
More than halfway through the Saskatchewan Male AAA Hockey League (SMAAAHL) schedule, the Prince Albert Mintos are in a good spot and looking to build in the second half of the season.
The Mintos currently sit in fifth place with a 15-11-2 record and entered the holiday break with a 3-7-0 record in their last 10 games.
Minto head coach Doan Smith says Prince Albert is in a good spot and will look to climb the standings when they return in the new year.
“We’re an older group. We have a maturity level and understanding of what we want to be. I think the guys have shown that they can beat anybody. The league’s wide open, in my opinion. There’s not a juggernaut team. We’re in that three to six mix right now and halfway through, I think that’s OK. It’s just understanding that when we get back in January, then it’s time to build and head in the right direction because home ice advantage in playoffs will be a goal for us.”
One major contributor for the Mintos this season has been defenceman Simon Garchinski, who is in his third season with the team. Garchinski is the captain of the Mintos and is tied for the lead in team scoring with 26 points in 28 games this season.
Garchinski says the Mintos are trying to stay positive despite a skid heading into the holiday break.
“I think we started off strong and we started to click pretty quickly and closer to Christmas, we’ve had a little bit of a skid and our play has gotten away from us but we don’t worry too much about it. We really just try and stay positive in the room and it’ll come eventually and we just gotta bear down and work hard.”
10 different players on the Minto roster have posted more than 20 points so far this season. Despite not having a single player in the top 25 in league scoring, Smith says the depth of the Mintos provides challenges for the opposition.
“When we’re playing at our best, we’re hard to play against, we’re frustrating, we can finish hits, we can play multiple different types of games, and our creativity in offense can take over at any time. When we do that and we simplify from home base to the red line and allow our creativity to take over in the offensive zone, we’re really frustrating to play against, and we have a lot of talent and we’ve got a lot of depth within our roster where people can line match one line because we’ve got multiple lines that can score and play the game.”
In goal, Jayden Blanchette and Josh Henry have been solid for the Mintos this season giving the team a chance to win night in and night out. Smith says he feels confident with either player in goal, something that is a luxury to have in the SMAAAHL.
“With Josh (Henry) being a returning player, I think he’s gotten better and better as we’ve gone on where we’ve relied on him. I think for him it’s just staying calm and knowing that he’s a rock for us when we need him. Jayden (Blanchette) been a player of the month in the league. He’s been a goalie of the month, he’s stolen games for us. It’s a 1-2 punch that a lot of teams don’t have, because we feel secure and we feel reliable with either guy in net.”
At the holiday break, the Mintos are the second most penalized team in the SMAAAHL having been short handed a total of 148 times this season and have allowed 37 power play goals against.
Smith says the Mintos will look to be more disciplined in the second half of the season.
“I think the biggest thing for us is understanding our identity and finding the line of discipline where we’re hard to play against and frustrating versus where we’re in the penalty box the whole game and having to rely on our kill. We need to find that line on how hard to play and how aggressive to be because when we do find the line, I do believe we’re a top team in the league. We really are with the depth and ability to take over. It’s just consistently finding that line to play towards instead of going over or staying under where you’re either too timid or in the box the whole night.”
The Mintos return to action on Jan. 8, 2025 when they welcome the Saskatoon Blazers to the Art Hauser Centre. Puck drops at 7 p.m.
-with files from Jason Kerr/Daily Herald