Prince Albert Raiders forward Jonah Sivertson has two of the most talked about goals so far this season, but don’t expect him to, er, talk about it.
The Regina product dazzled fans and the Brandon Wheat Kings with his slick stickhandling on route to scoring the winning goal at Assiniboine Credit Union Place on Nov. 28.
One night later, he followed that up with another great display of patience and stickhandling that got the Raiders on the board in a 3-2 home loss to Medicine Hat.
So what does the former Regina Pat Canadian have to say about those goals? Well … not much.
“I had a couple buddies just say, nice goal, but two really good teams, Brandon and Med Hat,” Sivertson said when asked about the highlight reel tallies. “We came out a little slow against Brandon, but we got our legs going and we grinded it out and ended up winning a really good hockey game 2-1.
“Medicine Hat, kind of the same story. We had a slow first period, and then I thought we played really well in the second and third. Unfortunate bounce, but you can’t win them all.”
It turns out, Sivertson would rather talk about the team than the goals. But you can’t blame him. Although he’s only a rookie with the Raiders, Sivertson has plenty of big game experience.
He was part of the Regina Pat Canadians team that won the Saskatchewan U18 AAA Hockey League crown, then advanced to the Telus Cup, where they beat the Chevaliers de Lévis 3-2 in overtime to win the gold medal.
Now in the WHL, Sivertson wants to keep winning.
“It’s a big jump (to the WHL) for sure,” he said. “It’s really good hockey. All the guys welcomed me into the team, our 20-year-olds, it’s just been really fun to be here.”
Heading into Friday’s game against Swift Current, the Raiders are the class of the WHL’s East Division and Sivertson has been a big part it.
The Regina product has nine goals this season, 12th among all WHL rookies, plus seven assists in 27 games. At 6’3 and 193 pounds, he’s also been called on to throw his weight around on behalf of his smaller teammates.
While Sivertson may be hesitant to talk about his own play, his efforts haven’t gone unnoticed.
“He’s been contributing lots,” Raiders captain Justice Christensen said. “Those two goals like you talked about were beauties. That was nice for him. He’s just continuing to build his game. The defensive side’s getting a lot better. Offensive side, he’s a threat all over the ice.”
“He used his frame extremely well, got in between guys with some good leverage, got in on the forecheck, kept pucks coming north, played on his toes, and was a beast around the net,” Raiders coach Ryan McDonald said following the Nov. 29 loss to Medicine Hat.
“He doesn’t need too many opportunities when he’s coming downhill with the hands and the offensive IQ that he does have to make it count. What a goal.”
Sivertson scored plenty at the U18 AAA level. He was almost unstoppable at the Telus Cup, posting 14 points in just seven games against the best U18 teams in the country. Only WHL first overall pick Maddox Schultz had more.
The WHL pace is a lot quicker than the U18 AAA level, Sivertson said, but he’s enjoyed the challenge.
“It’s a faster and heavier game,” he said. “It can definitely be difficult to get used to. You’ve just got to manage your game and see what you can bring from there into this league.”
