Still , ask the KJHL team ’ s general manager if he can recall ever having a team as skillful as the one the Storm iced this season and he just shakes his head .

“ The skill level is just so high . The way they can handle the puck and pass , they ’ re just so accurate ,” said Hohn , who also served as the team ’ s head coach the past five season until stepping down to concentrate on his GM duties this season .

“ We ’ ve got six to 10 skill players on any given night . I ’ ve been here six years and I ’ ve never seen that kind of skill from so many guys with so much ability .”

Anyone requiring any further evidence of the Storm ’ s skill level need only take a peek at the KJHL scoring chart from

the 2017-18 regular season for proof .

OCN had the top three scoring leaders and five of the top 10 scorers overall . Centre Devon Tobacco led all scorers with an astounding 107 points ( 42 goals , 65 assists ) in just 30 games . He was followed by frequent linemates Bryson Werbicki- Mallet ( 92 points ) and Ethan Stuckless ( 67 points ). Add in forward Bryce Young ( 60 ) points and defenceman Broady Personius ( 50 points ) and you ’ ve got a potent lineup that led the KJHL in scoring with 274 goals , an average of 8.05 goals per game . Peguis , which finished second overall in KJHL scoring , trailed OCN by 40 goals .

Tobacco , who is in his third full season with OCN , is without question the straw that stirs the Storm ’ s offensive attack . He started the year on right wing before being shifted to centre in the second half of the season and was virtually unstoppable on most nights .

“ I ’ m not surprised he put up some points , even though

I was a little surprised he put up 107 points ,” Hohn said . “ He just has a knack for hitting the net . He studies the game and he ’ s just so smart on the ice . His hockey IQ is extremely high .”

While Tobacco ’ s offensive outburst this season may not have come as a surprise to his GM or teammates , it likely caused a few people around the KJHL to scratch their head .

The 6-foot-3 , 185-pound forward was forced to spend most of last season playing defence because of a shortage of D-mean on the Storm roster .

“ He was not too thrilled about it , but we needed someone back there and he had played some D in minor hockey ,” Hohn said of Tobacco being shifted to the blueline , where he still managed to score 21 goals and add 40 assists in 2016-17 .

“ He was one of the guys who was skilled enough to do it . Obviously , he needed to make some adjustments … but he was willing to do whatever

was best for the team .”

Tobacco was hardly an island unto himself . The Storm had 11 players who registered 24 or more points during the regular season . That offensive success led to something of a friendly rivalry among OCN players to see who could produce the most points on any given night .

“ It ’ s like any race , you always want to win it ,” said Hohn , laughing . “ They really pushed each other . It was a good thing . They were happy for each other . They were happy for the guy ahead of them .”

The good news for the Storm is that four of their five leading scorers ( Young being the only exception ) are eligible to return next season . Still , Hohn acknowledged that his team ’ s focus will have to change a bit if it hopes to go far in the post-season .

“ Playoff hockey is not all about scoring all these goals ,” he said . “ You have to score more goals than your opponent , obviously , but you also have to outwork them .” ❍