he has been the recipient
of some plain old bad luck.
Having been drafted to
both the Western Hockey
League and the Manitoba
Junior Hockey League, the
16-year-old defenseman is
a wanted man. However, he
just isn’t wanted quite yet.
Being selected by two
powerhouse junior squads
– Medicine Hat (WHL) and
Portage (MJHL) – made it
tough for young Fedyck at
both training camps. The
Tigers currently boast a
starting lineup consisting
of five 1997/1998-born
defensemen, and two
rotating 2000-born blueliners
while the Terriers (winners
of three-straight MJHL
championships) do not
dress a single defender
born later than 1999.
“I went to the Medicine
Hat camp last summer and
got sent home right near final
cuts,” Fedyck said. “I played
three exhibition games there
before heading to Portage.
Obviously I went to these
camps hoping to make the
teams, but it didn’t work
out. I knew they were both
very strong teams and it
would be tough cracking the
squad as a 16-year-old. I did
learn to play the game at a
much higher tempo, and I’ve
certainly brought that back
with me to the Thrashers.”
So far this season, Fedyck
has been used on the
Thrashers’ top defensive
pairing and has enjoyed a
significant increase in his
power play time. Clearly
those changes have proved
beneficial to his game, as his
11 goals and 32 points place
him near the top of the list in
team scoring. Floating atop
team leaderboards is nothing
new for Fedyck however, as
the big defenseman put up
11 goals and 36 points in 30
games for the City Midget
Winnipeg Sharks last season.
The 2016-17 season with
the Sharks was an enjoyable
time for the left-handed
shooting point man. The
Winnipegger walked away
from the awards banquet with
the Defenseman of the Year
recognition, emblematic of
his stellar all-round play.
“I’m a two-way defenceman
who likes to lock down the
defensive zone and contribute
on offence,” he said candidly. “I
RYDEN FEDYCK WITH
PORTAGE THIS SEASON
definitely get more power play
time than on the penalty kill,
but I don’t mind doing either,
especially if I’m able to get off
a big shot from the point.”
When thinking about
big defensemen with even
bigger shots, the biggest
worry for his dad might be
the durability of the boy’s
sticks. Fortunately, Ryden
has a sugar daddy this year.
“Yeah, so far I’ve only
broken seven sticks this year,”
Fedyck said with a chuckle.
“But it’s okay though, as
Medicine Hat sends me new
twigs whenever I need them.”
After a playoff
disappointment last year,
Fedyck has learned exactly
what it will take to push his
team even further this spring.
“Last year we did really
well throughout the regular
season, picking up 26 wins in
36 games,” he said. “But then
we got to the playoffs and we
choked hard. This year I’ve
really been trying to help out
with leadership and getting
my team prepared for the task
at hand. This year’s team is a
tight-knit group who all work
together well. Our chemistry
has gotten much better over
the course of the season, and I
think we’ll be able to turn it up
just in time for the playoffs.”
And as for Fedyck’s future
goals, you could definitely
say that his heart and mind
are in the right place.
“Hopefully we can win the
championship this year and
go to the Telus Cup and win
that. I know I need to work a
little bit on my foot speed in
order to get to the next level.
I just want to learn as much
as I can to adapt to that high
pace, so I can prepare for the
next level down the road.” ❍
PLAYOFF EDI TI ON 2018 | GAME ON | 7 7