There are certain milestones for a draft eligible player on the road to hearing his name called at the NHL draft. Brandon Wheat Kings defenseman Charlie Elick has been steadily ticking those milestones off one by one, and over the Christmas break he added another to his resume.
Elick was named to the CHL Top Prospects Game on January 24 in Moncton. He was one of 40 players from around the CHL named to the rosters of the two teams on December 19.
“It felt great, obviously it’s kind of a milestone thing,” Elick said. “I’ve just got to keep playing my way and playing a role. It’s going to be a fun thing to go there.”
Learning to play a role has been part of the growth for Elick, and he’s embraced the role the team has handed him. Playing alongside Quinn Mantei, he’s regularly been skating against the other team’s best players and getting the tough matchups night in and night out.
“Charlie has a really good understanding of what he is going to be at the next level and what’s going to give him the opportunity to have success,” said head coach and GM Marty Murray. “We’ve seen him kind of relish that role here over the last couple of months, playing against the other team’s top lines night in and night out. Sometimes, you have to remember how young both he and Quinn are in playing that role. Usually, those roles are designated for 19 or 20-year-olds.”
“With this team right now, I feel like I can play both sides of the rink,” said Elick. “I do my job defensively and then I bring up the puck for our forwards to go create offense going forward. Playing that way has treated me well so far.”
Part of playing against the other team’s best players is making their lives as unpleasant as possible, and Elick has shone physically this season. He’s finished some of the most devastating checks of any Wheat King all season long, and has proved equally adept at hitting opponents along the wall and in open ice.
“I feel like that’s always been there and it comes with my competitiveness,” he said. “Throwing the body around is something that’s been helping me and I’ve been trying to improve on it, and it’s been getting better.”
Elick and the Wheat Kings close out their eight-game homestand on Friday, December 29 when they host the Saskatoon Blades. Puck drop is 7:00.
(Article courtesy of the Brandon Wheat Kings)
