but, unfortunately I wasn’ t able to make it this year.”

Not surprisingly, Stotts is undeterred by that inability to make Team Canada.

“ Every aspect of my game needs to step up more and more each day,” says the proud Winnipegger.“ I feel that if I just keep working towards it, there could be a possibility( of playing for Canada) again. I’ m hoping for it and I’ ll keep working towards that.”

“ Proud Winnipegger” always comes up when it comes to Stotts as the Hockey Canada website for the World Under-17 Challenge attributed the Nashville Predators as his favourite NHL team and the now-retired Mike Fisher as his favourite player. Neither of those was the case during an early September conversation for this profile.

“ I’ ve always got to cheer for the Jets because of my hometown and I love going to watch their games. It’ s a great atmosphere( at the BELL MTS Place) in there,” said Stotts.“ I like the players. I know they all work hard and they’ re a fun team to watch.”

As for his favourite player, Stotts hesitated for a moment before saying,“ That’ s a tough one. I like( Jets’ centre Mark) Scheifele. Seeing how much he’ s improved over the past couple of years. He was a young guy in the league and all of a sudden he stepped up and is a huge player on the Jets now. He’ s a great player to watch.”

By saying that, it should come as no shock that Stotts feels Winnipeg’ s first line centre is someone whose game is worth

patterning his own after.

“( Scheifele) is strong on the puck and he worked for that,” explains the 10th overall pick in the 2015 WHL Bantam Draft by Swift Current.“ That’ s something I want to improve on a lot – be strong on the puck and not being able to be pushed off. That’ s something he’ s really good at. He sees the ice well and is a really good player for the Jets.”

Becoming“ strong on the puck” is the biggest adjustment for young players making the jump directly from Midget AAA to the Major Junior level. According to many, many coaches, managers and scouts. Stotts found that to be the case in moving from the Winnipeg Wild of the Manitoba Midget AAA Hockey League, where he was the third-leading

scorer in the 2015-16 season, to Swift Current.

“ There are big guys here and you’ ve got to get a whole different body position, otherwise you don’ t get the puck,” explained Stotts.“ And even when they’ re trying to come and get it off of you, you’ ve got to change up everything. But, it’ s something I’ m working towards every day,( during) every practice and every game, and just trying to be stronger on the puck.”

That determination to be better, while playing on one of the WHL’ s top teams, at least in the early season – the Broncos were second in the CHL Top 10 rankings in the second week of October – should help Riley Stotts realize his dream and be the NHLer in his family. ❍