Storm rookie relishing increased roll
By Tony Saxon,Guelph Mercury
Guelph Storm rookie forward Isaac Ratcliffe has quickly gone from fledgling rookie to go-to guy.
As Storm coach Bill Stewart benches vets, or sits them out, Ratcliffe, 16, played a ton and found himself on the first power play unit on the weekend as the Storm fell 3-1 in Kingston on Friday and 4-1 in Ottawa on Saturday.
Ratcliffe was in on both goals, scoring Friday and assisting Saturday.
“It’s nice to get out there with some of the top guys. Stewie has definitely given me a great chance here to develop and really show myself in this league,” Ratcliffe said.
“I’m just trying to take every opportunity that I get and hope that it pays off,” Ratcliffe said.
Like any rookie, it takes a while to get used to the pace of the OHL. But Ratcliffe and fellow rookie Nick Deakin-Poot seem to be getting that point where they feel much more comfortable.
“I’ve really gotten used to the speed out here and I’m just trying to focus on what I can do. It’s one step at a time and try and move forward each game,” Ratcliffe said.
“Every player on this team is accountable for this game … we have to do our part to get some wins out here.”
Stewart said it’s time to stop looking at birth certificates and start playing those who deserve it the most.
“Obviously we need some offensive production from our go-to guys that we just haven’t got yet,” said Stewart, who benched Givani Smith and Luke Burghardt for the third period on Friday and sat out the struggling Matt Hotchkiss on Saturday.
