Golden experience thrills Kaspick

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This article was published 18/08/2015 (4067 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Tanner Kaspick won’t soon forget the first moment he stepped on European ice with a Maple Leaf on his chest.

The 17-year-old Brandonite, who is preparing for his second season with the Western Hockey League’s Wheat Kings, had a goal and an assist in the final as Team Canada beat Sweden 7-3 on Saturday in Breclav, Czech Republic to win the under-18 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Cup.

“It was unbelievable,” Kaspick said of the tournament. “Our first game was against Czech Republic. Being in Czech, it was quite an experience. There were a lot of fans there and they were very loud. It sounded like a soccer match you might see on TV, constant noise, so that was a really cool experience. I was very honoured to represent Canada.”

Kaspick was joined on the team by Wheat King teammates Nolan Patrick, who had two goals and three assists in five games, and 17-year-old Kale Clague, who had a goal and an assist as Canada went 5-0, winning its eighth consecutive gold medal.

Patrick, 16, scored the only goal in the shootout in a 2-1 semifinal victory over Russia on Friday, sending Canada to the final.

“It was a pretty cool experience, my first time in Europe,” Kaspick said. “It was nice to see all that. And then the games were very high-end hockey and a lot of fun to play in.”

Following a selection camp in Calgary, the team flew out the morning after it was picked. As a result, Kaspick said it was important for the players to come together quickly, something he thinks they accomplished.

He said that his personal goals changed through the process.

“I thought I played well,” Kaspick said.

“Obviously going in I was focused on making the team first and then when I got that done I wanted to be a contributor and help the team win and I thought I did that.”

He skated on a line with Michael McLeod of the Mississauga Steelheads and Beck Malenstyn of the Calgary Hitmen.

Kaspick’s goal in the final game, which put Canada up

5-0 in the second period, came on a shift when the trio was cycling the puck deep. The puck went back to the point and then ended up in front of the net, where Kaspick jammed it in.

“Obviously it’s nice to contribute any way that you can and to get that one in the final was pretty special,” said Kaspick, who earned his first points of the tournament in the final.

He arrived back in Brandon late Sunday and plans to take a few days off this week to recuperate and to get his body readjusted to the time zone.

Soon it will be time for Wheat Kings camp, something Kaspick believes that he and his Team Canada teammates are well prepared for.

“I think it gets us ready for camp that much more,” Kaspick said. “We’ll go into camp and exhibition games already having competitive games under our belt recently so I think we’ll be expected to come to camp in really good shape and in game-ready form. I think we’ll bring that to the table.”

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