Some hockey observers say Prince George Cougars rookie defenceman Ryan Schoettler reminds them of a young Joe Hicketts.
Tate Olson, Schoettler's defence partner, says there's no doubt Schoettler possesses some of the traits that made the Detroit Red Wings want to sign Hicketts from the Victoria Royals as an undrafted player.
But Olson is more familiar with another Joe - an undersized defenceman similar in stature to the five-foot-10, 165-pound Schoettler - who developed into a fan favourite at CN Centre in a four-year WHL career that ended last season.
"He reminds me a lot of Joe Carvalho, just calm and smart with the puck and he doesn't panic when he gets it, but he's got a way better shot than Joe - his shot was terrible," laughed Olson.
"(Schoettler) knows what he's doing and he's learning everything real quick and he's awesome to play with. It seems like he's already been playing in the league for three years. He does everything right already. It makes my job easier."
The 17-year-old Schoettler was a bit of a dark horse when he arrived for his second training camp with the Cougars but it didn't take long for him to turn the heads of the new coaching staff. He's gradually earned more icetime, taking on key roles to fill in for injured or suspended teammates. In the absence of captain Sam Ruopp, now serving an eight-game suspension, Schoettler is also drawing power-play duty, and his confidence has skyrocketed accordingly.
"When I got here I wasn't sure how much I'd play but so far everything's been good," said Schoettler, a native of Lloydminster, Alta. "It was challenging at the start because everyone's bigger, stronger, faster, and you have to compete way harder to get the pucks and stuff. I've had to work on my footspeed so I can keep up to these faster guys and I've also had to work on my hands and offensive abilities."
He scored his first WHL goal in the second game of the season, Sept. 24 in Victoria and has since added three assists to his point total. He also ranks as a plus-3, having played 18 of the Cougars' 22 games.
"His feet are really good, his stick is really good and his processing of the game is extraordinary," said Cougars assistant coach Steve O'Rourke. "He's a kid who came out of nowhere for us as a staff and he's a guy we talk about with the (NHL) scouts on a regular basis. He's one at the top of the list to watch. Right now I'd say he's one of the top guys we have.
"He's smart and he's good positionally. He's confident five-on-five, he's doing a good job penalty-killing when we throw him out there. Adding that bit of power play is a cookie for him but it's not something that might stay there all season. He's definitely earned it, just the way he processes the game and moves the puck."
Although he's dwarfed by many of his opponents, Schoettler somehow manages to keep his body out of the way of the bone-crunching hits and only rarely does he get out-muscled. A left-handed shot, he has the rare ability to play the offside on a team that has a shortage of righties.
The Cougars picked Schoettler in the seventh round of the 2014 WHL bantam draft, right after he led the Lloydminster Heat to the silver medal at the Western Canadian bantam championship. He then joined the Lloydminster Bandit Pipeline Bobats and played midget triple-A for two seasons. The Bobcats finished second at the Mac's tournament in January, after defeating the Cariboo Cougars in the semifinal round, then won the Alberta Cup and Pacific regional championships to qualify for the Telus Cup national tournament. Playing alongside Ty Smith, the Spokane Chiefs' first-overall bantam pick in 2015, Schoettler helped the Bobcats to a 3-1 record in the Telus Cup round-robin. The team then lost in the semifinals to North York and was defeated by Lac St. Louis in the bronze-medal game.
Schoettler has developed a history of playing for winning hockey teams, which has continued in his rookie season with the Cougars.
"He knows how to win - he's been around that culture and you can't put a price on that," said O'Rourke. "It's important to know in a final game what has to be done. Ryan has played in those games and that's huge."
The Cats are off to a 16-4-2-0 start, the best ever in their 23-year history in Prince George. Currently tied in points atop the WHL with Everett, they will try to improve on their league-leading pace tonight at CN Centre when they face the Prince Albert Raiders.
