DeCoste rises to OHL challenge
BRAMPTON, Ont. – Underage right winger Kyle DeCoste figures it’s time to get over the novelty of being with the Brampton Battalion and to get down to business in the Ontario Hockey League.
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“Sometimes I still get caught up in it, but I know I have to start bearing down,” DeCoste said Tuesday. “It’s not about being here now. It’s about putting forth a good effort to help the team.”
DeCoste, a fifth-round pick in the OHL Priority Selection last May, signed an education contract on the last day of training camp and has played 11 OHL games.
The London native said he felt he had a good camp but had no idea he’d be asked to stay with the team.
“I thought I played well but didn’t know what that would mean for me. Being asked to stay was a good surprise. It was a big decision to make as a 16-year-old, and that’s where you need your parents to guide you. I think it’s been the best decision I could have made. The older guys have taught me a lot.”
There are three other underagers on the roster in centre Cody Hodgson, left winger Mike Lomas and goaltender Patrick Killeen.
“I think it’s good we have so many 16-year-olds when other teams don’t even dress some for games. It’s good to have other guys in the same boat as you so you can talk to them. They have the same perspective as me.”
DeCoste, who played four of the Battalion’s first 13 games, has dressed for seven of the last 10.
“The extra games I’ve been playing have been great, especially since I didn’t think I’d get to play that much. The coaches have been great to me. Now I have to start repaying them.”
With 14 forwards on the roster, DeCoste said, he knows he won’t be in the lineup every night.
“It’s tough, but at 16 it’s a good experience. This is the best spot for me to be in, not just now but for my future.”
A 20-goal scorer last season with the Elgin-Middlesex Chiefs minor midgets, DeCoste earned his first OHL point with an assist on a goal by rookie left winger Conor O’Donnell in a 3-1 win over the host Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds on Nov. 3.
“I’m not as uptight as I used to be,” said DeCoste. “I’m a lot more relaxed on the ice, and hopefully that results in more points.
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“It’s open out there, but you have to work for every inch of ice. It’s not easy but it’s not as difficult as you’d think, either. You can do some of the things you could do in minor hockey. You just don’t have as much time.”
