LAC LA BICHE - Lac La Biche's Ismail Abougouche is in the Dub. The 16-year-old was officially signed to the defensive line of Western Hockey League's Kelowna Rockets on Sept. 19.
The Rockets started their regular WHL season on Sept. 24, and going into the Thanksgiving weekend had played four games, notching two wins, an overtime loss and a regulation loss. Abougouche — Izzy to his friends — played in all four games, and is loving every minute on the ice of his rookie-season start with the Rockets... every minute... even the five he spent in the penalty box after his first-ever hockey fight in game two of his WHL career.
The fight, like much of the teenager's whirlwind WHL experience so far, was unexpected... and driven by instinct.
"We were down six to one, it was late in the game and we were playing them again the next day," the 6'2" 190-pound teen told the POST newsroom on Thursday, a week after the Rockets' second regular season game saw them trailing conference rivals the Prince George Cougars in the third period. "We had to make a statement, so there was a scrum by the net and I grabbed one of their guys, and he said, 'You wanna go?' So I dropped the gloves."
Abougouche then dropped the Cougars player in a fight that has already made it to the www.hockeyfights.com website.
Although the fight may have rallied the Rockets, they still dropped that game 6-3 — but carried the momentum into the next night's game, beating Prince George 5-3.
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Admitting to being a tough player throughout his minor hockey years in Lac La Biche and his AA and AAA seasons across the Lakeland, Abougouche isn't planning to make many repeats of his first on-ice scuffle. He's got a lot of other talents to show off.
"It's such a fast game. You have to use your head. You've got to be fast, anticipate and act," he said, saying that the speed of the play transitions at this level of hockey has been a real eye-opener — but one that he is equipped for. "It's definitely a lot faster. Every game, every practice, I feel that I'm getting better and stronger."
Those practices come every morning — before a busy afternoon of Grade 12 high school classes. One of only two 16 year-olds on the team (the average age on the Rockets' bench is 18, but, like other teams in the WHL, players can be as old as 20), Abougouche has to balance being a teen, a high school student and an athlete playing in the country's highest level of junior hockey. He's managing to take it all in stride ... with some understandable emotions that come with being a long way from his parents and three siblings for the first time in his young life.
"Obviously, it's hard not coming home to all my family every night," he said, grateful that he has a good billeting family to stay with in Kelowna. "I miss home, but we facetime or we call, and they try to come out when they can ... I really miss my mom's cooking."
At least being the new kid in school is something he's slowly starting to out-grow. It helps that there's a lot of Rockets fans in his school.
"When I had that fight, the teachers had watched it and talked about it in class. I sit in the back, and I keep pretty quiet, so people turned around to look at me ... It still feels a bit weird that people know who I am — but I really just want to play and get better and help the team," he said, explaining that it's still taking time to get used to the thousands of faces that watch him during home games at Kelowna's Prospera Place arena. "We had around 5,000 people at our first home game of the season. For that first game, I was a little nervous just being in the league, I was a little shaky ... and then with all those fans there — but after the start, and when you realize you can skate with these guys, I was better."
Some of the guys he is skating with are NHL prospects. There were 22 WHL players selected to this year's NHL draft, including Spruce Grove's Reid Schaefer, a forward with the WHL's Seattle Thunderbirds. Schaefer is a first-round pick for the Edmonton Oilers. Abougouche and the Rockets will be facing off with the T-birds this month.
It might be a little nerve-racking to think about the talent around him, but Abougouche also realizes that he is part of that talent pool.
"It's starting to sink in. Everyone in this league is the best of the best of the young players from their towns. I'm part of that," he said, recognizing that coaches and team scouts saw his skills during his quick rise from prospect to player. Abougouche is known for his play-making skills, his ability to quickly assess the situation and his level-headed approach to all game situations. He also has an undeniable drive to improve with every stride, say his coaches. Scouts spotted those traits when they first invited him to the Rockets' rookie training camp last March. Those traits were also part of the reason the teenager has moved quickly from a rookie prospect to the team roster
"At first I was told to come out here for five days for the rookie camp — and then I was moved to the main camp — then, I guess they liked me and signed me to the team," said Abougouche who says he still has a hard time believing what is happening. "I came for four or five days, and now I'm here for eight months, so I'm not complaining."
Abougouche and the Rockets have just begun their 68-game WHL season. After their first four games, the team sits tied with the Vancouver Giants for third place in WHL's 10-team Western Conference. They are tied for fifth place overall in the 22-team WHL.
February's Hometown crowd
He knows that every game is important for the team, but of the 68 league games, Izzy is already looking forward to game 53. While he realizes there is no guaranteed spot in any game's lineup, he says that game is the only one of the season played in Edmonton, the closest arena to his hometown. Whether he's on the lineup that night or not, he's hoping to see a lot of familiar faces cheering on his team. The game against the WHL's Western Conference Edmonton Oil Kings is on February 24 at Roger's Place. The puck drops at 7 pm. From early ticket sales for the game still 20 weeks away, Izzy's not the only one looking forward to it.
"A lot of people I know are already buying tickets for that game," he said with a laugh.
Tickets for the Edmonton game can be found at the Oil Kings website. More details on the Rockets' league play and Izzy's rookie season can be found at www.kelwonarockets.com
