The 18-year-old standing alone atop the record books certainly made his point.
After a productive final week of the regular season, Okotoks Oilers second-year centre Jack Works is the franchise record holder for most goals, 43,and points in a single season, 92.
“A lot of really good players have played here so it’s pretty cool,” said Works of the points record. “I played a few (more) games than (Dylan) Holloway so he’ll always have that over me.
“You try not think about it too much, I definitely wasn’t thinking about the record coming in at all. It just kind of happened.”
Works eclipsed his former teammate Holloway’s record of 88 points established just one season ago.
The Denver Pioneers commit has skated almost exclusively with wingers Marc Pasemko and Zane Kindrachuk from the outset and they’ve given the coaches no reason to split up a trio that combines speed, skill and a healthy heaping of grit.
Highlights during the season include back-to-back hat-trick performances in wins over Canmore and Drumheller in November as well as a 17-game point streak to close the campaign and a nomination for AJHL MVP - which ultimately went to league leading scorer Arjun Atwal of Sherwood Park.
“We had a decent start and it kind of picked up October, November and it never really slowed down,” Works said. “Confidence at the start was pretty cool and the Showcase is really where it took off.
“Both of them have 25 or more goals, they’ve both been really good. And we kind of play a similar game which is get in the corners and work it and get to the net and just the way we play, going to the net really hard is why we’ve got a lot of offence going.”
Head coach Tyler Deis is not surprised Works has produced a record-setting campaign.
“It’s everything when you come and watch a game,” Deis said. “You just see the determination, the desire and just his effort that he brings game in and game out and that’s the type of player he is.”
Works had an eye-catching rookie season with 18 goals and 29 points and more than tripled that production in 2019-20.
It’s about opportunity as much as anything.
“He got the opportunity with our top seven players not being here,” Deis added. “You’ve got to remember he scored 18 goals last year and now he’s bumped into the role here.
“He’s always going to have that production, always going to be that guy. I think our depth is a little bit better right now with our three lines and our fourth line playing well. Even if he does get shutdown we have those other lines.”
For Works, one of the big improvements has been in harnessing his considerable competitiveness in the right direction with the opposition doing everything it can to get him off his game.
“Last year I would let it get to me a bit and I would run around a bit,” Works said. “But this year I just ignore it more of the time and I try to get them back by scoring goals and that’s kind of how I’ve been playing this year.
“Sometimes they think they’re in my head, but they’re just making me better, sometimes it fires you up.”
Poking the bear isn’t always a wise strategy — particularly for a big game player.
On top of being just the third Oiler to hit the 40-goal mark, Works is second in the league with 12 game-winning goals.
“He’s got that intensity where big games he plays big time,” Deis said. “He’s always that bring like that.
“The bigger the game and the more it’s about, the bigger he comes out and shows out.”
