smaller, offensive-minded defencemen the six-foot-five, 190-pound Dixon and fellow Oilers skyscraper Drew Weich stick out like sore thumbs.
“I try to bring a physical presence with me and I also think the reach and the long legs help with a big stride,” said Dixon of the benefits of his size. “Intimidation comes around with that too so I think us taller guys have a bit of an upper hand off the bat on the defensive side of things.”
Dixon, a product of the Red Deer Midget AAA Rebels who won a Telus Cup title last season with fellow-Oiler Stefan Danielson, said he plays a well-balanced game from the back-end with an emphasis on play in his own zone.
“If I were to lean to one it would be more of a defensive defenceman first,” Dixon said. “If the opportunity is there I will definitely step up and try and contribute on the scoreboard as well.”
