An off-season addition to the Green and Gold is making a big splash on the blueline.
Defenceman Noah Kim has made an immediate impact in his first season with the Okotoks Oilers as the second leading scorer at his position in the Alberta Junior Hockey League with 18 points in just 15 games.
“He’s been great since we’ve got him,” said Oilers associate coach Kyle Schussler. “His character is phenomenal, very soft spoken and quiet kid, but he takes control on the ice.
“He moves really well, his mobility is fantastic, great shot from the point and he sees lanes really well and gets open for those shots.”
The 19-year-old’s 18 points — 6 goals, including four on the powerplay, and 12 assists — ties him for tops among all-Oilers with alternate captain Marc Pasemko.
“Nothing but praise for the guys on the team,” Kim said. “Whatever they’re doing, making good passes, screening the goalie well. And I’m thankful for the opportunities the coaches give me on the powerplay.”
Kim has been a fixture on the man-advantage as part of a strong group of point producers on the back-end that includes captain Ayden Roche-Setoguchi and second-year stalwarts Eric Parker and Seth Bernard-Docker.
It’s a special teams unit clicking at the third best rate in the provincial loop and is the most efficient powerplay on home ice, good for 34.6 per cent, in the AJHL.
“It’s definitely something that I’ve always wanted to be good at, especially being a smaller defenceman,” Kim said. “I try to work on my skills and my shot so I can make an impact on the powerplay. This year it’s been going great and hopefully we can keep it going.
“All the guys we have out there are so skilled that it’s easy to make plays with them and the coaches have been really honest about just getting pucks through on net and screening and getting to the net and it’s really been working out for us.”
Kim is one of four off-season additions the Oilers made from the Calgary Mustangs, who took a year of absence as a franchise rendering its players free-agents for the season.
“My time in Calgary with the Mustangs was great, I loved all the coaches,” Kim said. “They really helped me gain my confidence back. It was great to hear from certain few teams and once I heard from (Oilers head coach Tyler Deis) he told me about the opportunity he would give me in Okotoks.”
Kim, along with goaltender Ashton Abel — the reigning AJHL Defensive Player of the week — and forwards Mitchell Watson and Joel Krahenbil have all made seamless transitions to the Green and Gold from the Stampede City.
“We knew he was talented, we knew he’s a skilled player,” Schussler said. “He works hard and we knew that he would come in and mesh with the group and he’s been absolutely great.”
Fortunately, getting used to new surroundings is old hat for the 2000-born skater.
The Fullerton, California product, who got into the sport after watching his sister take off in figure skating, has skated in California, Massachusetts, Washington and Minnesota prior to arriving in Big Rock Country.
“All those places I’ve been to or whether it was prep school or playing in the (NAHL), every experience you learn new things,” Kim said. “Coming in here I’ve been able to take all of those experiences and all I’ve learned from different coaches and different teammates and put it together.
“I definitely love it here, that’s why I decided to come back to Canada. Canadian junior hockey is really fast paced and skilled and for the most part they want you to make plays.”
Northern sweep
Getting six points out of a three games in three days road trip is no easy feat.
Okotoks (12-2-1) accomplished exactly that in taking three straight on the road over the Grande Prairie Storm, Whitecourt Wolverines and Drayton Valley Thunder from Oct. 18-20. That brings Okotoks’ winning streak to four games overall.
“The depth of the group — everybody came to play in a hard three games,” Schussler said. “Having three in about 2 ½ days there … it’s hard on the body, hard to recover and some really good opponents in the north there.
“Just the depth of the group, the versatility behind everybody and their ability to deal with the adversity they were facing there is what allowed them to come through with all three.”
First-period goals from Pasemko, Louis Jamernik and Kim powered the Oilers to the 3-2 conquest of the Storm on Oct. 18.
Brady Parker earned his first win of the season, making 21 saves in the 3-2 triumph over the Wolverines on Oct. 19.
Rookie Brett Moravec notched his first AJHL goal in the win, Pasemko and Zane Kindrachuk also found the back of the net, the latter the game winner with 16 seconds left in regulation.
Okotoks closed the northern sojourn by scoring a 3-1 result on Oct. 20 in Drayton Valley. Kindrachuk, Kim and Brayden Morrison provided the offence.
The Oilers are back on home ice this week with games versus the No. 1 ranked Brooks Bandits on Oct. 22, the Olds Grizzlys on Oct. 25 and Camrose Kodiaks on Oct. 26.
For more information go to okotoksoilers.ca
