Wheat Kings’ Toews turns it up a notch

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This article was published 01/03/2011 (5515 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Brandon Wheat Kings fans are starting to see the player they were so excited about when the Western Hockey League team signed David Toews.

The 20-year-old forward came to the Wheat City facing plenty of pressure to perform thanks to his status as a third-round National Hockey League daft pick of the New York Islanders and his experience at the University of North Dakota — not to mention being the younger brother of a certain Conn Smythe Trophy and Olympic gold-medal winner.

Toews’ Wheat Kings career started strongly, with three goals and three assists in his first six games, but a high-ankle sprain knocked him out of the lineup for a month and the Winnipegger just didn’t seem the same upon his return.

Now healthy again and adjusted to the WHL, Toews is starting to live up to the high expectations, with six goals and 13 points in 11 games in the month of February.

"I think (getting comfortable) had a lot to do with it," said Toews, who has provided good secondary scoring while bouncing between the second and third lines and showing a knack for the big goal, with three game-winners in the last five games. "Having an ankle injury obviously didn’t help, but getting comfortable and finding what works is always a positive and I think we’ve got a bit of the equation that’s working right now and that’s a big thing.

"But I think the biggest thing is coming to the rink ready to work. You’re not going to get better unless you’re ready to do that and that’s what we’ve done and that’s what I’ve got to keep doing personally."

Toews has 17 goals and 39 points in 52 games this season and his increased production has coincided with a reversal in fortunes for his team, which has won 13 of the last 17 games to sit at 27-29-1-7 going into Wednesday’s game (7 p.m., Westman Place) against the Kootenay Ice.

"I think probably a big benefit was just the experience of having a half a year under his belt (and being) fully healthy," Wheat Kings head coach/general manager Kelly McCrimmon said. "He had a difficult injury in the first half, one that sticks with you for a while even after you return to play.

"The struggles of our team didn’t help his transition I’m sure, either, and to me, (Toews is) more confident, more experienced and making more things happen with his offensive instincts."

The better play and better production are much needed for Toews, who is unsigned by the Islanders and came to the Wheat Kings partially to raise his stock as an NHL prospect.

"My next two months, personally, are huge and it looks good when the team’s doing better as well," he said. "I try not to think of it too much right now. I just go out and play and do my best every night.

"The next task ahead of us is Kootenay on Wednesday and we’ve got to make sure we’re doing what we do to be ready for that game and take care of business on Wednesday night."

 

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