Malm Sets Midget Record
It’s been a productive couple of months for James Malm, and it all culminated with a record setting performance earlier this month.
The Giants prospect forward, who was sent back to the Valley West Hawks of the BC Major Midget League at the end of November after playing in 19 games for the G-Men to start the year, tallied a pair of assists in a 9-3 win over the Vancouver North East Chiefs on February 15th to become the all-time leading scorer in Hawks history with 101 points in just 45 games. The record was previously held by Medicine Hat Tigers forward Matt Bradley.
“It meant a lot to me,” said Malm of setting the record. “I’ve been fortunate to play with very good line mates over the last two years, so it was obviously cool breaking the record.”
Since that record setting night, Malm had added another two points in back-to-back wins over the South Island Royals. This season alone, the Langley native has 37 points in just 16 games since returning to midget. He’s the only player in the top 20 scorers in the league to have played under 20 games.
Initially, Malm admits that being sent back to midget by the Giants was a tough pill to swallow.
“Getting cut from the Giants, you’re kind of upset of course,” said Malm. “I think in the long run, going back and playing another year of midget hockey is really going to help me and get my confidence back up to where it needs to be.”
It has also helped that the Hawks are having a banner year. They sit atop the BCMML standings with a record of 31-6-1, and Malm is looking forward to the possibility of a long playoff run.
“This is probably one of the best teams I’ve been a part of,” he said. “All the boys love each other, and I really think we could win a national championship this year.”
While the 16-year-old is preparing for the playoffs, with only two games left in the midget season, he’s also aware of what he needs to do to improve his game and achieve his ultimate goal of making the Giants’ roster out of training camp in September.
“I think I need to improve a lot with my skating. I want to be a way faster and more fluid skater as well as my shot and my defensive awareness.”
The Hawks conclude their regular season with back-to-back games against the North Island Silvertips on Saturday and Sunday in Nanaimo.
