How do you go from being the whipping boy of the WHL, strung out to dry and at the bottom of the Lethbridge Hurricanes in points and goals in 2012-13, to leading the team in both categories in 2013-14?
That’s something Cochrane’s Tyler Wong is still trying to figure out. With 14 goals and 25 points in 33 games, Wong has played key power-play and penalty-kill minutes for the ’Canes (currently 5-24-2 on the year). It’s a far cry from the dismal 53 games and 13 points tallied all last season.
But how do you get such a drastic difference between seasons? Wong, a natural right-wing power-forward by trade, and many other young players spent much of their rookie seasons riding the bench in favor of more experienced players. Never given a chance to make mistakes and learn from them, never a chance to grow.
Something had to change in Lethbridge and, with four losing years under his belt, general manager and head coach Rich Preston had to go.
Now under the tutelage of new head coach, retired NHL d-man Drake Berehowsky and GM Brad Robson, Wong said, “our players (himself included) aren’t afraid of trying to make a difference.” In other words, they aren’t afraid to make mistakes.
“The (coaching) change has really been for the better,” said Wong. “The coaches have NHL experience and really know what they’re talking about and we’ve got a group of guys who are starting to buy into the new system.”
The new system is simple, for some it might seem a little cliché, but it’s a dump-and-chase system. But, according to Wong, there’s nothing wrong with cliché if it works.
“I feel that I’ve benefitted a lot from the new system. I like getting pucks deep and with my speed I like to battle down in the corners and yeah, I can honestly say that’s been the big thing for me this season,” he said.
In only his second season in the Western Hockey League, Wong has become a scoring threat. At 5-foot-9, he’s a small big-man with a lot to prove.
“Overall I think our team’s really starting to turn it around and we’re just hoping to get a few wins before Christmas,” said Wong. “For myself, I’ve just been having a lot of fun with the guys here and we believe in what coach Berehowsky is teaching.”
They might have a 5-24-2 record this season, but Wong said they’re not giving up yet.
“We’re not going to give up on this season,” he said. “We gave up three early goals against Calgary this week, but we started a late comeback and we felt like we could have had them in the end. Just like that game, we still feel like we can come back in any game and maybe even make the playoffs,” said Wong.
With 39 games left in the 72-game regular season, it’ll be tough to climb back into the playoff picture. But with a positive attitude, and a little luck, anything is possible. Lethbridge’s next game is against the Edmonton Oil Kings on Dec. 9.
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