Cochrane’s Coda Gordon is getting a taste of the Western Hockey League playoffs for the first time.
In his second season with the Swift Current Broncos, the 6-foot-1 left-winger and his team are trailing Calgary 2-1 in the best-of-7 opening-round.
But the Calgary Flames 2012 draft pick (sixth round, 165th overall) remains upbeat as his squad tries to gain some traction in his first WHL playoff appearance. The Broncos failed to make the post-season in his rookie campaign last year.
“It’s a lot better than going home at this time like last year,” Gordon said.
And it’s been another productive year on offence for the Cochrane Minor Hockey product. He netted 17 goals and 42 assists in 70 games this season, scoring almost half the goals but doubling his assists from his rookie year.
“I thought I had a pretty good year. There were a couple of ups and downs which I would have liked to have corrected sooner,” he assessed. “But, overall, I thought I improved as a player and continued to grow and kept my points up.”
Part of that growth included the 19-year-old accepting more of a leadership role in his second full season with the team.
“Obviously, anyone who has passed their rookie stage and has been around the league for a while should know what it’s about and should start to lead after that. Whether you’re wearing a letter or not, you should still lead out there.”
It’s an adjustment made easier by his teammates.
“I’m pretty comfortable. We’ve got a pretty tight group this year compared to last year. So it’s pretty easy to talk to guys or help guys out or whatever you need to do to step up to that role.”
And, with one goals and two assists in three playoff games, Gordon is doing his part – even if he’s still catching up to the heat and light of WHL playoffs.
“It’s unreal. There’s only one guy on our whole team that’s been in playoffs before. So it’s all new to us and pretty exciting.
“We deserve to be here and can actually make a statement.”
