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Okotokian getting rewarded for hard work with Hitmen

For Calgary Hitmen defenceman Keaton Lubin, years of hard work are starting to pay off. The Okotoks native was recently named to the Team Pacific roster for the upcoming 2011 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge in Winnipeg.
Calgary Hitmen rookie Keaton Lubin is making an impact in the Western Hockey League and was recently named to the U-17 Selects Team Pacific for the upcoming World Hockey
Calgary Hitmen rookie Keaton Lubin is making an impact in the Western Hockey League and was recently named to the U-17 Selects Team Pacific for the upcoming World Hockey Challenge in Winnipeg.

For Calgary Hitmen defenceman Keaton Lubin, years of hard work are starting to pay off.

The Okotoks native was recently named to the Team Pacific roster for the upcoming 2011 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge in Winnipeg. The tournament, beginning on Dec. 29, will feature some of the best Junior-aged players from across the country.

Lubin was predictably ecstatic when he heard the news of his selection.

“Obviously it’s a great accomplishment and I’m really excited to go,” he said. “I’ve been working for 11 years and everything’s been paying off.”

Though he attended the Provincial tryout camp, Lubin considered himself a long shot to be named as one of Team Pacific’s 11 defencemen.

However, after earning a spot with the Calgary Hitmen of the Western Hockey League (WHL) this season, the young defenceman thought his chances had considerably improved.

Turns out, he was right.

“I really didn’t think I had a chance to make top 11, it’s such a prestigious team,” he recalled. “Then things just kept going uphill, I made the Hitmen and then I thought, ‘Maybe I do have a shot’ and I got the call and I’m just really excited.”

With just a couple weeks to go before tournament play begins, Team Pacific’s coaches have yet to communicate to Lubin what his role will be on the team.

For now, the Okotoks resident is just focusing on the team aspect of the competition; namely to bring home the gold medal.

“To win the tournament, that would be unreal,” Lubin said.

Although Team Pacific is made up of Juniors from across Alberta and B.C., Lubin will hardly be in the dressing room with a bunch of unfamiliar faces.

“I’ve been playing with all the 11 guys from Alberta for my whole life,” he stated.

While he may not know a large portion of the BC contingent, Lubin will be joined by Hitmen teammate Chase Clayton, who is a native of Abbotsford.

The chance to play in the Under-17 Hockey Challenge is the icing on what has been a productive year, hockey-wise, for Lubin.

After playing for the Midget AAA UFA Bisons last season, the Hitmen defenceman has grown and adjusted to the WHL’s level of play.

While the transition has been a positive experience, Lubin does observe a major difference between the league where he presently resides versus where he was last season.

“It’s so much faster and… instead of 17-year-olds being the older guys, you’re playing with 20-year-olds,” he remarked. “It’s a big jump; you’re playing with men now.”

The noticeable difference in game speed has led Lubin, five-foot-11 and 175 pounds, to make improvements in his own game.

“I’ve just got to get quicker,” he said. “Before I’d maybe be the fastest guy on the team and now I’m more in the middle of the pack so I’ve just got to work on speed.”

By gaining more speed, Lubin noted he would be able to jump into the rush easier and create offensive chances without sacrificing anything on the defensive side.

Facing a steep learning curve heading into training camp, Lubin is slowly earning more and more trust from his coaches.

“Gradually I’ve been getting more ice time throughout the year,” he said.

The increase in ice time has included turns on the power play and penalty kill. The chance to play on special teams is a rarity for rookies, let alone 16 year olds.

However, Lubin has continued to let his play do the talking.

Thus far, the 2010-2011 season has been one of transition for the Calgary Hitmen.

After winning last year’s WHL championship, the exodus of veterans has left the team almost unrecognizable from the squad that played for the Memorial Cup mere months ago in Brandon, MB.

The rapid turnover is hardly a new concept in Junior hockey.

“That always happens in Junior hockey,” said Lubin. “You have a really strong team for a couple years and then there’s that rebuilding process when the older players leave and younger players come in.”

As part of that younger group, Lubin said he hopes to usher in a new era of greatness for a Calgary Hitmen organization that has come to expect a winner.

“Our younger players are going to develop and eventually we’ll be another really good team and a force in the league.”

As far off as it may seen, National Hockey League scouts and representatives will no doubt be in attendance in Winnipeg, scouting Team Pacific for future prospects.

Lubin is aware of this, but he knows the most important thing is to keep focused on the task at hand.

“It’s always in the back of your mind. You’ve got NHL scouts up there and that’s been a childhood dream for every hockey player in the world but you’ve got to stay focused on whatever you’re doing,” Lubin said. “If you start thinking too much about what the scouts are thinking then nothing’s going to happen on the ice.”

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