In a year were everyone is talking about Canadian junior hockey players heading to the U.S. college ranks, Owen Corkish is bucking the trend.
The 5’9, 160-pound winger from Cottage Grove, Minnesota spent last season playing U.S. high school hockey, where he posted 27 goals and 35 assists in 26 games. Corkish also suited up for 10 games with the Minnesota Mallards of the NAHL, but when the time came to decide on his hockey future, he looked north of the border instead of south.
“It’s just the WHL being the best league in the world right now,” Corkish said when asked why he wanted to play in Prince Albert. “I just wanted to test myself and see if I can make the league and make an impact and help my team win. It was just a big challenge for me.”
Corkish is one of 15 forwards listed on the Raiders roster, and the only one who wasn’t selected in either WHL Prospects Draft or CHL Import Draft. He came to Prince Albert without a WHL Scholarship and Development Agreement, hoping for a chance to make the team out of training camp.
“Both the club and Owen started camp not knowing what to expect,” Raiders GM Curtis Hunt said in a press release. “After he got his bearings, he just got better every day. Throughout the pre-season he has proven he can play in all situations.”
Corkish posted four assists in four pre-season games, and impressed the Raiders with his tenacious play.
“He’s always hunting the puck,” Raiders head coach Ryan McDonald said. “He’s got great details—really good stick (and) body positioning…. From the defensive side, but also from the offensive side, he makes some great reads. He can get in and out of space quickly and has a great hockey mind to make that next play offensively.”
“It’s been unreal,” Corkish added. “The staff is unreal. The team is unreal. The culture and the community is pretty great and I haven’t seen that anywhere else.”
Corkish’s efforts earned him a spot in the opening night line-up, where he came inches away from recording his first WHL point.
He was initially credited with an assist on Aiden Oiring’s second period power play goal, but the official scorer later changed it to defenceman Tyrone Sobry. He then had a chance for an empty net goal after the visiting Saskatoon Blades pulled netminder Ethan McCallum for an extra attacker, but fired just wide of the net.
Corkish maintains a positive outlook on coming tantalizingly close to his first WHL goal.
“It’s definitely haunting my dreams,” he said with a laugh.
“(I) grabbed the puck, turned, and realized I didn’t have any gas. I tried to shoot it. The guy was right on me, and I kind of missed the net. It’s just something to laugh about and keep moving (forward) not to worry about.”
Raiders looking forward to hitting the road
It seems like forever since the Prince Albert Raiders have played someone besides the Saskatoon Blades or Regina Pats, but they’ll have to go atleast one more game before that happens.
The Raiders have faced the Blades six times (four pre-season, two regular season) so far and have two more pre-season games under their belt against the Regina Pats, who they’ll face again on Friday.
“We’re a little bit more familiar with them this year but for us it’s just getting on the road and playing that simple road game,” Raiders head coach Ryan McDonald said. “(It’s) making sure we’re playing north-south, making sure we’re playing behind, and again, getting pucks to the net and being strong in front of our net.”
The Raiders hammed the Pats in both pre-season outings, but neither were at the Brand Centre in Regina. The first was a 6-2 win at Westland Arena in Yorkton on Sept. 11, followed by a 7-3 victory at the Art Hauser Centre on Sept. 13.
Even though it’s a familiar opponent, the Raiders relish the opportunity presented by their first road trip.
“I think these two away games will test us,” forward Owen Corkish said. “It’ll be a good experience for us to build for the rest of the season. Winning on the road is tough. I feel like we can do it. We’re excited.”
The Raiders will have a chance to face a different opponent when they travel to Brandon for their first meeting of the year with the Wheat Kings.
The Wheaties had no trouble putting pucks in the net in their opening home-and-home with the Moose Jaw Warriors, but keeping them out was a bit of a problem. The two teams combined for 26 goals over two games, both of which were won by the Warriors.
“Knowing them from the past and how they like to play, there’s a few areas that we’ve got to make sure we pay attention to,” McDonald said when asked about the Wheat Kings. “They like to play long and they like to play fast and for us, it’s making sure we keep the play in front of us, but also take our opportunities to get the puck in the middle of the ice and strike when we can.”
The Raiders and Pats face off at the Brandt Centre at 7 p.m. on Friday. The Raiders and Wheat Kings face off in Brandon at 6 p.m. local time on Saturday.
The next Raiders home game is on Saturday, Oct. 4 against the Red Deer Rebels. Puck drop is 7 p.m.
