Kidney eager to become dual threat weapon
On the night one of Acadie-Bathurst Titan’s greatest players has his number retired, it’s fitting that one of the franchise’s best offensive talents will be watching on.
Thomas Beauregard, whose 294 points are the second most in team history, will see his no. 28 retired tonight. Riley Kidney, one of the most dynamic offensive players in the QMJHL, already has 144 career assists, four more Beauregard tallied and he did so in 78 fewer games. But the Titan alumnus finished his career with 154 goals, 95 more than Kidney currently has to his name.
And that right there is the jump the Montreal Canadiens prospect is looking to make this year.
“I’d consider myself more of a playmaker but this year I’m trying to really bring the goalscoring part into my game and make myself a dual threat,” Kidney said.
A year ago, the Enfield, N.S., native scored 30 goals and added 70 assists to become just the eighth Titan to record 100 points in a season as he finished sixth in QMJHL scoring. This year, he has 11 goals and 32 points and is on pace for 107 points.
If he can cross the century mark again, he’d join Olivier Filion and Mathieu Perreault as the only players to achieve that feat in Titan history.
“Coming into this year, I knew my capabilities and what I could do in the league so I went in with a lot of confidence and that’s helped me a lot so far,” Kidney said. “It’s the point I know I can get to. This year, I want to better that and keep improving.”
A similar message came from the Habs’ brass. Kidney, who was part of Canada’s 2022 World Juniors gold-medal team in August, has been encouraged to play a faster game and use his pace to his advantage more.
“I just need to play with an NHL pace even though I’m still in the Q and continue to work on my speed and my off-ice strength,” he summarized.
Kidney centres an offensively gifted first line that features fellow Nova Scotians Jacob Melanson (SEA) and Ben Allison. Together, the trio has scored 35 goals this year, an amount that has accounted for 48 per cent of all Titan goals.
“Me and my linemates having been playing really well this year,” Kidney said.
While the Titan’s 73 goals are the fifth most in the QMJHL, their 90 goals against lead the league and has contributed to an 8-11-2 start. But, a glance at the standings demonstrates how tightly packed teams are with just three points separating seventh through fourteenth.
“All the guys know that the Q this year is super close,” Kidney said. “There are not many points separating the teams. Every game is really important for us. Two points every night is all we need to look for.”
Kidney and the Titan are in action Saturday night in the CHLTV Game of the Week when they host Rimouski at 6pm ET / 3pm PT.
Available to fans from coast to coast, CHL TV is accessible on the CHL mobile app, in addition to Apple TV, Roku, and Amazon Fire, and online at watch.chl.ca. Each year, CHL TV offers access to more than 2,000 regular-season games covering the CHL’s three Member Leagues and 60 markets across Canada and the United States. Fans can download the free CHL app via the App Store and Google Play.
*photo credit: Bryannah James/Acadie-Bathurst Titan