Rebels prospect Matthew Gard honing his craft
For Pink Deer Rebels prospect Matthew Gard this season is all about enhancing his abilities.
The 15-year-old Winnipeg, Man. native was chosen by the Rebels within the second spherical, thirty ninth general within the 2022 Western Hockey League (WHL) Prospects Draft. He was signed
Since being drafted by the Rebels he signed a WHL Customary Participant Settlement in Might and reported to coaching camp the place he performed in intrasquad video games all through the week. Most not too long ago he was additionally in Pink Deer working towards with the Rebels whereas his workforce in Winnipeg was on Christmas break.
“It’s an enormous step up from the place I’m proper now however you’ve received to earn every little thing there, which I discovered,” he stated. “You’ve simply gotta be constant.”
So as to crack the Rebels roster subsequent 12 months and for years to return, Gard defined along with studying to cross more durable the teaching workers inspired him to get greater, quicker, and stronger.
“Simply maintain growing my recreation… I’ve been doing a lot of exercises and getting additional reps in observe to simply maintain attempting to get higher,” he added.
Fellow 2022 WHL draftee defenceman Luke Vlooswyk was chosen earlier than Gard, seventeenth general within the first spherical however throughout coaching camp, the 2 children grew to become shut pals.
“He’s only a nice child and it was good to fulfill him at camp. It’ll be thrilling to hopefully play with him in the future,” Gard stated.
The six-foot-two, 160-pound left-shot ahead stated a few of his strengths are his capacity to bodycheck and be an efficient scorer across the web. Nonetheless, Gard believes he can take a step up in getting quicker on the ice and transferring his toes extra.
In November, Gard and a number of other of his teammates in Winnipeg had been chosen to symbolize Crew Manitoba on the 2023 Canada Winter Video games in Prince Edward Island from Feb. 18 to March 5. He made the lower after performing nicely at a 40-player camp held in Might.
“It’s thrilling to be named to that workforce and I’m actually trying ahead to it,” he added.
Gard joined the U18 Winnipeg Rink Hockey Academy this season within the Canadian Sport Faculty Hockey League the place he’s performed 12 video games and contributed 5 objectives and 5 assists. He missed a while after struggling a wrist damage however returned to the workforce earlier than Christmas break.
“The workforce’s been doing okay we had a little bit of a sluggish begin to the 12 months however we’re choosing issues up,” he stated.
“I broke my wrist initially of the 12 months and I’ve simply been attempting to get again to the way in which I used to be earlier than that and do my finest on the market.”
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