Before the Dec. 1 deadline when teams must cut down to 25 players, the Flin Flon Bombers added a veteran defenceman as they try to make it to the SJHL finals for the third time in four seasons.
The Bombers brought in 20-year-old defenceman Tyler Higgins, who has Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) experience. The 6-foot-4, 238-pounder from Beaconsfield, Que. joins a strong squad. As of Sunday, Flin Flon was 17-8-0-2 on the season. The Bombers, who made it to the 2016 and 2017 Canalta Cup Finals, had won their last two games and were 7-3 in their last 10. Of adding Higgins, Bombers head coach and general manager Mike Reagan said:
“I think he makes us more confident in our D-core. His long reach and physical presence will be important for us.”
Reagan said that he thinks getting Higgins will be big for the team. However, he noted the Bombers want to add more experience to the squad before the Jan. 10 trade deadline. At the Dec. 1 cut down date, Reagan said there were a few other discussions regarding deals but they did not pan out.
The Bomber head coach said the key now is to see the full Flin Flon lineup. Bombers Daylan Marchi and Isaac Jackson are returning from injuries. Caleb Moretz has one more game to serve on a suspension for a hit from behind last Wednesday. Rookie Vincent Nardone is trying out for Team Canada West for the World Junior A Challenge.
Adding Higgins had an immediate impact. He recorded the game’s only goal and 16 penalty minutes in a 1-0 victory over Estevan on Friday.
“Tyler brings size, experience and a presence to our back end,” Reagan said. “He hasn’t been on the ice for almost two weeks and was up at 4:30 a.m. to fly out and arrived in Flin Flon at 8 p.m. and to play the next day.”
Higgins has played in parts of five QMJHL seasons. He started this season with the Saint John Sea Dogs before coming to Flin Flon. He spent his first three junior seasons with the Val-d’Or Foreurs in Quebec. Last season he was with Val-d’Or, the Rimouski Océanic and the Gatineau Olympiques.
The Bombers got him through Tyler McDougall, who is the son of Gardiner McDougall. Tyler McDougall has done some searching for players for the Bombers for the past couple of seasons, Reagan said. Gardiner McDougall is the long-time head coach of the University of New Brunswick men’s hockey team. His past hockey roles included being the Bombers assistant coach and its director of hockey operations.
In a corresponding move last week, the Bombers swapped 20-year-old defenceman Doug Johnson to the Manitoba Junior Hockey League’s Steinbach Pistons for future considerations.
“It was tough to move Doug because he bought into being a Bomber and had come a long way from when we got him but with us at our max of 20-year-olds, someone had to be moved in order to bring in Tyler,” Reagan said.
A defenceman from Darien, Conn., Johnson played two seasons in Flin Flon. He had four assists in 25 games this season for the Bombers.
The Bombers’ offence has been explosive this season. As of the weekend, it paced the SJHL with 119 goals for. Eleven Bombers had at least 10 points so far this season.
Brandson Hein led the way. The 20-year-old was second in the league with 25 goals and 46 points in 27 games. Melfort’s Justin Ball led the SJHL with 29 goals and 49 points. The duo have established themselves as the leading candidates for the SJHL’s MVP and Player of the Year awards. Hein also had an SJHL-high four shorthanded goals and was tied for second in power-play goals with 10.
Nate Hooper, a 20-year-old who grew up playing with Hein in Winnipeg, was fourth in the SJHL with 44 points. The Bombers captain led the league with 31 goals.
With 32 points in 26 games, Marchi has already surpassed the 30 he posted in 50 contests last season. The forward from Lloydminster was third on the team in points. Defenceman Calvon Boots was fourth with 29 points, while second-year forwards Chrystopher Collin (25 points), Moretz (24 in only 16 games) and Donavan Houle-Villeneuve (24 points) rounded out the top seven. Nardone, who has cracked the NHL Central Scouting Players to Watch list, was eighth with 22 points, including 13 goals.
After being a nominee for the SJHL Rookie of the Year award last season, Boots has established himself as a candidate for Defenceman of the Year this time around. The 20-year-old was second to Melfort’s Kayle Tosh in blue line points with 29, including 23 assists, as of Sunday. Other Bomber defencemen have been chipping in offensively. Jackson, who grew up partly in Flin Flon, had 13 points. Mason Martin had 10 points – double the five he posted last season.
Pierce Diamond has been strong in net for the Bombers. Last week, the 20-year-old from Edmonton recorded his second shutout of the season and only allowed one goal in two games.
“I thought Pierce was very good (last) week and we needed him to be,” Reagan said. “I was real happy for him to have such a big week.”
As of Sunday, Diamond had 13 wins, a .924 save percentage, and a 2.43 goals against average.
