Virden hoping to get back into postseason

The Virden Oil Capitals are ready to show last year’s outing was just a fluke.

The Manitoba Junior Hockey League’s club registered a 24-31-2 record and placed fifth in the West Division last year, failing to qualify for the postseason for the first time in 10 years. Oil Capitals GM and head coach Tyson Ramsey, who’s entering his eighth year with the organization, knows a motivated group when he sees one — and this one’s got a big chip on its shoulder.

“We didn’t make the playoffs, and that was our goal, so there’s some memories there that are going to drive us forward this year,” said Ramsey. “It doesn’t feel good not to make the playoffs in this league. These guys are all competitive athletes, and they play at this level because they’re competitive and they’re elite, so when you don’t have something go the way you want it, it hurts.”

Two years ago, Virden’s fortunes couldn’t have been further from the opposite. The Oil Capitals enjoyed a first-place finish in the West Division with an impressive 40-12-3 record. Ramsey believes getting back to that level of success depends significantly on the leadership group.

“The guys that returned from last year we’re real excited about,” he said. “We had a lot of younger guys, so we’re obviously expecting them to take a step forward and lead the group.”

Virden’s own Ty Plaisier will be at the forefront of the leadership group, as the 20-year-old was named captain of the Oil Capitals in May. The six-foot-two, 200-pound defenceman tallied 18 points in 44 games with Virden and was a big part of the squad’s back end last year.

Giving the ‘C’ to Plaisier, who’s entering his fourth year with the team, was an easy decision, according to Ramsey.

“We’re excited about Ty and what he brings to this team and has brought to this team the last number of years he’s been here. When you’re looking for a competitive role model and a competitive guy to lead your group, he’s right at the top of that list,” he said. “He just does everything on and off the ice. He competes hard on the ice, works hard in the gym, and he’s very inclusive of all the players and has the respect of his teammates.

“He just makes everybody around him better, and we expect him to do that throughout the course of the season.”

Virden has a total of 13 returning players this season: Liam Goertzen, Marshall Light, Tyson Draper, Noel Englot, Brooks Siemens, Cole Robertson, Carson Wright and Daniel Tokariwski up front, and Plaisier, Nathan Schaefer, Maddox Shindle, Rhylan Baxter and Hudson Davidson featuring the back end.

Goertzen, who split time between the Winnipeg Freeze and Oil Capitals last season while racking up 35 points in 53 games, will be a significant piece of Virden’s offensive outlook this season, along with Light, Englot and Wright, who all combined for 94 points last year. Robertson, 20, will also be expected to step up in a bigger role after playing just 20 games last year.

A new name to look out for on the ice is London Hoilett, a physical 20-year-old who comes to the MJHL after spending the last three seasons in the Western Hockey League with the Vancouver Giants and the Calgary Hitmen. He totalled just four goals and 11 points in 50 games last year, but he’s poised to be a threat offensively with the Oil.

With the team’s veterans on the blue line all surpassing five-foot-11, the D-core is shaping up to be heavy, fast and stifling — Ramsey said that’s the identity of Oil Capitals hockey.

“Our group has to be a group that competes each and every day against whatever opponent we’re playing, and we’re going to do it with size and speed,” he said. “We want to be hard to play against and fast and physical. That’s our goal here.”

Another key piece of the puzzle that needs to be going from the very get-go if Ramsey’s club wants to be competitive is special teams. Virden’s power play ranked at the bottom of the West Division with a 16.9 per cent success rate and also placed second worst on the penalty kill at 76 per cent, only finishing above Swan Valley, who managed a 74.7 per cent success rate.

“The power play was certainly not what we needed it to be, and it probably was the difference between us making the playoffs and not,” Ramsey said. “Certainly the better you are in special teams, the better your team is overall, so we’re looking for both of those to have better numbers than they did last year.”

When the Oil Capitals’ 10-year streak of qualifying for the playoffs evaporated last year, it happened in dramatic fashion, as Virden finished with a total of 51 points on the season, which was only two points shy of Waywayseecappo, who held the fourth and final postseason spot in the West Division standings. It’s hard to not think if its special teams were a bit better, last season’s disappointment could have been avoided.

But as this season approaches, Ramsey is focused on just what’s ahead: exhibition matches.

Virden will face off today against the Neepawa Titans at home and then the Portage Terriers on Wednesday. Ramsey said it will be a good chance for him to get a good look at players fighting for a roster spot, including former Southwest Cougars goalies Micky Gross and Brodie Cameron, who are battling for the backup position in between the pipes.

Braxton Burdeny, who was acquired by the Oil Capitals this summer from the Winnipeg Monarchs in exchange for forward Maxx Hamelin, is currently set to be the team’s starter. Burdeny registered a 5-29-2 record, along with a 5.25 goals against average and a .894 save percentage with a weak Winnipeg Freeze squad last season.

Ramsey, who’s eager to bring a championship to Virden, is hoping the club’s final roster will be decided by the end of next week but is not making any promises.

» mdelucataronno@brandonsun.com