OSHAWA, Ont. — Last season, Hayden Verbeek was struggling to crack the lineup on a deep Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds team.
Now, with former top scorers Sergey Tolchinsky, Jared McCann and Michael Bunting all playing professionally, Verbeek is being counted on to help make up for the lost offence.
The timing couldn’t be better for the 18-year-old.
The Kingston, Ont., native is in his draft year and trying to prove to NHL clubs that he’ll be able to compete at the next level, despite his five-foot-nine, 177-pound frame.
January’s NHL Central Scouting rankings had Verbeek ranked as a late-round pick among North American skaters for the June draft in Buffalo.
"His compete, the way he works and the way he competes, he sets a level that a lot of guys can’t play at and that’s just constant with him whether in games or in practices," said Greyhounds’ coach Drew Bannister.
Verbeek, who scored just four goals and six assists while playing limited minutes in 51 games last season, has 11 goals and 27 points through 49 games with the Greyhounds this season.
In addition to centring his team’s top line, Bannister uses Verbeek on the Greyhounds penalty kill.
"He was a guy that was on the outside looking in on a very deep team, but just forced his way into the lineup and ended up being an important part of our team because of how he can skate and how relentless he is," said former Greyhounds coach Sheldon Keefe, now behind the bench for the AHL’s Toronto Marlies.
The speedy, playmaking forward isn’t afraid to get in the corners. The shifty nature of his skating coupled with his vision on the ice helps set him apart.
Verbeek skates on a line with draft-eligible players Boris Katchouk and Tim Gettinger, and the trio believes the success of the line will help each individual when it comes time to draft.
"We’re all up for the draft this year, those two guys are obviously rated pretty high," Verbeek said. "It’s good playing with them, they’re good players and just feeding off them and feeding to them."
Verbeek, who likens his game to Boston Bruins agitator Brad Marchand and Montreal Canadiens forward Brendan Gallagher, doesn’t need to look far for advice. His uncle, Pat Verbeek, played over 1,400 NHL games.
"Just keeping at it and try not to get it in your head too much. Just keep working, shoot the puck and everything like that," Hayden Verbeek said of his uncle’s message. "I ask him for advice quite often, just little feedback on what he hears and stuff like that."
With 14 games remaining Verbeek hopes to reach the 20-goal plateau this season, but Bannister said there is still work to be done in order to get his game to the next level.
"Sometimes you’d like him to slow it down," Bannister said of Verbeek’s speed. "I think his defensive awareness is good, (but) it could be better."
